What to Wear for Fall Family Photos: A Simple Guide to Fall Session Styling 🍂
. The warm colors, golden light, cozy textures, and changing leaves create the perfect backdrop for capturing your family exactly as they are right now.
But before your session comes the question I hear all the time:
“What are we going to wear?” 🤎
Don’t worry—I’ve got you!
Choosing outfits for the whole family can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. My biggest tip is simple:
Coordinate, don’t match.
You don’t need everyone wearing the same color or the same style. In fact, I love when each person has their own look while the outfits still feel connected.
Think about choosing 2–4 main colors and then mixing in different shades, textures, and patterns.
🍁 Start With a Fall Color Palette
Fall is the perfect time to embrace warm, earthy colors and soft neutrals.
Some of my favorite fall photography colors include:
Cream • Ivory • Oatmeal • Beige • Camel • Brown • Rust • Terracotta • Olive • Sage • Mustard • Denim • Muted Blue
You don’t have to use all of these! Pick a few that work well together and build your family’s outfits around them.
For example, you might choose:
Cream + Rust + Denim + Olive
or
Ivory + Camel + Brown + Sage
or
Oatmeal + Rust + Mustard + Denim
These combinations photograph beautifully while still feeling natural and timeless.
🤎 Let Mom’s Outfit Set the Tone
One of my favorite ways to begin planning family outfits is to start with Mom.
A flowy dress, skirt, or beautiful textured sweater can create a great foundation for the rest of the family’s outfits.
Think:
● Flowy neutral or rust-colored dress
● Cozy knit sweater
● Long cardigan
● Skirt with a textured top
● Boots or simple fall shoes
Once Mom’s outfit is chosen, pull colors from it for everyone else.
For example, if Mom wears a rust-colored dress, Dad could wear a cream sweater and denim, while the kids wear olive, tan, cream, or muted patterns.
👨👩👧👦 Think About Layers & Texture
Fall is the perfect season for layering!
Layers add dimension to photographs and make outfits feel more interesting without needing a lot of patterns.
Try adding:
● Knit sweater
● Cardigans
● Denim jackets
● Corduroy
● Overalls
● Scarves
● Vests
● Boots
● Textured dresses
● Cozy knits
Different textures photograph beautifully and help create that warm, cozy fall feeling.
👗 What About the Kids?
For little girls, I love dresses, knit sweaters, cardigans, tights, boots, bows, and simple accessories.
For boys, think henleys, sweaters, button-downs, corduroy, denim, chinos, and subtle plaids.
And for babies and toddlers, comfort is key!
Simple knits, rompers, overalls, neutral layers, and soft textures photograph beautifully.
The most important thing is that they can move, play, snuggle, and be themselves.
Because let’s be honest—some of the best family photos happen in the moments when nobody is perfectly posed. ❤️
🍂 Don’t Be Afraid of Patterns
Patterns can absolutely work for family photos!
The trick is to avoid having everyone in a bold pattern.
Instead, choose one subtle plaid, floral, stripe, or other pattern and coordinate the rest of the outfits around it.
A beautiful floral dress paired with solid sweaters and neutral pants can be gorgeous.
A subtle plaid shirt paired with cream, denim, and olive can also work beautifully.
🚫 A Few Things I’d Avoid
While there aren’t really any hard rules when it comes to your family’s clothing, there are a few things I typically recommend avoiding:
Bright neon colors
They can reflect color onto skin and become very distracting.
Large logos or graphics
These can pull attention away from the people in the photograph.
Everyone wearing the exact same color
Matching can sometimes make the images feel flat. Coordinating shades usually gives a more natural result.
Too many competing patterns
A little pattern is great. Several bold patterns can become visually overwhelming.
Clothing that isn’t comfortable
Especially for children! If they’re uncomfortable, it will show in their expressions and body language.
Need Help Choosing Your Outfits?
Please don’t stress about getting everything perfect!
If you’re stuck between a few outfits or aren’t sure whether your colors coordinate, send them my way! I’m always happy to help you choose outfits and put everything together before your session.
I’ve also created a Fall Session Wardrobe Guide with color palettes and visual outfit inspiration to make planning even easier.
Now grab those sweaters, boots, and cozy layers, and let’s make some beautiful fall memories! 🍂🤎
