Trying to find an outfit for your engagement photos?! Shopping for a whole new outfit might seem like the only option, but in reality, there are so many other ways to make a killer engagement session outfit without draining your bank account! Below are three of my top tips for getting creative with your outfits!

1. Rent a dress or outfit from Rent the Runway!

I learned about Rent the Runway last year and I’m OBSESSED! Rent the Runway has a huge variety of expensive clothing, which can all be rented for a fraction of the original price! Lyndsay, a 2017 JHP bride, opted for a gorgeous floor length red dress that made her session come together perfectly with the neutral winter backdrop. And the best part was, she didn’t have to pay hundreds of dollars to look fabulous!

2. Repurpose an old bridesmaid dress (or any dress, for that matter!).

So, you bought a bridesmaid dress, only to wear it once and have it sit in your closet for a number of years. There are plenty of tutorials on Pinterest about upcycling or repurposing bridesmaid dresses into pillows or dresses for your kids, but what about repurposing your dress into something that you can wear again?

One of my brides, Hilary, was in a wedding where she wore a beautiful tulle, dusty blue bridesmaid dress. After the wedding, she decided that she wanted to find another way to wear the dress – so she had it made into a floor length skirt!

For her engagement session, she paired the dusty blue skirt with a simple black top, and wa-la! The perfect, upscale, classy outfit for an engagement session! Besides the color of the skirt (which was perfect for winter engagement photos!), Hilary’s skirt was full of body and movement, which always looks gorgeous in photographs!

3. Uplevel your accessories!

One way to get creative with an outfit for your engagement photos is to “uplevel” your accessories! One little black dress can be transformed with a hat, scarf, statement necklace, shawl, belt, or even just the right pair of shoes. Accessories are also more cost-effective than purchasing a whole new dress or outfit and can easily be worn with a variety of different pieces in any season!

Tess and Phil (pictured below) had their engagement photos taken at the camp they met at, so they dressed in clothing to match the camp experience! Tess wore a hat and the most adorable boot/sock combination. Paying attention to these seemingly small accessories can make the biggest difference in the overall final product!