What to wear at maternity your session
There are lots of options for what to wear for your maternity photo session, but what I want is for you to look amazing. What you would wear in normal day-to-day life may not necessarily look the best for photos so keep reading for my recommendations.
Choose a Flattering Silhouette for Your Maternity Photos
I’m adding this first because it’s the most important. If you stop reading after this tip, at least you will see this one! You want to wear a dress that will give you the most flattering silhouette for your maternity photos. So here is what to look for:
Length should be to the floor. Not too much longer than that because you don’t want to trip on it (unless you plan an epic, long dress for just a small portion of the session). And it’s okay if it’s midi-length if you want to show off your shoes. But typically a floor length dress looks more romantic and flowy.
Tight fitting or flowy are both beautiful, that is your personal preference. You should choose which will make you feel most confident.
What Color Should You Wear?
The reason you’re booking this maternity photo session is to show off that beautiful bump, so make sure to wear colors that will show it off. Meaning do NOT wear black or navy or any other super dark color if your session is outside. The only time black or dark colors work is if you are doing a studio session. It hides the bump and makes it hard to see, and that’s not what you’re going for. But at the same time, you don’t want to wear bright neon colors, either. Light to medium colors will look best.
What fabric should you wear for maternity photos?
This is something that I think gets overlooked when moms are planning for their maternity photos. Fabric makes a huge difference!!
First, let’s talk about fabrics to avoid. Don’t wear stiff cotton because it doesn’t flow nicely and it can be super wrinkly. It’s just not my favorite. The second fabric I would avoid is that super stretchy fabric. You may think it will be good, and there are tons of maternity dresses made from this, but it’s a mistake. It shows every little bump, so if you have a bra on, you can see all the bumps on your back and side. It also can cling awkwardly to your legs while you walk.
Now onto fabrics that I would recommend! I love texture so gauze or crepe fabrics are amazing. Polyester has a great flow. Rayon also photographs really well and I love chiffon material over a lined dress. Basically, anything that has a nice flow when you swish it! I also love lace.
Be Careful With Patterns
You can’t go wrong with solid colors, and dresses with some texture (like maybe some lace or crepe fabrics). But patterns can be great, too! You just want to select the right one. If you select a pattern that is too tiny, it can be too busy and really distracting, especially if there are two contrasting colors. But you can also select patterns that are too big, which isn’t all that flattering. Medium-sized patterns are what you’re going to shoot for here. You also want to make sure that the contrast between the colors in the pattern and color of the dress aren’t too much. For example, a navy pattern on a white dress would be too much contrast. But a cream-colored pattern against a dusty rose-colored dress would be subtle and beautiful. I suggest staying away from patterns for studio sessions.
Avoid Matching Your Partner/Family
When deciding what your partner will wear, you want to coordinate but not match. If your colors are the same, you will blend into each other and it will be hard to see the separation. The same goes for anyone in your family, we don’t want anyone blending into each other. You can search Pinterest for complementary colors or to get ideas.
What to wear under your dress for maternity photos
Depending on the dress you choose to wear and also your comfortability level, you may want to consider some shapewear for underneath your dress or just get some seamless underwear so the seams aren’t creating bumps in your dress. For your bra, be sure that the straps will not show, or rather than wearing a bra, you can also get some pasties instead. That way you don’t have to worry about bra straps at all. Just make sure that what you wear makes sense for the dress you choose. And don’t forget about the color of your undergarments. Wear colors that won’t show through your dress.
Where to Shop for Maternity Dresses
I want to make your search for what to wear for maternity photos as easy as possible! Amazon is a great option, another great place to get maternity dresses is at small boutique online shops. Sometimes a dress that isn’t meant for maternity can be amazing, and bonus: you can probably wear it again after you have the baby! You want to look for stretchy fabric, dresses with elastic at the waist, and a higher waistline. You also want to pay attention to if it is lined or not, because some dresses are lined, but only partway down, and it’s too short to fit a bump.
Places I recommend:
Joyfolie
Baltic Born
Free People
Jen’s Pirate Booty
Wren & Ivory
Piper and Scoot
Pink Blush