What to Wear for Antique Christmas Barn Mini Sessions

By: Lauren Widener Portraits

Styling Your Holiday Barn Session With Ease

Christmas photos are where people start feeling like they need to do everything.

Plaid. Red. Green. Bows. Velvet. Sparkle. Matching pajamas. Possibly a small reindeer.

We do not need all of that.

For Antique Christmas Barn photos, I would rather give you a holiday feeling through color, texture, and a few thoughtful details than dress the entire family like Christmas morning exploded.

Reminder: I offer custom wardrobe design with a mood board and shopping links if you don't want to DIY this. It's $75+tax.

Here is everything I would tell you if we were standing in your closet together.

Pick your version of Christmas

You do not have to use red and green.

Burgundy, cream, and camel. Warm, classic, and festive without being obvious.

Forest green, oatmeal, and chocolate. Rich and cozy.

Navy, cranberry, and tan. Traditional without feeling overly themed.

Cream, champagne, and deep green. Softer and a little more dressed up.

If you do want true Christmas red, let one person wear it and let everybody else support it.

One strong red dress can be beautiful.

Five strong red outfits are a Christmas card from 1997.

Texture is where the holiday feeling happens

Velvet. Corduroy. Knit. Suede. Satin in small amounts. Wool if the weather cooperates.

This is where those richer fabrics make sense.

But we are still in Texas, so please check the weather before committing the entire family to heavy sweaters.

You can get a cozy look through color and texture without actually being bundled up.

Plaid is invited, but it is not in charge

A beautiful plaid can absolutely work.

One.

Maybe two if the second is subtle and a very different scale.

Use the plaid to establish your palette and let everybody else's clothing pull colors from it.

Please do not put the whole family in the same plaid.

I know the matching sets are right there.

Keep scrolling.

Dress it up a little if you want to

This is a great session for a beautiful dress, velvet bow, blazer, suspenders, loafers, or a slightly more polished outfit.

You do not have to go formal.

But if you have been looking for a reason to dress everybody up a little, Christmas photos are a perfectly good reason.

Just make sure the kids can still move.

Shoes

Boots, loafers, flats, Mary Janes, simple dress shoes, and neutral leather shoes all work.

Keep the shoes connected to the rest of the outfit.

This is not the moment for neon athletic shoes or bright white sneakers unless they are very intentionally part of the look.

Accessories

A velvet bow?

Yes.

A beautiful headband?

Yes.

Suspenders?

Absolutely.

A simple holiday accessory can make the entire outfit feel festive.

But remember: one accent per person is plenty.

We do not need the bow, hat, scarf, necklace, vest, and Christmas socks all on the same child.

Jewelry

Gold works beautifully with warm holiday colors.

Pearls are also an easy yes.

Keep things classic: thin chains, small hoops, simple earrings, a watch, a few rings.

These photos may come back out every Christmas for years.

Timeless is useful here.

A few things to skip

Matching pajamas unless that is specifically the look you want.

Multiple plaids.

Neon.

Large logos.

Character shirts.

Too many Christmas accessories.

And putting everyone in identical red or green.

The easiest Christmas formula

Choose one rich holiday color.

Add cream or oatmeal.

Add one warm neutral.

Give me one pattern.

Add texture.

Stop.

That is enough to make the photos feel like Christmas without turning your family into decorations.

And if you are looking at six red dresses online and cannot tell anymore which one you even like, send them to me.

I will help you narrow it down.

 

 

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