what should you wear for your family photos | Charlotte NC family photographer

I can’t think of a more commonly asked question than “what should I wear for my photo session?”

and honestly, it’s so valid! it can feel incredibly overwhelming figuring out your own outfit for family photos! not only are you trying to dress your postpartum body (even if you’re years and years postpartum) it typically falls on you to figure out everyone else’s outfits, too. you have to think of everyone’s individual styles and somehow combine them all together, praying and crossing your fingers it’ll all look cohesive and no one will complain that they have to wear what you chose for them.

mama, I get it!

but, if my sister asked me what to wear for her family session,⁣ here’s what I would say.

I would tell her to think back on the last outfit she put on that made her feel⁣ confident, comfortable and had her taking way too many selfies! if that doesn’t automatically make you think of something, I’d be shocked! but let’s keep digging…

I’d ask what colors she feels amazing in, or if it’s a pattern she always gravitates towards. florals, gingham, stripes, funky and loud colors, or soft neutrals.

but the biggest thing I’d make sure she keeps in mind is that it’s so much more about how she feels in whatever she’s wearing than the outfit itself.

I’d remind her that in 5 or 10 years, she won’t be looking at the outfit so much or nitpicking at how her body looked in it. she’ll be looking at how tiny her babies used to be. how their fingers couldn’t even fully wrap around hers. how their nose scrunched up whenever they smiles. how she could hold them with so much grace and ease, like their little bodies just fit together on hers so perfectly.

she’ll be looking at how she smiled, even though the little years and those trenches felt so heavy for her to carry most days.

as a motherhood and family photographer in North Carolina, and as a mama to three myself, I’ve been my biggest critic way too many times, too.

I’ve judged and shamed my own body, even though she’s given me these sweet babies and carried me through the hardest seasons. I’ve been hard on myself, thinking I need do work out more or eat less in order to bounce back or look untouched by motherhood. when at the same time, any time I look back at some of our own family photos the first thing I see is love. joy. the sweet moments I wish I could go back and relive for even just one more second.

you will probably never, ever again catch me telling you that what you wear for your family photos is the most important thing.

but I’m so happy to ease the load, and help you find something to wear that makes you forget about the outfit itself and instead helps you focus and bask in the moments happening right in front of you. the moments you’ll want to never forget.