Choosing what to wear for any occasion can be a challenge, but when it comes to your maternity photo session, you definitely want to pick the perfect outfit. After all, these are images you’ll look back on for years to come. No pressure, right?

You want your maternity photos to be beautiful and intimate, capturing this incredible moment in your life and the excitement you feel about the growth of your family. That’s why we put together these tips on how to choose the perfect outfit for your maternity session.

Think about the style of your photos.

When choosing what to wear for your maternity session, think about what style of images you want. Are you going for a cozy in-home session or a light and airy outdoor shoot? Once you determine what kind of session you want, you can better figure out what outfit would work best.

Prepare for the weather.

While you definitely want to look good in your photos, you also want to be comfortable. If your session is during the cooler months, choose a cute, cozy outfit and maybe add a fun scarf for extra color. During spring or summer, go for a bright and colorful outfit that’s cool enough to keep you comfortable.

Coordinate with your family.

If your significant other or older children will be in your maternity photos, take time to coordinate everyone’s outfits. You don’t want to match perfectly, but you don’t want your clothing to clash and distract from your precious baby bump. Choose outfits that are different shades of the same color to keep things simple and clean-looking.

Avoid trendy styles and patterns.

You want your photos to be timeless, and nothing dates a photo like wearing the latest trendy fashion. Go with simple colors and pieces that won’t go out of style—clothing your kids won’t make fun of years down the road.

Choose two or three outfits.

Talk to your photographer about how many outfits you should bring, but it’s great to at least have two outfits to add variety to your images. Make sure you choose something that’s relatively easy to change into so you can do a quick change and have more time taking your photos. 

Even better, talk to your photographer about in-house gown options they have for you to wear! We keep a variety of colors and sizes available to our maternity clients at no extra charge, and they are all flattering, flowy and beautiful!

Don’t forget undergarments!

Undergarments can be super important for maternity photos, since we all need a little extra support in places we don’t normally:) Choose a seamless, smooth supportive bra that fits you well - and a strapless option is a great addition, too. If you want to wear maternity shapewear, make sure there are no seams and you can’t see where it starts and stops under your clothing. We always suggest smooth panties that won’t create harsh lines in your outfit, and stick with nude shades if you’ve decided to wear anything in the cream/white family!