Happy December, friends! I don’t know about you, but over here we are already counting down ‘til our next break. What can I say? We are more than ready to spend some quality downtime together, and take a breather from the regular schedules and routines. We’re road-tripping to a few places this month, then plan on hunkering down for Christmas break with some warm apple pie, not-so-hot hot cocoa (for the kids!), coffee (for me!), and my mom’s delicious (second-to-none) homemade tamales!
Also, on my agenda this week is creating our annual Christmas card (Shutterfly is my favorite resource for gorgeous card designs and superb customer service), and since we just got our family photos back from the incredibly talented and lovely photographer, Jules, from Love Light Jules, I’m excited to get started! Today on the blog I’m sharing all of my favorite photos from the shoot, along with my best tips and ideas for styling family photos.
Once again, I turned to Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Gap, and Target, to plan our family outfits. They are the easiest spots I’ve found to effortlessly coordinate the entire family, in the styles we each love. The colors and patterns are right up my classic-loving alley, and the styles are more timeless than trendy. Not to mention, the prices are on the budget-friendly side (if you hang with me and know how/when to find the deals!) and their styles never disappoint.
This year we went with classic hues—navy blue accented by burgundy, and a splash of grey, with a touch of sparkle, gold metallic, anchored by chestnut brown. My little fashionista, Valentina, and I instantly fell for her adorable burgundy speckled with navy blue, so naturally her Tucker + Tate 2-fer and my Eliza J. sweater dress easily became the catalysts for the family outfits. My husband’s new favorite suede boots he found at Nordstrom Rack earlier in the season easily paired with anything, so that made for easy peasy matching. Check them out online now, they’re priced at under $60!
Fit Tip: The sweater dress ran true to size, and I’m wearing a small with a whole lot of shapewear underneath, ha! As for the hubby, I gave him the colors I wanted him in and he chose the styles. He opted for old-faithful Gap for his grey raglan crewneck sweater and his tried-and-true dark denim straight jeans.
Fit Tip: Our sweet and spunky girl, Valentina, is extra-sensitive to fabrics and fit, so we really appreciate softness and quality of Tucker + Tate dresses for little gals like ours.
Fit Tip: For our little man, lightning Eugene, I always like to buy on the smaller size since I know button-downs and pants in general look better fitted as opposed to over-sized on my toddler. I found his adorable Osh Kosh B’gosh vest and shirt with bow tie at Target. My boy turns 3 in February but I still mostly purchase 2T to avoid having clothes fit him too big. Of course, do what suits you and your family. I’m simply sharing what I like to do, especially in the case of a dressier look for the annual (semi-formal) family photo.
ALL THE TIPS & TRICKS FROM YOURS TRULY…
Determine the feel of the photo and card you want…do you want a theme, festive, everyday, seasonal? From there, choose outfits that make sense in that setting. Remember seasonal props might be fun, but if you plan on displaying the pictures year-round in your home, you might want to reconsider wearing Santa hats.
Consider your photo location and background. What you wear should somewhat reflect your environment, and the colors should be visible.
Start with a single piece and build around it. If you fall in love with a color for your little girl, or a particular style for yourself, use that as your base, and build from there.
To keep us coordinated, I think of the family as one single outfit, as opposed to four individual ones. If you can interchange items between outfits, then they work as a whole. You want the people to shine, not necessarily the uniformity of a group.
To keep us coordinated, I think of the family as one single outfit, as opposed to four individual ones. If you can interchange items between outfits, then they work as a whole. You want the people to shine, not the uniformity of the group.
Shopping a single store or at least minimizing the number of stores, such as, Nordstrom, Gap or Target, makes mixing-and-matching for the whole family a lot easier, since the color palettes and styles usually coordinate across departments.
Give each person in the family a say in what they wear. They’ll be a lot more relaxed if they feel like themselves (and aren’t wearing scratchy fabrics!).
Don’t shy away from pattern and texture, as it adds interest and richness and layers to your photos, just be sure to vary the scales. I cannot street this enough! It makes all the difference, trust me.
Skip the graphics and characters. You want the focus to be faces, not clothes.
Have a plan before you drag everyone in, so kids (or pets or husband, ha!) don’t grow weary before you even get started. And remember to stay calm (and flexible!)… your attitude will set the mood for the rest of the family.
Outfits don’t come together overnight, so if you can, allow yourself plenty of time before the shoot. I know it may seem crazy to some, but I actually start shopping for outfits in August to allow myself plenty of time for trying on, exchanges, and coordinating altogether. No matter how many deep breaths you take, if you come to the shoot frazzled, it is likely to show in your body language.
Don’t expect to get the shot in one take either…we sometimes literally shoot over 100 to capture the right few. And what always works for me is, bribing your family with treats after.
But most importantly, have fun! The idea is to capture your family’s dynamic, not always to create the perfect photo. Take it from me, people will notice the joy on your kid’s faces, not their outfit. And if the whole thing is too overwhelming, just have everyone wear what’s most comfortable, and take the photos in black and white—a great tip I once heard during my internship back in college.
Hope you enjoyed reading through my styling tips! I’d love to share more around this topic throughout the year, so keep your eyes peeled in 2020. Great things ahead!
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