Calling all mamas! Are family photos happening in your near future and you’re on the hunt for something amazing to wear? Whether your style is boho, casual, elegant, or classy, dresses offer the perfect option to add a little drama and flair to your photos, while still allowing you to stay true to your style.

Before we jump into the best dresses for your family photos, we’d love to offer you these life saving mama tips. One, just like we tell our brides, choose a dress that’s flattering for your body shape (take a photo of you wearing the dress with your phone to see if you like how it looks in photos). Two, choose a dress that’s beautiful, but will still allow you to walk, run, hug, and (lightly) play with your kids during your session!

A few more tidbits:

• This is not a hard and fast rule, but generally tube top styles and strapless dresses aren’t flattering in photos. Remember all of that moving and hugging we talked about? Not great for these types of dresses.
• Match your dress to your location. For example, a long, flowing boho dress typically tends to look better in a rural scene than in a fancy section of downtown Detroit.
• Typically, solid clothing looks best on adults, but a light pattern is fabulous.
• Try to avoid horizontal stripes, thick stripes, logos, and very bold patterns.

Green

1. GREEN: Green in all hues remains a top color this year! Whatever your style may be, you can’t go wrong in a lovely shade of green!

Rural or Scenic family photos

2. NEUTRALS: Neutrals will always always always be in style. Whites, browns, and tans look gorgeous against the green and brown hues of nature scenes.

3. MUTED COLORS: This year, muted bright colors are in! Take all of the bright colors you can think of and make them muted and earthy (burnt orange, mustard yellow, brick red, etc) and you’ll compliment and stand out in ANY nature location.

4. LIGHT PATTERNS: While we normally suggest solid colors for adults, a light pattern in a muted or bright color tone looks fabulous in trees, grass, lakes, fields, etc.

Photos at home

5. COMFORTABLE: Again, match your location to your outfit. If you are choosing to have your family photos at home, we’re guessing you want to look comfortable and relaxed. So choose a dress that is adorable, but will match the tone of your home and make you feel comfy and laid back in your personal environment.

6. SOLIDS: Solid colors look best when shooting at home. Patterns tend to look distracting with everything else going on in a home.

Urban or City family photos

7. FASHION: Do you love following the latest styles and fashion of all kinds? Whether you want a small town vibe like Northville, Michigan, or the big city look like Detroit, a city setting is the perfect place to show off the latest dress trends.

8. ELEGANT OR SLEEK: Sleek, elegant, modern chic…all of those look beautiful in an urban setting.

9. MINIMAL: You love the city but aren’t into the elegant or high fashion trends? Keep your dress simple and solid and let all of the colors and textures of the city do the talking!

10. STATEMENT PATTERNS: Because there are so many colors, lines, textures, and other background elements in a city, bold patterns can be really great, we would suggest keeping the colors minimal and using the dress color palette to coordinate the rest of the family’s outfits.

Beach

10. LIGHT NEUTRALS: If you’re opting for family photos on the beach, light neutrals look incredible!

Bonus

11. SKIRT: This not-really-a-dress-but-kind-of-a-dress options is one of our favorite looks! There are so many cute skirt options and they can be paired with a top and shoes that make it fancy (dress blouse and heels) or super casual (long crop top and sneakers).

Facts are facts, mom tends to be the focal point in family photos. Embrace that luscious little fact and do a little research to find the perfect dress that is just right for you, your body type, and your shooting location! If you need even more help choosing clothing for the entire family, head over HERE to get our freebie “What to wear for your family photos.” And as always, we’re always here to answer your questions. Just reach out to hello@smithandco.photo.

*Smith & Co Photo is a Michigan based company. We are not sponsored or affiliated in any way with the above online stores. All images are property of individual online stores. Links to individual dresses are located below each image.