As we get ready to take our family Christmas card photos for 2020 I’m thinking back to all the different family photos we’ve done over the years.  While this can sometimes be a bit stressful to plan and get the kids ready for, my favorite part is having these precious memories in print to look back on and see how much our kids have grown over the years.  I know not all will agree with this, but I actually enjoy putting the outfits together.  For me, its a creative process that defines the vibe for each year’s Christmas card photos.   I’m hoping that in this post you will get some ideas of different ways you can dress your family for a fall/winter or holiday photo shoot.

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5 Tips for Coordinating Family Outfits:

1. Choose a main color and secondary complimenting color
2. Incorporate one main pattern for interest (plaid, check, floral, stripe, polka dot) the pattern should include that main color. If you add another pattern make sure its smaller and more subtle while still including the main color
3. Use a neutral in one or two outfits to balance the pattern (this is typically that secondary complimentary color)
4. Consider layers or accessories to add interest to an outfit (vest, hat, blazer, outerwear, earrings, headband etc…)
5. Decide if you’ll be formal, casual (holiday p.j.’s) or somewhere in between with jeans and sweaters)

I’ll be adding our photos from this year to this post in a couple weeks. It’s a good casual fall to winter outfit combination using cranberry as the main color. Ben is wearing the main color and pattern in his plaid button down which also has blues in it. I used denim as a complimentary secondary color that tied our outfits together, while still brining in the cranberry in my and Autumn’s outfits. Instead of us all wearing jeans on the bottom half which doesn’t look visually interesting in photos, Ben wore beige jeans, Griffin jeans (but a beige half zip), Autumn a jean skirt and I wore a sweater dress with a jean jacket. So we have the repeating denim through out our outfits yet in our own unique way. Can you visualize that? I’ll share photos soon.

Coordinating Family Outfit 1: Winter Whites

For this session I decided to go completely neutral with layers of whites, grays and blacks plus fuzzy textures on our sweaters. To make it feel a little formal we included blazer for Ben and a vest for Griffin. Autumn got a little sparkle on her skirt which goes nicely with my more silky skirt I wore. I love how this coordinating family outfit came together! Girls tend to have more options in terms of skirt/sweater, dress, jumper, overalls etc… boys on the other hand really just have the basic sweater, dresser shirt or half-zip options. So mix it up each year and try new combinations. Adding a vest on Griffin gave him a little more formal look yet he was still comfortable with his basic jeans (which to him are dressy).

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Coordinating Family Outfit 2: Cozy Christmas Pajamas (buffalo check)

You can never go wrong with cute matching pajama sets! This session was so fun and laid back. We were so cozy at home and the kids loved jumping on the bed, reading books and drinking pretend cocoa. We definitely treated them with REAL hot chocolate once we finished taking these photos. I try to coordinate with out perfectly matching. Instead of wearing the same top as Ben and the kids I mixed in a soft sweater with a tank top and then matching buffalo check pants. If you can set up your own tripod and take some fun and candid photos as a family, you might be surprised with the results!

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Coordinating Family Outfit 3: Navy, green and red accent (with black)

I like to find one dominant pattern (and then pull colors from that or play off those colors) In this look you get a pop of red which is unexpected with the navy and green. I also like that the black is another bold color that connects our bottom layers . Typically I put Griffin in a sweater/jean combination because that is what he is most comfortably “dressed” up in. My daughter also isn’t the biggest dress girl so I also try to make her dresses as soft or comfy as I can with velvet or cotton. It was so cold this day that we let our outer layers be part of the look!

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Coordinating Family Outfit 4: Red, tartan and tan

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Coordinating Family Outfit Idea 5: Cranberry, denim, tan/white

@SamanthaScoppettoPhotography

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I hope these ideas help you for planning your fall or winter family photo outfits. Some of my favorite places to shop for coordinating family outfits are Old Navy, Gap, J.crew and Target. Thank you for stopping by and checking out this post! Remember that everyone just wants to be comfortable. Make it fun and enjoy the family time together!

Happy Styling!

Jordan

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