If you’re stuck planning your family’s outfits, here’s a few things to keep in mind when picking coordinating family outfits for your next photo session.

We love taking family photos every season. They’re a great way to document the growth of our family season after season. It’s a tradition that our family has come to love. Seeing how much our family has changes over the years is astonishing. It’s amazing how much the kids grow in such a short span of time. When we’re getting ready to take photos, I love to create an overall vibe for the photoshoot with coordinating outfits.

Tips For Coordinating Family Outfits

Coordinating outfits are cute and something that I think every family should aim for when they’re taking photos. It makes your photos look well put together. If you’re stuck, here’s a few things to keep in mind when picking coordinating family outfits for your next photo session.

1. Pick a vibe

When planning our family photoshoots, it’s a must for me to choose what vibe I’m going for. Do I want the photos to be fun with loads of candid shots? Something more serious and formal? Or casual and laid back? It’s important to decide what vibe you’re going for. This will help steer you in the right direction for choosing a location, color scheme and what pieces to wear.

2. Consider your location

Before even picking outfits, I like to choose the location of our shoot. Sometimes I have locations in mind. but Sometimes I work with whatever photographer is taking our photos to choose the perfect location. If we’re taking photos while we travel, the photographer will typically give us a list of locations to choose from. This makes it so much easier to decide what we’re going to wear. Think of parks, beaches, pumpkin patches or even your home when deciding on the location.

3. Choose a color scheme

The second thing that I do is choose a color scheme that I’m really loving. Typically I try to pick a color scheme that we’ve never used before so that our photos are fresh and different every year. I take everyone’s skin tone into consideration and make sure to pick something that everyone will shine in. For the fall, I love dark tones like emerald, burgundy, camel or even oranges. Neutrals are always a good option too. During the spring and summer, I like to choose bright colorful tones that will reflect the season we’re in. Holidays are my favorite because I can pick festive colors like reds and greens.

4. Formal or not formal?

After you’ve decided on all of the above things, you have to think about if how formal you want your photos to be. If you’re going for something formal, you’ll definitely want to choose suits for the men and gowns for the girls. If you’re wanting something not so formal, dresses and jeans will do. No matter what your family chooses to wear, you want to make sure that everyone is comfortable because a photoshoot can be long.

5. Start with one person

Coordinating family outfits can be overwhelming, especially if you’re family is larger. I always like to start with Tatiana’s outfit first when we’re coordinating outfits. It always seem to be easier to piggyback off of whatever she’s going to wear. She’s the hardest person to shop for so it’s easiest to start with her. Once we’ve decided what T will wear for photos, I shop for everyone else.

6. Compliment, don’t match

The number one mistake that most families make when choosing coordinating family outfits is being overly matchy. The last thing that you want is for everyone in your photos to wear exactly the same thing. I try to stick to the color palette when buying pieces for everyone, incorporating patterns and textures when I can.

7. Consider your home decor

For most families, family photos end up being a major part of their home decor. Think about what your home decor is like when choosing your color scheme. If your home is bright and airy, you’ll want to aim for light colors. If your home has more of a rustic feel, you’ll want darker colors to match your home. If you want to take the guesswork out of color selections, you could always print your photos in black and white.

8. Take the weather into consideration

Nothing is worse than being uncomfortable during a photoshoot. If you’re planning an outdoor session, take a look at the weather to make sure that you’re fully equipped with anything you may need to stay warm in the fall and winter. During the summer you may need things like sunblock or an umbrella if there’s rain in the forecast for after your shoot.

I love to look at the weather before choosing outfits as well. Photoshoots can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on your session. Packing things to keep your family comfortable is essential.

9. Don’t forget the shoes

The shoes are often a forgetting piece of the puzzle and can make or break any look. Choose shoes that will compliment your outfits and blend seamlessly. If your family is anything like mine, you’ll want to go for comfort here. Think sneakers, loafers or flats for kids.

10. Consider patterns

Don’t be afraid to choose patterns when picking outfits for your family. They can work wonders in moderation. When choosing our outfits for these photos, the patterns are what caught my eye.