Planning family photos can feel incredibly stressful — especially with little kids. As a mom, you want to capture these moments while your babies are still little, but getting everyone dressed, keeping outfits clean, and hoping the kids cooperate long enough for pictures can feel nearly impossible some days. Add in the challenge of coordinating outfits without everyone looking too “matchy,” and family photo season suddenly becomes a whole project.

Over the years, we’ve taken family photos during so many different stages of life — newborn sessions, holiday photos, outdoor fall family pictures, and everything in between. In this post, I’m sharing some of my favorite family photo outfit ideas, color combinations that photograph beautifully, and a few tips and tricks that helped our sessions go a little more smoothly with toddlers and young kids.

In this post, I’m sharing some of my favorite family photo outfit ideas, color combinations that photograph beautifully, and a few tips and tricks that helped our sessions go a little more smoothly with toddlers and young kids.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through my links. I only share products I genuinely use and love for my own family.

Shop the Outfit Ideas ✨

Putting together family photo outfits can feel overwhelming, so I rounded up some of my favorite Amazon finds all in one place 🤍 From cozy neutrals to fall layers and kid-friendly pieces, these are outfit ideas that photograph beautifully while still feeling comfortable and realistic for family life.

Shop my Amazon Family Photo Outfit Idea List for all of the outfit ideas featured in this post.

I’ll also link specific outfit pieces throughout this post to make planning your family photos even easier!

Burgundy + Dusty Blue Family Photo Outfits

One of my favorite family photo color combinations we’ve ever done was burgundy and dusty blue. These colors photographed so beautifully during golden hour and felt coordinated without everyone looking overly matching.

For this session, I wore a burgundy midi dress while the girls wore soft dusty blue dresses with flutter sleeves. My husband kept things simple with a light blue button-up and jeans, which balanced everything out without taking attention away from the richer colors.

I especially love this color combination for outdoor fall family photos because the warm neutral tones in nature pair so well with jewel tones like burgundy. The dusty blue also keeps the overall look feeling soft and timeless in photos.

Most of our outfits for this session were from Amazon, and it made coordinating everyone’s outfits so much easier since I could compare colors and styles all in one place.

Tips From This Session

• Choose one “main” color and one softer coordinating color
• Keep dad’s outfit simple and neutral
• Flowy dresses photograph beautifully in movement shots
• Solid-colored dresses can be especially flattering for postpartum moms
• Choose an outfit that makes you feel comfortable and confident
• Don’t wait until you’re “back to your old size” to take family photos
• Keep photo sessions short with toddlers (ours was only about 15 minutes!)
• Make the session feel playful instead of stressful
• Treat the session like a little family adventure or walk
• Bring lots of snacks and water
• Schedule photos around your kids’ happiest time of day
• Focus on candid moments instead of expecting perfection

Shop These Family Photo Outfits

• Similar Burgundy Satin Dress for Mom
• Girls’ Dusty Blue Dresses
• Neutral Toddler Shoes
• Dad’s Light Blue Button-Up

Emerald Blue + Red Velvet Holiday Family Photo Outfits

For our holiday family photos, we went with rich jewel tones and cozy textures that photographed beautifully in the forest setting. I wore a deep emerald-blue wrap dress while the girls wore bright red velvet dresses that felt festive without looking overly formal.

My husband kept things simple with a neutral cream plaid button-up, which balanced the brighter colors really well and kept the overall look feeling soft and cozy for Christmas photos.

I especially loved incorporating velvet into this session because it photographs so beautifully during the holidays and adds texture without needing busy patterns.

Tip: Velvet dresses are beautiful for holiday family photos because they add texture and warmth while still looking timeless in pictures.

Tip: Plaid works best in family photos when only one person wears it and the rest of the outfits stay more solid and simple.

Tip: Jewel tones like emerald, burgundy, navy, and deep red photograph especially well outdoors during the fall and winter months.

Shop This Look

Neutral Toddler Shoes
Holiday Hair Bows

• Mom’s Emerald Blue Wrap Dress
• Girls’ Similar Red Velvet Dresses
• Girls’ Cream Winter Dress Coats
• Girls’ Black Tights
• Dad’s Cream Plaid Button-Up

Olive Green + Neutral Family Photo Outfits

For this family photo session, we chose softer earthy tones with olive green, cream, brown, and neutral textures. I loved how natural and timeless these colors looked outdoors, especially with the greenery and golden afternoon light.

The girls wore neutral dresses with little western boots, while I wore a flowy olive green dress with textured sleeves. My husband kept things simple with denim and a neutral plaid button-up, which tied everything together without feeling overly styled.

I especially love neutral color palettes for family photos because they feel cozy, timeless, and easy to coordinate without everyone looking too matching.

Tip: Earthy tones like olive green, cream, tan, brown, and soft neutrals photograph beautifully in outdoor settings.

Tip: Western boots for kids are surprisingly practical for outdoor family photos and add so much personality to pictures.

Tip: A little bribery honestly works sometimes 🤍 We’ve promised ice cream, dinner, or a fun activity after photos to help motivate our kids to cooperate during sessions.

Tip: Don’t panic if your kids are emotional during photos. My son cried through almost this entire mini session, and somehow our photographer still captured beautiful moments anyway.

Tip: Try to schedule family photos during the time of day your kids are usually happiest. This session was in the early afternoon after my son woke up from a nap in the car, and he was definitely not thrilled about taking pictures.

Tip: Mini sessions can work really well for families with little kids because they move quickly and put less pressure on everyone.

Shop This Look

• Mom’s Olive Green Dress

• Girl dress in light Olive green
• Girl dress in Cream White
• Dad’s Neutral Plaid Button-Up
• Baby Boy Neutral Outfit

Soft Blue + Neutral Newborn Family Photo Outfits

For our newborn family photo session at home, we chose soft blue and neutral colors to keep everything feeling calm, cozy, and timeless. Since we had just welcomed our baby boy, we definitely leaned into the blue tones for this session, and I actually ended up loving how soft everything photographed together.

One thing I’ll say about newborn family photos postpartum is that trying on clothes can honestly feel emotional. Your body has been through so much, things may not fit the same way, and that is completely normal. I think it’s really important to choose an outfit that makes you feel beautiful and comfortable during this season of life — even if that means buying a new dress specifically for photos.

Tip: Moms should build the family outfits around something THEY feel confident and comfortable wearing first.

Tip: Soft muted colors like dusty blue, cream, beige, and soft neutrals photograph beautifully for newborn sessions.

Tip: Don’t feel pressured to wear colors that make you uncomfortable just because they’re trendy for newborn photography.

I once had a newborn photographer request that the parents wear white for a session shortly after having a baby, and honestly, that felt really discouraging to me postpartum. White was not a flattering color on me at the time, and I remember wishing I had spoken up more about wanting to wear something I actually felt good in.

Tip: Find a photographer who allows flexibility with outfits and wants you to feel comfortable and confident in your photos.

At the end of the day, these photos are memories of your family during such a special season of life, and I truly want moms to be able to look back at their newborn photos feeling beautiful instead of overly critical of themselves.

Shop This Look

Mom’s Soft Blue Dress
Girls’ Blue Floral Dresses
Dad’s Light Blue Button-Up

Final Thoughts

As a mom, photos feel incredibly special to me because kids grow and change so quickly. These seasons of life pass by so fast, and even though family photos can sometimes feel stressful in the moment, I’ve never regretted taking them.

Trying to coordinate outfits, keep kids happy, and plan around naps and moods can definitely feel overwhelming sometimes, especially with toddlers or during the postpartum stage of life. Hopefully these family photo outfit ideas and little tips throughout this post help make your next family photo session feel a little easier and a little less stressful.

I also hope these outfit combinations and color palettes give you inspiration for your own family pictures. Over the years, Amazon has honestly made coordinating family photo outfits so much easier for our family because there are so many colors, styles, and affordable options all in one place.

One thing I especially love is that Amazon has a really easy return process, which takes a lot of pressure off when ordering outfits for multiple people. If something doesn’t fit quite right or the color isn’t what you expected, it’s usually very simple to exchange or return.

At the end of the day, your kids won’t remember whether every outfit was perfect — they’ll remember the love, the memories, and the feeling of being together. And years from now, you’ll be so grateful you captured these moments while they were little.