A Murfreesboro Family Photographer’s Guide to Dressing Your Family for your Timeless Photoshoot
As a Murfreesboro family photographer, I know that deciding what everyone will wear for family photos can feel like one more thing to add to your already-long to-do list. What colors work together? Should everyone match? What if someone wants to wear a pattern? And how do you make sure your photos still feel beautiful and timeless years from now?
Clothing trends come and go. All-denim outfits, big ’80s hair, and whatever happens to be trending on Pinterest today will eventually feel like a snapshot of that particular era. But when you look back at your family photographs years from now, I want you to see your family first.
As a timeless family photographer, my goal is to create photographs that feel cohesive without feeling overly styled and authentic without looking like you simply happened to grab whatever was clean that morning. Choosing the right clothing plays a big part in creating that look.
Because I edit in a true-color style with a slightly lighter, brighter finish, there are certain colors, textures, and patterns that photograph especially beautifully. And if you’re staring at your closet wondering where to even begin, I’m always more than happy to help you create a wardrobe that works beautifully together.
Coordinate, Don’t Match
The easiest place to start is to coordinate rather than match.
You don’t need everyone wearing the same color, the same type of clothing, or even the same level of dressiness. In fact, having everyone wear exactly the same thing can make a photograph feel a little too uniform.
Instead, think about creating a color palette.
A few carefully chosen colors, mixed with solids, neutrals, and different textures will almost always create a beautiful combination. Start with one outfit that you love—maybe a floral dress or a subtle print—and pull a few colors from it to inspire everyone else’s outfits.
For example, if Mom wears a floral dress with soft blues, creams, and greens, Dad might wear a neutral pair of pants with a blue shirt, while the kids wear creams, tans, or subtle patterns that complement the overall palette.
The goal isn’t for everyone to look the same. The goal is for everyone’s outfits to belong together.
Keep It Light, Bright, and Timeless
For my style of photography, I tend to recommend lighter, softer colors over anything extremely bold or loud.
Soft blues, creams, whites, tans, muted greens, dusty pinks, warm neutrals, and gentle patterns photograph beautifully and help keep the focus where it belongs: on your family.
That doesn’t mean you have to avoid color! It simply means choosing colors that complement one another rather than having one outfit dominate the entire photograph.
Texture is another great way to add visual interest without relying on bold colors. Think lace, linen, knits, ruffles, subtle embroidery, gingham, or a beautiful woven fabric.
Dress for the Season
Your outfits should also make sense for the season you’re photographing in.
I wouldn’t recommend cool-toned, summery outfits for a warm and cozy fall foliage session, just as I wouldn’t necessarily choose heavy, dark fabrics for a bright spring session.
Think about the environment surrounding you and choose colors and textures that feel natural within it. This helps your family look like they belong in the setting rather than looking like the outfits were chosen separately from the location.
Family of Three: Let One Outfit Be the Anchor
Let’s take the Walter family, for example.
As a family of three, Mom’s floral dress acts as the anchor for the entire wardrobe. Her fitted dress beautifully complements her bump, while the floral pattern gives us several colors to pull from.
Dad is dressed in neutral pants with a blue polo shirt that ties into the blue found throughout Mom’s floral print. Their daughter wears a creamy dress, which keeps the overall palette light while adding plenty of texture through the ruffles and lace.
Nothing is identical, but everything works together.
This is a great example of how starting with one patterned outfit can make choosing everyone else’s clothing much easier. Instead of trying to find three or four outfits that coordinate independently, we can simply pull colors and textures from the anchor piece.
Dressing a Larger Family
Now let’s talk about larger families.
Choosing outfits for six, eight, or even more people can feel like a much bigger undertaking. There are simply more personalities, preferences, and wardrobes to coordinate!
The Scheffees did a beautiful job with their photo-ready outfits.
All of the guys are wearing collared shirts, but they aren’t wearing the same collared shirt. That small difference keeps the group from feeling matchy-matchy.
And the same principle applies to their pants. Some are wearing jeans, some khakis, some shorts, and some long pants. If everyone had shown up in a collared shirt and the exact same wash of jeans, the overall look would have felt much more uniform.
Instead, the outfits coordinate without looking like a uniform.
The girls’ floral dresses also add beautiful contrast and color without making the group feel overly coordinated.
When you’re dressing a larger family, choosing different shades of blue paired with a neutral color palette is almost never a bad choice. Blue photographs beautifully, and it’s also a color many families already have in their wardrobes, which makes it an easy starting point.
When It’s Okay to Break the Rules
Take the Benjamin family, for example.
They have twin girls, and honestly, there is something incredibly sweet about twins matching, especially while they’re still willing to let you dress them alike!
Their matching jumpers work because the pattern pulls in the green from Mom’s dress. Rather than feeling like two random matching outfits, their clothing still connects to the rest of the family’s color palette.
The twin’s jumper provides the pattern and color, Dad keeps things simple in a beige shirt and mom’s dress is pulled from the color of the twin’s outfits.
Another time I love a little matching is with a mama-and-me dress in the same pattern. There is something timeless about that kind of photograph.
My only recommendation is to keep it to two people matching within the family. When everyone is wearing the same pattern or outfit, the photograph can quickly start to feel more like a uniform than a naturally coordinated family wardrobe.
And for the men, especially when you’re going for a more casual look, beige can be a beautiful alternative to stark white. It keeps the outfit light without creating quite as much contrast.
Fall Family Photos: Embrace Cozy, Moody Neutrals
Dressing for the season becomes especially important when you’re photographing somewhere with a strong seasonal backdrop.
Take the Sliger family’s fall photos, for example. Their clothing feels like it belongs in the season without competing with the beautiful fall foliage around them.
Mom is wearing a camel-colored fitted dress with a floral design that feels distinctly fall. The colors and pattern don’t read as spring or summer, and the fitted silhouette adds a beautiful feminine element.
Dad is wearing a cream-colored top with jeans, giving his outfit a more casual feel. Their toddler is wearing a cream top similar to Dad’s, but instead of jeans, he has the most perfect fall gingham pants.
And their baby is wearing a neutral striped shirt with jeans, tying him back into Dad’s casual look.
Each person is wearing something different, but the overall wardrobe feels cohesive because they are working within the same neutral color family and incorporating textures and patterns that make sense for fall.
That’s exactly what you’re looking for.
The Most Important Rule: Wear Something That Feels Like You
At the end of the day, the best family photo outfits aren’t necessarily the ones that follow every “rule.” They’re the ones that make you feel comfortable and like yourself.
If you never wear dresses, you don’t have to wear one just because you saw it recommended for family photos. If your toddler refuses anything with buttons, don’t spend your entire session fighting over a button-down shirt.
Your photos should feel authentic to your family.
Choose clothing that allows you to move, snuggle, pick up your kids, chase your toddler, and actually enjoy your time together. Those genuine interactions are the moments I want to photograph.
As a timeless family photographer, I want your images to still feel beautiful ten, twenty, or even fifty years from now. Thoughtful outfits are part of that, but the real goal is creating photographs that capture the connection, personalities, and little moments that make your family yours.
And if you’re still staring at a closet full of clothes wondering, “Okay, but what are WE supposed to wear?” that’s what I’m here for.
As your authentic family photographer in Murfreesboro, I’m happy to help you put together a wardrobe that photographs beautifully, feels like your family, and fits the season and location of your session.
Because years from now, the goal isn’t to remember what was trendy in 2026.
It’s to remember your family exactly as you were.
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