If you’ve ever had family photos made, then you know that picking out what everyone should wear is a chore. I honestly feel this is why some people choose to not get family photos made. The more people, the harder it becomes… and I can remember when it was just me and my husband, and it still wasn’t easy. Adding a couple of kids in the mix makes it absolutely complicated- until now. Today, I am going to give some pointing on picking what to wear for family photos.

Want help with just dressing your kids? Check out this post! 

If you’re more of a visual learner, head over to my YouTube channel to see the video I have all about what to wear for family photos.

Avoid the Trends

First up, let’s talk about what not to wear. I would strongly, strongly recommend avoiding the trends. Remember the photos where are the women wore neon color shirts that were bedazzled and had tons of glitter-glue? Yea, me too! As fun as it is to look back on those trends, I advise saving the trendy clothes for more casual photos and not ones that you plan to hang on the walls. Not too long ago, chevron patterns were all the rage. Not hating on Charlie Brown or anything… but if you want to see these photos every day, I would choose outfits for the family that is timeless.

Neutral colors or subtle patterns are always a good place to start. But what colors should I choose? This brings me to the next tip.

Match Your Decor

When choosing a color for your session, start by looking at the room you know that you want to display the photos in. What colors would look good in there? My living area is mostly neutrals colors. So when I was choosing colors for our beach photos, I choose mostly neutrals (plus some blue to coordinate with the water… because why not!) Say your living room is like mine (neutral colors) but you have a bright pink dress for your daughter that you absolutely love. I would advise saving that dress for a different occasion since hot pink might not be the look you want to go for in your living area. Or maybe that is the look you want! If that’s the case, go for it! Pink for everyone!

Start with the Hardest

Now that you know what colors you want to have, find an outfit for the person who is the hardest to dress in the family. Maybe that’s you, mom. (Do I see you nodding your head?) Start by finding the perfect outfit for you. Maybe you find a denim dress that has a trim of white. Perfect! Now, coordinate (don’t match) the rest of the family’s clothing. If you match, then you would like Britney and Justin in 2001- denim on denim. Instead, find your family some outfits that are white to match the trim of your dress. You can also do a hint of the navy since denim and navy look amazing together!  See, we are coordinating – not matching. This also helps us narrow down what we are looking for. Most online shops have it where you can filter the clothes by color. Handy, right?!

So there you have it, what to wear to your family session! Avoid the trends, make sure to match your decor, then start with the hardest person to dress and you well only our way to having everyone looking good together!

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