Spring Family Styling: Wardrobe, Hair + Makeup Tips

Tis the season of blossoming new growth!
Select a couple of main colors, and guide your family with complimentary neutrals.

The OUTDOOR Scene

Spring introduces lots of greens and florals — sometimes with scattered snow patches! Warm neutral tones paired with 1-2 soft colors and 1 brighter pop of color work well for groups. The best style for families is dressier casual. Start with your leading lady and the vibe continues from there.

When grouped with others, a typical strategy for pairing wardrobe includes one person in neutral, and the other person has a color or pattern. See below for examples after the guidelines:

General Style guidelines

Everyone is encouraged to hydrate well for 48 hours before the photoshoot (at least a day before!) and sleep well if you can. It helps your overall health and for photography, it helps your skin’s appearance.

Makeup? These special photos will likely be printed. Makeup at 150% of your normal everyday look is encouraged so your features stand out. Lip color is encouraged, as is chapstick and gloss for moisturizing and shine.

Hair - To keep facial features visible to the camera, hair should be pulled behind their ear or add a soft braid for style + flyaway help. Soft curls are also lovely! Kids are full of movement, so a simple barrette or pigtails on toddlers is a winning style. Giant bows or anything that could slip or block eyes are discouraged.

Design - Texture rules! Please avoid character prints and obvious logos. Florals are lovely.

Young Children - Double check that clothes fit well and have a comfortable texture against their skin before our shoot. A great fit on bottoms help keep positive expressions. Rompers and onesies work much better than dresses for any kiddo at an age of diapers or crawling, as it keeps their bottoms covered when playing or being carried.

Shoes - Go for dressier footwear instead of athletic wear. Booties and dressier sandals are lovely for ladies, and a chunky heel is more practical for outdoor terrain. Sneakers can work if they’re a solid color like all-white Adidas, Vans, Rothy’s, or most designs from Target/Cat & Jack kids all work great. Please make sure shoes are comfortable — these is the #1 piece of wardrobe that bother children. :) In the case of snow, we will work with boots.

Men’s shirts - Short sleeves are in for spring! Collared button downs, polo tees, and henley shirts photograph better than plain t-shirts. The buttons and collar give the look a lift!

Watches - Traditional watches photograph better than smart watches.

Hats - For anyone who would like to wear a hat (typically only 1-2 individuals, not the whole party), flat brims photograph better than floppy brims.

Layers - Plan on having a warmer layer close by, even if we don’t use it. Knit cardigans, light wraps, and denim jackets photograph better than puffer coats. Your photographer will provide a wagon to carry any unused layers and accessories.

Marilee.co STyling Partners

Dress + GoWN Rental

  • Bohofluxx
    50% when booked together with Marilee.co.

Hair + Makeup

 

Samples

 

Make a statement

This is your special day! Either rent a gown or show off the dress you’ve been wanting to move in. Not a dress person? Pick another statement piece like a cute top and flowy pants.

Soft Yellow + Soft Blue + Warm Neutrals

Contrasting pattern next to a solid works well.

INTRODUCE a pop of color!

If many in the party are comfortable in warm neutrals like oatmeal shirts paired with jeans or khaki, partners can throw in a small pop of deep/warm color like burgundy or burnt orange. This will work beautifully alongside two other softer colors, like blue and pink.

AUTHENTICALLY YOU

Select something you could see yourself wearing in real life!