Coordinating a whole family is rather hard work! So I wanted to share with you my simple two-step “trick” for styling my family in a way I know works beautifully every time. It’s just two easy steps.

STEP ONE

First, find a dress for YOU that you love.

This might feel a little selfish. But you have to start somewhere & we know from experience that if mama loves how she looks, she will love the photos even more.

Choose soft, muted, pastel & neutral colors. Avoid all dark and bright colors. Our go-to is to choose a muted soft tone of blue, sage green, or blush and pair with neutral tones of white, off-white, cream, denim, and soft gray.
Patterns are welcome! You will want at least one person in a pattern anyway. Unless you’re an expert styler, stick with small patterns.
We love long, flowing dresses for their forgiving nature as well as added dimension & movement. Click here to see our 2021 Dress Selection for inspiration. Though they do sell out, we included links in case you find a favorite or would like to peruse more styles from a particular store.

The styling starts with mom in white. Then, mix in varying shades of blue & soft gray for the rest of the family. The ruffles on the two dresses add dimension and texture. One shirt with a small, simple pattern rounds out the look. COLOR NOTES: White with cool tones of blue & soft gray.

STEP TWO

Style the kids and spouse to coordinate with your dress.

Here are some tips for you. These are not hard and fast rules, but will definitely help you make choices confidently.

If your dress is a solid color (not white, off-white, etc): keep the rest of the family relatively neutral in white, off-white, gray, or cream. Blue jean denim can usually be added as a neutral element.
If your dress has a pattern with a variety of colors: you can coordinate by choosing from the colors in the pattern for one or two of your family members to wear. Keep everyone else neutral.
If your dress is neutral (white, cream, off-white, flesh): you can choose one of the following colors to use in various shades: blue, green, blush. Keep the colors light and muted.
Warm vs Cool: It’s a bit more complicated to mix warm and cool tones, so make an intentional color decision between them. Cool tones would mean choosing white, gray, and blue. Warm tones would mean choosing cream, camel, and blush.
Neutral is always easy and modern: one of our favorite styling choices is using entirely neutral tones of whites and creams. Avoid throwing everyone in a white shirt circa 1983 awkward family portraits. Instead, choose varying shades of neutrals to pair with different textures such as linen, knits, and denim. You can make a cool vs warm choice here by adding light gray or soft camel to your styling.
Don’t forget shoes! In our studio, we mostly photograph you with bare feet. But on location, we beg you, nix the athletic shoes and socks for a nice pair.

With mom styled in a patterned dress, the rest of the family compliments her by choosing colors found in her dress. The entire family matches the warmth of her color choices by staying in warm tones. COLOR NOTES: Warm tones of blush and camel balanced with ample amounts of white keep the styling light and airy.

Styling can feel overwhelming. So just remember to keep it simple:

Choose your outfit first.
Style the family around your outfit using my tips above.
Keep colors simple and muted with light, pastel tones or entirely neutral with varying shades of white, cream, and very light gray.
Make a choice between cool (blues & gray) or warm (cream & tan).

Interested in booking a session with Reese & Co Portraits? A great place to start is with one of our popular Seasonal Mini Sessions. Click below to see what we’re currently offering.

Seasonal Mini Sessions