Hilary & David joined us during a quick family vacation for their engagement session in Pawleys Island, SC. While I often do consider my client’s friends, especially after spending months looking forward to their weddings and celebrating their relationship through engagement sessions and their marriage alongside their families, Hilary was a friend of mine long before she was a client.

I absolutely could not be more excited that she found David and getting to meet him is something I’ve been looking forward to for months. These two spent a couple of days with us on at the beach at Pawleys Island before we popped out for their golden hour engagement session. Hilary has an incredible sense of style and I was so excited to see the outfits they picked for their Pawleys Island engagement session.

 

One of the most common engagement session questions I receive is “How Many Outfits should I include for our engagement session?”

 

While there is no set perfect number of engagement session outfits, H & D chose to go with three outfits.

Today I’m going to share three of my engagement session outfit planning tips with you all in addition to images from H & D’s Pawelys Island Engagement Session.

 

Engagement session outfit Tip #1: Mix patterns and textures.  Hilary’s eyelet top paired with the polka-dot chambray shirt on David added both texture & pattern AND a fun twist of personality to their outfits.

 

I’m absolutely in love with the Spanish moss in the south.  I very distinctly remember as a child going to the Carolinas for the first time and seeing the mysterious moss hanging in the trees.  It felt to me like a mysterious, magical thing.  ….and if gets even more magical as the light passes through it during golden hour.

H & D went a little dressier, but still completely beach appropriate for their 2nd engagement session outfit.  I loved the intensity of the blue pants romper and the spark of lip color.  Pawleys Island has a number of beautiful spots and this fountain had just the right look to go along with their 2nd engagement session outfit.

Engagement session outfit Tip #2: Don’t be afraid to GO BOLD.  I completely recognize that bold outfit choices aren’t for everyone; however, if it is your thing, by all means your engagement session is a great time to really show off your personality in your outfit choices.  Even just picking one bold statement piece is any easy way to add wow-factor to your engagement session look.

Pawleys Island has a number of beautiful spots and this fountain had just the right look to go along with their 2nd engagement session outfit.

H & D’s final look is easily my favorite.  Pastel colors and the beach are almost as natural of a pair as chocolate & peanut butter.  ….and the back of Hilary’s top is absolutely to die for!

The engagement session outfit brings me to the final outfit tip:

Engagement session outfit Tip #3: Add interest to your session with an outfit that creates movement.  Skirts & dresses are one of the easiest ways to create movement in an engagement session outfit, although scarves and other accessories can also be used.

After our other two stops engagement sessions stops on Pawelys Island, we got to the beach as the final rays of pastel light were hitting the sand.

The back of Hilary’s top is easily my favorite part. 

Although I rarely travel for sessions, I do enjoy working sessions in when I’m traveling.  My family and I head to South Carolina a couple of times a year and I love the opportunity to do sessions while we are there. 

 

Erin Tetterton is a Washington DC Wedding, Newborn, & Lifestyle Photographer.  Erin Tetterton Photography offers a hybrid approach wedding & engagement photography with a playful mix of photojournalism and fine art photography for those who are madly in love.  Want to see more fun summer engagement sessions?  Check out this summer engagement session at Glenview Mansion or this winter engagement session at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC.