Welcome and Style Guide

Taking the time to plan outfits for a photoshoot isn’t just about looking “nice”, it directly affects how your photos turn out and how you feel in them years later. I’d recommend keeping outfits soft, natural, and comfortable so everything feels timeless and cohesive without looking overly “matched”.

Based on the lovely dress already picked out, you've already got a perfect base for a timeless, natural golden hour photoshoot. This specific dress is ideal because it uses soft, multi-colored pastel floral tones on a clean white background, which is very flattering for golden hour light.

Here is a style guide to help you co-ordinate your family’s outfits around this dress for a golden hour field photoshoot:

Since the dress has delicate pastels and a light, airy feel with its eyelet hem, the goal is to create a soft, coordinated look that reflects the ethereal warmth of the setting sun.

Sophie - Coordinating with the Pastels

The dress has hints of soft pinks, dusty blues, yellow/gold, and green leaves. You can pick any *one* of these tones as your base colour, which will make Scarlett stand out while tying you all together. Avoid patterns to keep the focus on the baby’s dress.

Colour Choices: Dusty Rose/Pink, all White/Cream or Sage Green

Outfit Choices: A long, flowing, maxi-length linen or chiffon dress or a white, midi-length cotton eyelet or linen wrap dress. White/Cream allows the pastels on the baby's dress to pop while giving you a clean, simple look that photographs perfectly or a simple, A-line linen skirt paired with a cream silk camisole, or a sage green jumpsuit. This picks up the leaf colours and blends beautifully with a grassy field setting.

James - Grounding the Look

James’s outfit should be more grounded to add depth to the photos. Since Scarlett and you are in light, warm, or pastel tones, James can introduce a slightly darker, contrasting colour.

Outfit Choices: A simple, high-quality light-to-medium blue linen button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up with tan or beige chinos or Rust & Cream/Ivory knitted polo with rust or terracotta coloured trousers/chinos. Another option could be a crisp white shirt (sleeves rolled) with light grey or stone-colored chinos. Clean, simple, and allows everyone else’s colours to pop.

Accessories/Footwear:

Sophie: A flat leather sandal or something comfy like vans or trainers but try and avoid stark white. This will be best for wondering the fields.

James: A casual leather sneaker (not bright white) or brown/tan boot. Barefoot can also be very sweet for a bohemian feel.

My biggest tip would be to lay out the clothes and then build all the other outfits around it and make sure you are happy with the final cohesive look.

Remember: Avoid dark clothing such as black, big distracting logos or large prints and any item of clothing or footwear that are stark white for this scenario.

Ask yourself: Does anything jump out too much? Do at least 2-3 people share similar tones? Would this still look good in 5–10 years? If yes, you’re in a very good place.