How to dress for your Cherry Blossom Portrait Session!

What to Wear :: Cherry Blossom Edition

To create an elegant portrait that stands the test of time, a coherent wardrobe for everyone involved is a must. Figuring out what to wear to a cherry blossom portrait session should be fun and simple.

Here are my tips for putting together your cherry blossom session outfits, and links to some of my favorite pieces! You can follow the links directly or use the images as inspiration.

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What color theme do we find at the cherry blossoms?

First, let’s consider the colors we find at the cherry blossoms…pale pinks, light blues, and white.
That means if you wear black or other deep colors, you’ll stick out in the photos, and not in a flattering way.


We want to highlight you in your photos, but not create a glaring, unpleasing contrast.


Stick to light colors like pastels and creams like pale pink, beige, baby blue, and ivory. Medium blues also photograph well, especially at sunset.

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happy family, mother daughter portraits cherry blossoms, best cherry blossom family photographer, family photographer DC & Nashville

Avoid navy (with the exception of a light navy for men’s suits), deep orange, dark jewel tones, reds, 


What patterns are best for cherry blossom outfits?

Second, let’s consider patterns.

As a general rule, solid colors and large patterns photograph better than tiny details, but there are a few exceptions.

The cherry blossom trees have zillions of tiny flowers and we want the focus to be on you, in the cherry blossom setting. There are already a ton of tiny details in the form of blossoms, let’s try to steer clear of high contrast patterns for your cherry blossom photos. That means avoiding things like navy blue and white, polka dots, etc.

Low contrast patterns like tiny pale flowers on an ivory or pale pink dress will match the setting beautifully. Simple textures like eyelet, swiss dot, ruffles, lace, will all photograph well in the cherry blossom setting.

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How to think about your wardrobe for your cherry blossom photo shoot

Last, think nature. Choose florals over zig zags. Choose cotton over polyester. Silk over satin.

To create a coherent look in your portraits, whether you’re a couple or a family of five, choose flowing dresses with sleeves over body-con and mini skirts.

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Additional notes

Other things to consider: close-toed shoes for easy walking on the uneven ground, tights for toddlers and babies in dresses so we don’t risk accidentally seeing a diaper, and make sure you try your outfit on in advance and move around in the mirror to look for things like bra straps showing, a low-cut v neck that gets pulled down too far as you shift your baby around in your arms, etc.

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