5 Things You Need To Know About Outfits For Holiday Pictures
We are not even a full day into November and the holiday season is heavy on my mind. Who am I kidding—Christmas music has been playing at our house since September. Now that it is a little more socially acceptable to start chatting about the holidays—traditions, decorations, gifts, and holiday cards are swirling through my mind.
The first step for holiday prep? Ordering our Christmas cards. This means planning and taking a family picture. Growing up, I dreaded the day we had to take our holiday pictures. Now as a momma, I live for it. One of my favorite parts is planning out festive outfits for the pictures. Below I have rounded up some of my favorite baby/toddler outfits, holiday cards, and tips for picking out the perfect outfit for everyone in the family.
Holiday Picture Outfit Inspiration
Row 1: Be Merry Holiday Card | Black Gingham Check Dress | Snowflake Cardigan Sweater
Row 2: Red Tutu Dress | "Have an Amazing Christmas" Card | Herringbone Vest (bargain alert!) + Oxford
Row 3: Reindeer Sweater | Botanical Holiday Picture Postcards | Plaid Flannel Dress
Row 4: Plaid Bow-Tie Set | Star Tulle Dress (splurge worthy!) | Lush Border Foil Holiday Card
Tips
Pick your card first.
After spending countless hours last year trying to fit our family photo to the holiday card I loved, I realized that I should have thought about this beforehand. There are so many options for holiday cards. From circular shaped to collages and everything in-between, have an idea of the style & shape of the card you would like to send out before picking your outfits and taking your family photos. This card is one of my favorites this year and I am keeping in mind the diamond shape as we pose for photos.
Consider your background.
Will you be taking your photos against the desert landscape or in a studio? Will the beach be behind you or snow? The location you are planning to take your photos should be considered when you start looking for outfits. An eye-catching background typically pairs best with simple outfits and minimal patterns. A snowy background is the perfect opportunity for bold plaids or colors.
Look at sample families.
Call me a stalker, but scrolling through websites like Minted and stalking the sample photos that they use on their card product listings is a great way to gather ideas for color combinations and poses.
Limit wearing prints to 1-2 family members.
It can be so easy to get wrapped up in the festive prints and kitschy graphics. My advice—keep it simple. After all, the people you are sending the cards to are far more interested in seeing how you (or most likely your little ones) have grown and changed over the past year. If you want to use plaids or a fun sweater mix in plenty of simple, solid colored outfits for the other family members. Too many prints and patterns distracts from the real purpose of the picture—your family.
Coordinate, don’t match.
It is easy to get caught down the bunny hole of matchy-matchy. The plaid scarf on mom, the matching plaid shirt on dad, and the plaid dress on baby—you’ve seen the pictures. Instead of worrying too much about matching, work on coordinating. Coordinating means you are pulling a similar trend/style/or color scheme through everyone’s outfits for cohesion. If your little girl is wearing the adorable flannel dress, perhaps you would wear jeans with a white button down and a fur vest. The blue from the dress coordinates with the blue of the jeans. Although the mom’s outfit and the little girl’s dress are vastly different, they coordinate together perfectly.
I cannot wait to see and hear about your holiday pictures this year! Do not stress too much about the outfits—the people in the pictures are the real stars.
Psst! Three of YOU are getting $100 to spend on Minted!
The awesome team at Minted wants to help YOU with your holiday cards this year. THREE Momma Society readers are each going to win $100 to spend on Minted! You can spend this on your own holiday cards, personalized gift wrap, birth announcements--any of the awesome gear on their site.
UPDATE: Winners have been drawn and contacted. Congratulations to Natalie S., Krystle N., and Jessica O.
