For Christmas we gave my mom (Barb) a family photo session for when my sister and her husband visit in May. Well May is here which means photo time is upon us. What are we wearing is the question of the day. Make that a question with LOTS of question marks (and maybe an exclamation point or two depending on when you talk to me).

Deciding what to wear has turned into a bit of a style analysis. This outfit should reflect my personality— it’s going to hang on the wall for a long time. In our last family photo I was 5 years old and in a denim jumper. I know I’m probably over thinking it (hence my family photo list of goals below) and making it more stressful than it needs to be BUT…

Goals
– Coordinate without being “matchy”
I think the trick here is to work with a color pallet and make sure everyone isn’t wearing the same color top.

– Select colors that will look good on all of us
You’d think this would be easy enough. But existing wardrobes are tricky to blend. Notice I’m only showing mom’s and my typical wardrobe. Emily’s wardrobe is varied enough to blend with anything and lets face it the guys will go get a polo for what ever pallet we choose.

meg barb wardrobe colors

– Keep it casual
We have the formal wedding photos and now need something that looks like we do on any day (albeit slightly cleaned up from gardening and I promise to put on some make up). We talked about what we wear on a daily basis, what pieces in our wardrobe we love and why, and what is most figure flattering.

– Select colors that will work outdoors (Sippo Lake is the chosen location)
Tricky because we haven’t been there and aren’t sure what background options we have. Anyone frequent that park and have suggestions?

– Select colors that will look good hanging in our houses.
Not a huge concern but it helped us narrow down colors we liked.

Yesterday we picked a general pallet of EARTH TONES. I decided I want to wear a maxi skirt. I wear them a lot- it’s feminine and functional without being frilly or lacy. I found an oregano green colored one that I think will work. I have a lot of prints in my wardrobe- stripes, florals, etc that I love BUT think it will be too bold for a photo. I want to blend not be the one your eyes go to first. So maybe a pattern under a jacket or cardigan???

This has been cathartic, thanks for reading along with my first world problem. Will keep you posted on what we come up with!

Have family picture suggestions or tips? Leave us a comment below or tell us on our Facebook page.

UPDATE! Here’s the color pallet we picked!