Choosing the right outfit for your family photos can be stressful. Trying to order or shop for outfits, coordinating colors for everyone, and getting everyone to wear what you picked for them is overwhelming. I don’t have any magic tricks to get your family into their outfits, but I do have a few tips to make the process a little less stressful for you.
What should I wear?
I will start off by saying I am not a fashion expert…. actually pretty far from it. I have however, learned a few things about what to wear and what not to wear. Now… the first thing I will say is it really doesn’t matter what you wear! Stick with me here. I’m not saying don’t dress nice and coordinate outfits, I’m saying there are more important aspects to the session than that. This next part is something you might here from me either before the session or during. In 10, 15, 20 years from now, when you sit down to look back at all of the images you have from over the years, the outfits wont matter. You are going to remember how small your children were, or how much fun that age was, not that they had a red shirt on when it should have been blue. We tend to stress about this in the moment because we think it will make or break the session, but it wont. Your family is what is going to make it great!
So I should just not care?
Again that’s not what I am saying. I definitely think you should choose outfits that you love and think your family will look great in, but don’t let it ruin your experience. I have a daughter that loves to wear big, colorful, princess dresses. Would I love to take pictures of her in cute little outfits?…. Yes of course, but that’s not what she has in mind. I have to remind myself that this is what makes her happy. Years down the road, I will look back and laugh at the memories of how ridiculous she looked, or how much she loved a dress that she never wanted to take it off (and I had to sneak it out of her room a few times a week to wash it). I get it, its difficult to do, but if you find yourself in a situation like that, try to just go with it. For both of our sakes during the session, we need your little one happy and not upset because they had to wear the outfit you picked for them. Its going to happen anyway from time to time but when it comes down to it, having your loves ones with you to capture amazing memories is worth so much more than the fight about the outfit!
Keep it simple
All that being said, I would recommend dressing comfortably in neutral colors. Whites, blues, maroons, greys, and beige colors are always a safe option. Jeans, shorts, t-shirts, and button ups are all great! Or if you want to show up in a bright orange suit then own it and lets shoot!
