There are a few things that will effect your photos more than anything. The photographer you choose, the location you choose and the outfits you choose. So let me help you nail all three of those things! One of the questions I get asked by almost every photo client is "what should we wear". It is so hard to find outfits whether you're a senior, bride to be or a mom. And the more people in your photos, the more outfits to find and coordinate. I get it! So let me give you some pointers.

START WITH YOU

I know it is sometimes for fun shopping for your baby or fiancé but I always tell my clients to find something they love and feel confident in and then plan around that. Maybe your significant other or teenager is super picky. START WITH YOU then give them the color scheme and let them go wild... or wild-ish. You still want them to look like part of the family!

COORDINATING OVER MATCHING

This can be a tough one for some. But it is much more timeless to have everyone in coordinating outfits rather than having your 4 sons all wear the same exact shirt. For family pictures, I recommend finding something with a pattern and then pulling colors from that for each person to wear. Maybe mom has a floral dress with mauve, sage and cream flowers so dad has a sage shirt, baby has a brown and cream striped romper and big sister has a mauve skirt.


DRESS IT UP

If you are trying to decide if you should wear jeans and a t-shirt or a dress, I will always recommend a dress! Overdressed always trumps underdressed. ALWAYS. Pictures just turn out so much nicer when everyone’s dressed up. This doesn't mean your dudes have to wear bowties, but button downs are very timeless, as are dresses. For engagement photos, most of my couples bring 2 outfits. One more formal and one casual. This is the perfect way to have a variety of photos for your invitations and wedding day.

NEUTRALS

When it comes to colors, I love neutrals for a few reasons. If you are printing the photos for your house, which I hope you are, they will match any room you put them in. You don't have to worry about your magenta and orange dress clashing with your kitchen decor. You can also use your photos from May on a Christmas card rather than taking new photos or feeling like they are too springy for the Christmas card templates you love. And my reason for everything, they are timeless. You are less likely to look back at these photos in 10 years and cringe.

TEXTURES & PATTERNS

I love to have different patterns, textures and colors so everyone has their own look but you still look like you are being intentional. Textures and patterns add personality and dimension to photos. You don't want too many different patterns but you really can't have too much texture. If brother is wearing a plaid shirt and mom is wearing a floral dress, maybe try sister in a linen dress and dad in a waffle texture henley. It is a great way to mix things up so everyone doesn't end up in a plain t-shirt.

Pro tip- Words to look for when shopping include: linen, muslin, henley, ribbed, waffle, knit.

CONSIDER SENSORY ISSUES

This is definitely my best advice for any mom planning clothes for sensitive littles. Something that may not seem like a big deal to you may be a very big deal to a child with sensory issues. If you have a child who is easily irritated when it comes to things touching their legs or feet, it may mean you need to put them in different shoes, tights with their dress or maybe it means you pick a location that they can wear the outfit of your dreams without having a melt down! It is always better to anticipate their big feelings than let it ruin pictures.