Styling your family for pictures can be challenging and break the bank if you aren’t careful. One of my biggest goals for family pictures is for everyone to be comfortable, family pictures can be awkward so the more comfortable everyone is in their clothing the better chance you have for more relaxed photos.
In our house I am the pickiest dresser, imagine that. Because of this I recommend starting in moms closet. Many times we think we need to buy the perfect new outfit for family pictures but I’m willing to bet almost all of you have more than one article of clothing in your closet you feel good in. If possible give yourself a few options so when it comes times to choose a color scheme you don’t feel stuck.
Next determine what type of clothing dad is comfortable in. In our house this is jeans and a polo, super easy! More than likely this is already in the closet as well. Consider what colors you find most flattering on your spouse, again try to give yourself two options here.
Dress the kid(s) last because their clothes are usually the least expensive, so if you need to buy a piece it’s affordable. Once I decided I would wear a white top with black shorts and jean shorts (yes I am high maintenance and require at least one outfit change), I looked in Sumner closet to find a shirt with white and a blue to match one of Josh’s polos. I didn’t find one but I was lucky enough to find one on Target from Cat & Jack for $10, so I only spent $10 on clothes for our photos (score!).
This outfit was for our “nice” photo. I decided last minute I also wanted to do a few pictures that captured how our family is on a daily basis, jeans and t-shirts. I had the boys wear matching t-shirts but it was important for Sumner to wear overalls to break up the color blocking. I then chose a shirt for myself that was in the same color tone as the boys with jean shorts. Everyone had jean bottoms and darker tops. I think overalls are awesome for family pictures because they can break up color blocking easily but still allow for people to match, and they’re in style right now for a wide age range (I mean Sumner and I both have a pair).
Last year in our larger family photo everyone was to wear white, yellow, blue and jean (see below). While the boys all wore button up shirts each were different in color, pattern and sleeve length. Two of us ended up in full white, one long sleeve dress and the other a short sleeve romper. You’ll notice overalls in last years picture too. Side note: shoes were not a big consideration in any of these pictures.
I find the key to a well styled family picture is have color tones or fabrics (such as jean) match while putting pieces together that share a common element without being the exact same. I love helping people style their family for photos so please reach out if you want help!
Kelsey
