Every year we do a holiday family photo shoot for our Christmas card photos (that are usually sent in late January, because, well…life). We have them done by the amazing photographer Brienne Michelle who is the sweetest and always manages to capture the most incredible shots. This year since we will have a newborn, we are combining our newborn baby shoot with our annual family photos. Which means I need to figure out what we are all going to wear before baby arrives.
I try to find outfits that “go together” but aren’t too matchy-matchy. And more importantly, things that everyone feels comfortable in, because if we are comfortable, then we will be more relaxed and natural in our photos. Which is how you get those heart-melting family moments instead of pics worthy of awkward family photo slideshows on Buzzfeed.
For Him:
I recently got Micah this awesome wood watch from JORD, which he LOVES…it was going to be a Christmas present, but I figured it would be perfect for photos. It is the Frankie Zebrawood watch in Navy and I secretly wanted to steal it for myself. I am terrible at keeping secrets so as soon as it arrived I wanted to see if he liked it as much as I did. I mean seriously – a watch made out of wood?! How cool is that?! And a cool watch is the perfect way to add a little character to his photo shoot outfit. Micah lives in his Banana Republic jeans and converse sneakers, and loves a good casual button down when he’s trying to be “fancy”. I loved this plum color since it nods to the holidays without screaming “Deck the Halls”.
For Her (aka me):
Since I’ll be roughly 1 week postpartum (the ideal time for newborn photos since the little ones sleep so much and you get those super snuggly cuddled up naked baby photos easy peasy) I wanted something comfortable and flattering. I found this awesome velvet dress at Free People (texture always photographs great!) It also has a nice relaxed fit that won’t cling to my post-partum curves and a v-neck that will draw attention upward and create a flattering neckline. I have a couple back-up options in case this doesn’t work as envisioned on my post-partum body. As usual, if I wear shoes, I’ll wear my favorite cowboy boots. If I decide to go barefoot, I went and got my pre-baby pedicure in a really pretty metallic rose gold. I also found this necklace at Anthropologie that nods to the choker trend without feeling like I’m actually choking or making me look like my face is super chubby.
For the Kiddos:
I found these ADORABLE knit deer hats from Blueberry Hill for Avery and the baby. The baby will likely just wear the hat and a plain white diaper. For Avery, I found super cute (and more importantly) comfy berry colored courduroy pants at Gap and a denim button down. Both are stretchy and soft – which means I may not have to fight him to get them on his body. Worst case scenario, he’s super excited about the hat…and since we’ve given up on potty training he’s still in diapers…so we may just have two ‘babies’ in hats and diapers this year.
I love having our photos done in outdoor locations with great lighting. Last year we went to a park in Valencia with a killer tree and incredible light and the year before was my absolute favorite location – Vasquez Rocks. It was a bit of a trek, but worth every second of the car ride because the photos were AMAZING!
This year, however, we will be doing the photos cuddled up in our house, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still look great. The key is to feel comfortable and settle on a simple color palette that has various shades of the same color family so you look cohesive but natural. For us, that means jeans, comfy & casual. We aren’t a fancy clothes family, so wearing formal holiday wear would make for stiff looking photos. But we love having funky accents to our wardrobe that represent our style, like my cowboy boots, the reindeer hats and my hubby’s awesome new JORD wood watch.
GIVEAWAY!!
For a chance to WIN your own JORD wood watch, and a $20 discount (good through February 18th) click HERE! Once you fill in the information to receive the coupon code, you will automatically be entered into the Giveaway. Giveaway ends December 18th.
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