Dressing Your Family for Christmas Photos

It's been three years since we've taken our last family photo. The boys have grown so much in that time that I decided we needed to have one taken as soon as possible. I don't get as stressed about it as much as I used to because I have a formula down when it comes to dressing everyone. Here are some my best tips!

Consider Your Backdrop

The photography studio sent out a photo of the set in an email, and I just loved the way they decorated it! I thought lighter colors would work better than traditional red with the backdrop. This dress also comes in black and claret, but the blush color goes so nicely with the gray and white. I knew the skirt would photograph pretty when sitting too.  Also, consider if it's casual or dressy. This setting could go either way so I let the boys wear jeans while my husband and I dressed up a bit more. Their collared shirts still blended with our outfits.

Start with Girls/Women's Outfits First

It's much easier to dress men than women! Find an outfit that works with the colors and theme of the setting first for the women and girls. Then, dress the men and boys.

Limit Clothing Patterns

I have a maximum of two people in our family that get to wear a pattern. Everyone else gets a solid shirt. If an outfit starts to look a little plain consider adding a tie, contrasting colors or layering. I layered my husband's and youngest son's tops by adding a solid sweater over a plaid shirt. It's less expensive to layer the ones that still wear kids sizes, which is why my youngest is layered rather than my 16 year old who wears a men's sizes. Luckily, my husband already had this sweater so I only had to purchase one sweater instead of two.

Talk to Your Kids About Behavior Before You Get to the Studio

My kids are older, but when they all get together they revert back to preschoolers. They poke, push, etc. I let them know beforehand that we were on a time limit so they had to be serious and pay attention to the photographer. When they were younger I promised them a treat afterward for good behavior. I just had to say the word "cookies" and they straightened up fast! Now, that they're older and should know better I let them know there will be consequences for bad behavior-taking away Xbox remotes or phones. Also, remind them that the more they do as they are told the faster it goes!

Take a Hair/Make-up Bag

I had to fix two of the boys' hair before photos. Thank goodness I had hairspray and a brush on me!

Make it Fun!

If you want them to happily take photos again it needs to be a good memory. We laughed a lot during these photos. I mentioned that I didn't even have to fake a smile because the boys were cracking me up. We took ours in the evening and then went out for dinner. It ended up being a great night!

Happy Holidays from my crazy crew to yours!

-Jason, Jennifer, Dylan, Ryan & Aidan

SHOP