Family Photos- The Best Tips for Choosing All The Outfits

We had a family photo session last week and I had so many requests for help with family photo outfits. It might not come as a surprise, but I really enjoy the challenge of putting together coordinating family outfits. We often end up matching on Sunday's or for other outings and I love it. That being said, I know many of you don't feel that way about picking outfits! Today I'm here to help! I'm actually not going to share a bunch of color schemes or outfits that I put together for you- instead I'm going to give you some tools! Today I'm sharing the points that I think about when I'm putting outfits together for family photos. Read on for tips about picking family photo colors, locations and who wears what!

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Madewell Eyelet Mockneck Ruffle Top // AG Legging Ankle Jeans // Sam Edelman Maurin Bootie // Nickel & Suede The Paco Fedora // Blank Canvas Nova Leather Earrings // 

London Tan Slit Leather Cuff // Turquoise Statement Ring // Abercrombie Men's Textured Long-Sleeve Henley // Abercrombie Men's Straight Chino Pants // VANS Sk8-Hi MTE Shoes

Tucker + Tate Fleece Hooded Pullover  // Tucker + Tate Cargo Jogger Pants // VANS Sk8-Mid Reissue V Sneaker // Sometime Soon Isla Organic Cotton T-Shirt // Art + Eden Mercer Jogger Pants // Reebox Classic Leather Sneaker // Tucker + Tate Basic T-Shirt // Tucker + Tate Camo Print Jogger Pants // VANS Sk8-Mid Reissue V Sneaker // Tea Collection Double Weave Plaid Shirt // AG The Stryker Slim Straight Leg Kids Jeans // Adidas RapidaRun Knit Sneaker // Cat & Jack Henley Long Sleeve Pullover Sweater // Tucker + Tate Camo Knit Pants //Freshly Picked Classic Moccasin

Sometime Soon Isla Organic Cotton T-Shirt // Art + Eden Mercer Jogger Pants // Reebox Classic Leather Sneaker

Tea Collection Double Weave Plaid Shirt // AG The Stryker Slim Straight Leg Kids Jeans // Adidas RapidaRun Knit Sneaker

Cat & Jack Henley Long Sleeve Pullover Sweater // Tucker + Tate Camo Knit Pants // Freshly Picked Classic Moccasin

There are several ways to approach family outfits and there are a lot of things to consider. Hopefully the following list helps your outfit selection!

• Choose outfits that match the decor in your home. In the past I've gone with colors that were trendy or everyone liked, but when it came to getting them printed I realized that I didn't want that red or blue in my living room. Don't stress about it too muchb ut do keep it in mind!

• Mix several patterns. I highly recommend mixing several patterns and textures if possible. If you can get a plaid and a floral and a stripe in your same color family- do it! I recommend varying the scale of the patterns. You can definitely mix two plaids as two of your patterns, especially if they are different in scale. (ie: buffalo plaid and a small-scale plaid).

• Choose a mix of 3-5 colors. Unless you based everyone's outfits off one fabric (like a floral blouse or dress) I recommend that no one should be wearing all of the colors in your palette at least not more than one person. Each person should be in three-ish of the colors. This isn't a hard and fast rule, but things can get really matchy matchy real fast if you aren't careful here. You want things to coordinate, not match.

• Make things easy by shopping at stores that carry a wide range of sizes so that your kids coordinate with minimal effort. I like OshKosh, Carters, Old Navy and Gap for these reasons. Target and Nordstrom can also be a great source for coordinating outfits across sizes and ages. 

• Choose outfits that work with your kiddo's style. I kind of have my kids figured out and this time around I kept that in mind. Knox loves comfy clothes like sweatpants and jackets. So, I bought him new joggers and a dino tee that I knew he would wear. Easton likes more stylish pieces, so I got those for him. My kids are pretty good about wearing what I need them to wear, but I'd say don't make it a fight. Choose things that you will both like!

• Go easy on Dad. I find that I'm the easiest person to find clothes for, so I shop for everyone else first. Soren is the hardest to shop for, so I usually choose his outfit really early on. For many years he wore the same denim shirt in all of our family pics. That works too! Just don't make his outfit a point of difficulty. Heaven knows you need him on your side during pics!

• BONUS- Think about the socks. This is the one thing that I even forget, but be intentional about everyone's socks. They need to disappear, unless you have a kid who loves funky socks. Either way, don't let white or red or weird socks happen on accident. You may have a kiddo sitting or jumping or moving and the only thing you see in your favorite photo of the set is their bright white, missing or unintentional socks.

If you want more family photo outfits and photo shoot tips read last week's post here. Do you enjoy putting everyone's outfits together? What color palette did you go with this year? Feel free to leave your tips for choosing family photo outfits in the comments!