What to Wear for Your Fall Portrait Session

FAMILY, Holiday Cards, Portrait

So many mamas look forward to their fall family portrait sessions! You get to freeze-frame the moment and capture your amazing family as you head into a new season. Usually, by this time, your kiddos are well into their new school year, sports are in full swing, and the season of major holidays is just around the corner. 

You sign up for your fall portrait session, choose your session location, and dream about where you want to hang your new photos in your home. One slight problem, what should everyone wear!? You want your family’s outfits to coordinate but not be too matchy-matchy. 

White Wave Photography clients always get a wardrobe consultation with me to ensure we can create the perfect look for your portraits. I’ve gone to a client’s home and gone through outfits to find the right one. 

Here, I’ll offer my top tips for styling your fall family portrait to help you find the best look for your entire squad!

Tips on What to Wear for Fall

  1. Start with Your Outfit – Yep, mamas, this is an opportunity to put yourself FIRST. Choose your favorite fall outfit, and then coordinate your family’s outfits from there. Moms tend to be the pickiest when it comes to their outfits (but not always), so choose an outfit that you love and feel amazing in for your family portraits. Now, onto what colors and accessories.

  1. Choose Your Color Palette – Stick with browns, creams, yellows, reds, and deep purples to your outfits. Dark jeans for mom and khakis for dad are your friends! Avoid bright, bold patterns as they will detract from your gorgeous faces and the fall backdrop. 

  1. Trust Deep Jewel Tones – Speaking of colors, I always recommend deep jewel tones for the girls’ fall outfits because they look spectacular in front of fall foliage. These colors look great on everyone!

  1. Fall Layers – We don’t want everyone wearing scarves or puffy vests but strategically adding some fall layers can add some fun looks. Plus, if it’s a chilly day, we want everyone to keep warm! Think… a cute cardigan, scarf, vest, denim shirt, boots, etc. 

  1. Minimal Accessories – I usually steer clients away from big jewelry, hats, or hair accessories. I do love when clients have a necklace with special meaning, or it’s part of their personality to wear their hair a certain way. The goal is never to deter your personality but to create a look that reflects you and looks beautiful in your portrait!

Fall Family Portraits in NH, ME, and MA

I’m not being biased at all when I say the Seacoast has the most beautiful fall. We have gorgeous fall foliage, beaches, and local farms that provide incredible backdrops for our fall family portraits. I hope these tips on what to wear helped give you some ideas! My fall portrait session calendar is almost booked, so book a call with me if you’re interested in booking your family photos!

xoxo, Jennie

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