Our Engagement Session: What We Wore and Why

Our engagement session is one of those things that I think back on two weeks later and think…did that really happen?? The trip to DC was such a blast – and short and sweet! So sometimes I forget we even had an engagement session at all!

If you’ll remember back to that day that we left, I had shared the guidelines I used when picking out my outfits for our engagement session. The tips to flattering your figure, how to feel comfortable, etc. etc.

And honestly, I’ve been giving out that advice to my brides for years, but it was a whole different ball game once they were my outfits to choose! I spent months going through options and having trouble making decisions per ‘yuzh..

So now it’s time to fill you in on what places I looked into and what exactly I picked out !

Where do we even start?

Needless to say…because this is our field and because this is just who we are we had to be a little ~*extra*~. Definitely we knew we wanted to do three outfits in total to really make PV work for us 😉

Starting out, we were thinking on a scale from 10-1, 10 being super formal.

We were definitely going to do a more casual one – like super cute date night. This would be a 6.5 on the formal scale.

Then a formal style, really similar to our “Styled Anniversary Shoot” (aka, our proposal, but when planning our outfits I thought it was the former!)

Finally, we are gonna crank it up to 11 and go black tie not optional. One, because really like to dress up. And two, if we’re surrounded by beautiful, sparkly marble, it would be rude not to.

Starting with Level 11

So ya girl is on a budget, which means if I’m looking for an all out gown, I’ve got to work the system. This meant turning to Rent the Runway!

In addition to being extremely affordable, they’re also super accommodating! Once you pick out your dream dress, they give you one extra dress in a size up or down as a just in case.

My first choice was this navy Sachin & Babi gown. I love the gold underlay and the shimmer of the silk. It ended up being surprisingly comfortable! And super fun to swish around 🙂 Also those sleeves were perfect and super flattering!

Because it’s a 4 day rental (they do offer 8 days, but remember that ya girl is on a budget) that means everything arrived the day before we were about to leave. Yikes!

With Rent the Runway, if both of those end up not working out, they offer a whole additional dress at half its price! This was a huge peace of mind for me.

My back up dress was this gorgeous green Hutch gown! It fit me well, but if you’ll remember those spaghetti straps were not going to be my friends so I ended up nixing it!

So in total, I rented 3 dresses for $133. And that includes the shipping to you and back. CRAZY!

Bonus: they have accessories too! I got this super pretty Slate & Willow necklace for only 8 bucks!! It was the perfect amount of sparkle!

Real quick about AJ (sorry AJ) – we knew a suit was the way to go! His super dark navy suit is one he got for our proposal, and it worked perfectly here! I’m a huge advocate for navy everything on guys because it’s so universal and flattering!

He was pro-neck-tie, I was pro-bow-tie. Due to our lack of planning, we realized the night before that no neck-ties were going to work. So bow-tie it was! 🙂 Happy accident!

Our Medium Formal Look

When I was thinking about this middle of the line outfit, I was thinking back to our proposal shoot outfits. So much so that I even wore the same lace top from it! Yes I’m an outfit repeater, please don’t call me out Kate Sanders.

I got both the top and this beautiful chiffon skirt from Morning Lavender! And, quite honestly the inspiration. They know how to make the lace + chiffon combo effortless and dreamy!

The movement and flowiness paired with detail and classic lace will always be my favorite combination!

This was the final outfit we wore. We were around the back of the Capitol amongst the tulips! And then we went to the Supreme Court steps. So dreamy!

AJ just took off his tie and he instantly had a brand new look…it’s so easy for guys its not fair! Not complaining though 🙂

The Classy Casual Look

Those two words will always translate to Gal Meets Glam.

Paige introduced me to GMG last year for our anniversary shoot, and I’ve been hooked ever since! Julia Engel is the epitome of sweet, classic glamour and I would love to just be her. I currently have like 8 GMG dresses/jumpsuits and counting…

I’ve always loved the Alison dress. The soft white color, the classic silhouette, the breezy-ness of it. It was honestly perfect. I ended up wearing it for the rest of the day!

This was perfect for underneath the cherry blossoms!!!

AJ got a new light blue blazer that I LOVE! He looks so sharp in blazers.

I have to confess, for this outfit I was definitely veering on the side of Sorority semi-formal… Which I think is okay because Semi’s used to toe the line of Kentucky derby/Easter/Connecticut Casual (a la Andy Bernard). And I’m okay with that.

Last but not least

The final and probably most essential part of this all are SHOES. I’ve been grappling with shoes for what feels like forever!

I’m definitely not into heels for so many reasons, but I definitely wanted something comfy and flattering.

I found some perfect nude flats at Nordstrom Rack (can’t find the link, but similar to these). I love the little bows more than anything!

I’ll continue my search for the perfect session/wedding shoes (probably for the rest of my life) and keep you updated.

Sooo now I want to know what you think!!

Was this similar to what you wore/were planning to wear for your engagement session?

Are you more extra like me or do you prefer to keep it on the casual side?

Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!

P.S. You can see our entire session on Paige’s blog! Click here to see all these outfits in action!!