Coordinating outfits for a large family photo session can feel like a whole project by itself.

When you’re dressing grandparents, parents, kids, cousins, babies, and maybe even teenagers who have very strong opinions about what they will and will not wear, it can be tempting to tell everyone to wear the same color.

Please don’t feel like you have to do that.

The goal is not for everyone to match perfectly. The goal is for everyone to look like they belong in the same photo while still looking like themselves.

Here are my favorite tips for coordinating outfits for a large family.

Start With One or Two Main Colors

Instead of assigning everyone the same outfit color, choose a small color palette.

For example, you might start with cream and blue, then add tan, brown, sage, or another soft color that works with them.

This gives everyone direction without making the whole group look like they’re wearing a uniform.

For a large family, I usually recommend keeping the palette fairly simple. The more people you add, the more important it becomes to make sure the colors work together.

Mix Neutrals With a Few Colors

Neutrals are your friend when you’re dressing a big group.

Cream, beige, tan, denim, soft gray, brown, navy, and other neutral tones can help tie a large group together.

Then you can add a few colors throughout the family.

You don’t need every family to wear the same blue shirt. One person can wear a dusty blue dress, someone else can have a blue sweater, and another person might have a subtle blue pattern.

The colors repeat without becoming identical.

Don’t Put Everyone in the Same Pattern

Patterns can be beautiful, but too many patterns in one photo can get visually busy.

If one or two people are wearing a floral, plaid, stripe, or other pattern, let the rest of the family wear mostly solid colors or very subtle prints.

This is especially helpful with extended-family photos because there are already so many people in the frame.

Think of patterns as an accent rather than the main event.

Coordinate Textures, Too

Color isn’t the only way to make outfits work together.

Texture can add a lot of visual interest.

Think sweaters, linen, denim, lace, knit dresses, cardigans, skirts, and other fabrics with some dimension.

This can be especially helpful when you’re working with a neutral color palette. Different textures keep everyone from looking too similar while still creating a cohesive overall look.

Let Each Family Have Its Own Personality

This is one of my favorite tricks for extended-family photos.

You don’t necessarily need the entire extended family to coordinate from one giant Pinterest board.

Instead, each individual family can choose outfits that work together within their own group while following the larger family color palette.

Maybe one family wears cream and sage.

Another uses navy and tan.

Another has dusty blue and neutrals.

They all look cohesive in the full group photo, but each family still feels like themselves.

Think About the Location

Your outfits should also make sense for where you’re taking photos.

A beach session might call for lighter, breezier colors and fabrics. A mountain session might look beautiful with earthy tones. An urban location could work well with a slightly more modern palette.

You don’t need to perfectly match the scenery. In fact, contrast can be beautiful.

Just make sure you’re considering the colors that will be around you.

Start With the Hardest Person to Dress

If you’re coordinating a huge family, don’t wait until everyone else has picked their outfits to figure out what Grandma, Grandpa, a toddler, or the person with very specific clothing preferences is wearing.

Start with the people who are hardest to dress.

Once you have those outfits, build the rest of the color palette around them.

This can save you from getting halfway through the process and realizing that someone’s outfit doesn’t work with everything else.

Lay Everything Out Before the Session

Once everyone has chosen their clothes, put everything together before the day of the photos.

Seriously. Lay it all on the bed or floor and look at it as one giant group.

You’ll immediately notice if there is too much of one color, too many patterns, or one outfit that feels completely disconnected from the rest.

It’s much easier to change an outfit the night before than after everyone arrives for photos.

Don’t Forget That the Goal Is Your Family

Coordinating outfits is helpful, but don’t let it become more stressful than the actual photo session.

Your family doesn’t need to look perfect.

You want everyone to feel comfortable enough to laugh, move, hug, and actually enjoy being together. That matters so much more than whether every shade of blue matches perfectly.

The best extended-family photos are the ones where you can see the relationships between everyone.

So choose a color palette, mix your textures, avoid overmatching, and then let everyone show up as themselves.

If you’re planning extended-family photos in Southern California, I’d love to help you choose a location and create photos that feel natural, connected, and genuinely like your family.

Shelby Preston

Shelby is a San Diego photographer, wife, and mom who has always loved creating and capturing meaningful moments. She brings a fun, relaxed energy to every session and loves helping her clients feel confident and comfortable in front of the camera.

She specializes in family, newborn, maternity, senior, branding, and wedding photography throughout San Diego County, including the surrounding coastal communities.

kyleeannphotography.com/