How to Coordinate Your Looks for Family Photos

Date: October 10, 2024

There's a chill in the air and a pumpkin spice latte in your hand. It's a beautiful day to get the family all dressed up and wrangle everyone into position for a family photo!

For many families, fall is the ideal time to book a photographer and head outside for a cute pic you can frame and send out to friends and family during the holiday season. You can layer up but don't need heavy coats and boots, and the light is gorgeous in the afternoon. (Before it gets dark at 5 PM, anyway.) If family pics are on your calendar this year and you're stressing about what to wear for family photos and coordinating yourself, your spouse, your son who will only wear Spider-Man tees, and your budding fashionista daughter—not to mention a cameo from the grandparents or cousins!—we're here to help you nail it.

Find your overall vibe and vision

How would you describe your family in two or three words: outdoorsy, sporty, playful? Let those key words inspire your looks and help you decide what to wear for family photos! You'll be more comfortable in front of the camera when you're wearing clothes that feel like you. If you never wear hats, don't pull out the oversized floppy hat you bought on a whim. If you rarely dress up, don't put the kids in fancy dresses and stiff blazers. You want to look like yourselves, not a model family in a Target picture frame.

Choose your outfit first

You may be tempted to start with the kids, but if you're doing all the work planning the photos, it's often easier to use yourself as the centerpiece, per se. You have the most control over your own outfit, so consider a few different options you know you'll feel good in: a printed dress, jeans and a blouse, cutoffs and a sweater. Plus, when you're comfortable and confident, everyone else will follow your lead. Once you have your own outfit down, proceed with the rest of the family.

Let us help!

A genius way to make family pics super easy is to get your Trendsend stylist involved. Share your timing, color palette, location, and any other relevant details and they'll customize your box with versatile pieces for picture day—including those you may not have already thought of! So simple, right? But that's what we're here for.

Stay away from matchy-matchy looks and focus on texture and color

You want to coordinate your outfits, not look like the Von Trapp family. If you're wearing burgundy, for example, consider dressing your family in complementary colors like gold, pink, and tan or cream or shades of gray and blue.

To keep things visually interesting, incorporate a little bit of print but don't go overboard by dressing everybody in a different pattern. Try and keep it to one or two family members if you can, and a subtle design is preferable over something super bold. Add texture to the photos with clothing, like a cable knit sweater, leather jacket, suede boots, a hat, or a cute fuzzy vest on your little one. This helps the eye travel and allows each person to show off their personal style.

Don't worry about perfection

What you see on social media is not real life, so don't let unattainable ideas of perfection get in the way of having a good time. Candid moments of laughter and love are the most precious, so try to relax, shake off your stress, and enjoy the process.

When in doubt, wear denim

Enough said! Your favorite jeans deserve a spot on the living room wall. Like we said above, if you're wearing something you love and feel good in, that comfort and confidence will shine through in the photos.