It’s been a year since Chad and I started dating and for our one year, I asked my mom to take some pictures of us! It was really fun taking pictures together, since he is not much of a photo guy! However… I have to be honest, by the end of the shoot my boots were all wet and I was so cold, we couldn’t keep smiling and that’s when those ugly candid moments were taken haha. Sooo it wasn’t all fun and games.
Trying to coordinate this shoot made me realize how stressful it may be planning the PERFECT outfit for an engagement shoot or just pictures with your significant other. I knew what looked good on Chad and told him what to wear, however he just showed up with a hat *that I have never seen before*…. *eye twitch* hahah, luckily I really liked it on him, but I could only imagine the anxiety if this was our engagement shoot…” WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE WEARING A HAT?!?!” hahah
So I decided to share some tips on making the process easier! As girls, we take lots of pictures and often times have a clear idea what looks good on us. For example, most of us have a favourite outfit that we wear on repeat and understand  the silhouettes that are more flattering. So my main tip would be to focus on what the guy is wearing and then cater your outfit to match or compliment him! But before that, it is best you get back to the basics…. PINTEREST! Here are my 5 tips on taking pictures with your significant other:

1. Create a vision board
Use Pinterest and create a mood board that sets your envision. Don’t forget, you are able to set boards to be “private” so its only accessible by you! This way you can get some inspiration for your photos and get some outfit ideas! Here is the mood board that I created before taking the pictures:

2. His Outfit First
Take the time and DRESS HIM FIRST! Hahah I know it seems ridiculous but helping him put an outfit together takes out the stress and there will be no surprises on the day of! This process will also allow you to see if you need to get any new items for him; for example, a new sweater, or a nicer pair of jeans and you can take your time with it. I personally LOVE Old Navy for guy clothes as they fit really nice and they are so affordable!
As I was planning Chad’s outfit, I knew I really liked the burgundy sweater and his pea coat on him, so I made sure to have him wear those. He added the hat himself which I ended up loving! Also make sure he is also comfortable in what he is wearing! From my experience, if a guy isn’t comfortable it’s definitely going to show in the pictures.
3. Pick Your B E S T  outfit!
Once his outfit is picked out, pick yours! You know exactly what works for you and wearing something you feel good in will make you glow up!! However, make sure you are also comfortable in what you are wearing! If you find that there is a specific dress or skirt that you really want to wear, WEAR IT! You will just have to adjust his outfit if it doesn’t match (e.g. change the colour of his shirt). It is much easier to tweak a guy’s outfit than a girl’s!
As I planned Chad’s outfit, I was stuck on whether I wanted to match him exactly with a cream pea coat or complement him with a burgundy pea coat. I decided to go burgundy as I liked that it matched his sweater under his coat! So I knew what coat I wanted to wear and kept it simple with a white sweater underneath.
4. Communicate with Your Photographer
Make sure to communicate with your photographer about your outfits before hand in case he or she has suggestion about the colour or style! They are the professionals after all and have done this many times, so I would definitely take their opinion into consideration! They are also more aware of the photography locations and may suggestion a different outfit…regardless, ALWAYS listen to their suggestions!
 5. Make It FUN!
Remember to have fun! The last thing you want is to look stiff in your pictures! Chad and I had a couple of those, and then all of a sudden I slipped and almost fell on the ice  which made us laugh, after that the pictures came out so much more natural! ​
Here are the links to our outfits:

*His pea coat, boots and scarf were from Winners, so I linked similar items!
Those are all my tips for taking pictures with your significant other, but if there are any other tips you have, make sure to share them in the comments section!
Always Remember: It’s not about brand, it’s about style!
Niki
xx