a keepsake for the two of you
What to wear
for the two of you
Outfit notes for relaxed engagement and couples sessions, anywhere in Northland.
from me to you
Dear you two,
The ring is on, or the date is in the diary, and somewhere between the phone calls and the congratulations you opened the wardrobe and thought: right, but what do we actually wear?
That little panic is completely normal. It is the question I get asked most, usually by the one who has already tried on nine things and put them all back.
the one rule
Comfortable beats perfect, every single time.
If you are tugging at a waistband, you are thinking about the waistband. You will not be thinking about each other, and the two of you is the entire point of the afternoon.
So the test is simple. It should look like you, and it should feel like you. Sessions with me are relaxed and documentary, more of a walk and a chat than a photoshoot, so dress for a good afternoon out together and let me worry about the rest.
P.S. If you would rather skip to the useful bit, the pack list below is tickable and it remembers your ticks. Open it on your phone next to the wardrobe.
roll 01 · six frames
A roll of looks.
Six combinations that sit well in Northland light. Drag the strip sideways, or use the arrows.
before anything else
Dress like nobody but you.
If you live in jeans and sneakers, wear jeans and sneakers. A pair in their favourite denim and a good white tee will always photograph better than a pair in something stiff they borrowed for the day.
And if you are the dressed up, hair done, floor length kind of couple, be exactly that. Bring the leather jacket. Bring the vintage dress. Bring the boots you have worn half to death. Clothes with a bit of history in them are the ones you will still like looking at in ten years.
start here
The basics.
Four habits that do most of the work, before we even get to colour.
01
Wear the comfy thing.
Not the thing that fits if you hold your breath. Something soft, worn in, that you can sit on a rug in and walk a beach in. Ease shows up in your shoulders and your hands, and that ease is the photograph.
02
Dress for the place and the season.
Northland does four seasons in an afternoon, especially at the coast. Bring a layer, expect wind, and wear shoes you can walk in and cuddle in. Heels and soft sand are not friends.
03
Bring two or three looks each.
One a bit dressier, one relaxed. We can start smart on a boardwalk and finish barefoot, and having options means the two of you always sit together well and against wherever we are standing.
04
Lean on natural fibres and movement.
Linen, cotton, wool, denim, silk. They hold light softly instead of going shiny. Add one thing that moves: a skirt that catches the breeze, a long sleeve, a coat you can walk into the wind in.
colour
Colour, your film palette.
Soft, earthy tones do beautifully in Northland light. Bright primaries tend to shout over your faces and bounce colour onto your skin.
northland, spot by spot
Colours by location.
I shoot all over Northland, and every spot has its own colour underneath it. Here is what tends to work where.
contact sheet · worked example
Build your two looks.
One couple, one beach, late afternoon. Here is the whole thing built out of three decisions.
.webp)
ocean beach · 6:40pm · one palette, two people, three frames
the featureA dusty blue linen dress. It is the strongest colour in the palette, it moves in the wind, and it sits against pale sand without disappearing into it.
the supportAn oat linen shirt and soft chinos. Quieter than the dress on purpose. Sleeves rolled, shirt untucked, nothing fighting for attention.
the shared layerA cream knit or a denim jacket that either of you can wear. It handles the wind, it gives us something to do with hands, and it ties the two looks together.
timing
Seasons.
Same rules, different fabrics. Two quick steers depending on when we are shooting.
details
The little things.
Small stuff people ask about the night before. None of it is a rule.
The ring.
If you want close-ups, tidy nails help, and a sleeve you can push back or a bit of bare wrist helps more. Tell me on the day and I will make a point of getting a few proper frames of it, hands, ring, the lot.
What to do with your hands.
Give them a job. Hold hands, a hand on the waist, a hand in a back pocket, fingers in belt loops, hands wrapped around a coffee. I will prompt you as we go, so you never have to stand there wondering.
Hair, skin and grooming.
Natural make-up photographs best, a little more than usual is plenty. Hair down gives us movement, and a hair tie on the wrist is fine, it is real. Shiny watch off, or turned to the inside of the wrist. Lip balm in a pocket.
We feel awkward on camera.
Everybody says this, and it is my job to make sure it does not last. We walk, we talk, I give you something to do rather than a pose to hold. Most couples forget I am there about ten minutes in, which is when the good frames start.
Bringing the dog.
If they are family, they belong in the frame. Bring a lead and, if you can, a friend to hold them and toss a treat between photos. A quick walk to burn off the zoomies first never hurts. Just tell me ahead so I can plan the session around them.
tick as you go
The pack list.
Eight things, that's it. Your ticks are saved on this device, so you can come back to it.
questions I get asked
Before you ask.
Should couples match their outfits?
No, and I would gently talk you out of it. Matching outfits read as a uniform, and from a few steps back the two of you merge into one shape. Work from one shared palette instead: one of you takes the feature colour, the other takes the quieter supporting tones. You will look like you belong together and still look like two people.
What should we wear for a beach engagement shoot in Northland?
Light, soft fabrics that move, and colours that sit next to sand rather than shout over it: cream, oat, bone, dusty blue, clay. Bare feet are ideal on sand, so bring shoes you can slip off, and skip heels entirely. Pack a layer, even in summer, because it cools off fast once the sun drops at Ocean Beach or Uretiti. Long dresses and untucked shirts are your friends here, the wind does something lovely with them.
What should we wear for winter couples photos in NZ?
Lean into it. Big knits, wool, denim, a proper coat, a beanie if you want one. Deeper colours work well in flat winter light: plum, forest, mustard, slate. Layers are useful because you can add and remove them and get two looks out of one outfit. Northland winters are mild but wet, so bring boots you can walk in and do not be put off by cloud, soft grey light is very kind to faces.
How many outfits should we bring?
Two each is the sweet spot, three if you are undecided. One a bit dressier, one relaxed. Any more than that and we spend the session changing instead of shooting. Bring them on hangers so nothing arrives creased, and if you cannot choose, send me photos beforehand and I will help you pick.
What do we do with our hands, and the ring?
Hands get a job: holding each other, on a waist, in a pocket, around a coffee. I prompt as we go, so you are never left standing there wondering. For the ring, tidy nails and a sleeve you can push back are all you need. Tell me you would like close-ups and I will make sure we get them properly rather than as an afterthought.
We feel awkward on camera, help?
Almost everyone tells me this in the first email. My sessions are documentary and deliberately relaxed, more of a walk and a chat than a photoshoot. I give you small things to do instead of poses to hold, and I keep talking so it never gets quiet and strange. Ten minutes in, most couples have forgotten I am there. That is usually where the frames you end up printing come from.
What colours are best for engagement photos?
Soft, earthy tones do the most work in Northland light: cream, oat, sage, dusty blue, clay and warm neutrals. Pick a palette of about four between you, let one person wear the strongest colour and the other the quieter supporting tones. These shades sit beautifully against sand, bush and old stone, and they still look right on a wall in ten years.
What should you not wear for couples photos?
Nothing brand new, nothing you have to hold your breath in, and no big logos or slogans. I would gently steer you away from neon and pure primary colours, busy large prints, and matchy head to toe identical outfits. On the coast, leave the heels at home. None of it is a hard rule, but soft, worn in, natural fabrics in one shared palette almost always photograph better.
How far ahead should we sort our outfits?
A week or two is plenty. Lay both looks out, try them on together once so nothing is a surprise on the day, and check the shoes are genuinely comfortable. If you are stuck, snap a photo of your options and send it through before the session and I will help you choose. Far better to sort it early than to lie awake the night before thinking about shoes.
one last thing
Send me a photo of your picks.
Lay it all out on the bed, snap it on your phone and send it through. Two outfits each, shoes included. I will tell you what sings together and what to leave at home.
I would much rather help you choose now than have you lying awake the night before, thinking about shoes.
book your sessionNimmy x
I'm Nimmy, a Whangārei-based photographer covering all of Northland, with 8+ years photographing couples, engagements and weddings across the region, from Ruakākā to the Bay of Islands.
Last updated · August 2026
.webp)
.webp)