I LOVE to wear dresses when I’m shooting weddings. I just feel more comfortable in a cute dress than I would pants and a top…first of all, I’m shorter (5’2”), so it can be hard to find pants that fit me well. And second, wearing a dress is more low maintenance! You only have to pick out one thing to wear, rather than having to choose pants as well as a separate top!

My favorite shooting dresses are sleeveless (I get hot!!), modest, figure flattering, and have modern elements to them, whether that’s a fun color or pattern, or just a modern cut. Bonus points if the dress has pockets! My budget for shooting dresses is typically less than $50 dollars per dress, but if it’s something I really love and know I’ll get a lot of use out of, I’ll spend up to $100.  All of the dresses below are things I’m loving right now! All of them are under $100, but most of them are under $50!

1. Jcrew Factory, 2. Target, 3. Old Navy, 4. Gap, 5. ModCloth, 6. Ruche

Another reason I love to wear dresses is because I like to blend in with the wedding guests as much as I can! It’s so much easier to get candid shots when you kind of fade into the background because you have on something a typical wedding guest might be wearing. I’ve also found that at each wedding you shoot you are potentially auditioning for any guests who may be at the wedding who are engaged or looking for a wedding photographer. For this reason, it’s important to dress professionally and also represent your brand at the same time, because you never know who might be watching! My brand isn’t stuffy or traditional, so why should my outfits be?