here are a few style tips if you are planning dreamy, romantic maternity photos.
photos by Halle, Wild Heart Creative
Let’s start this one out by saying, going into this shoot I was kicking myself for not scheduling our maternity photos sooner. I was 35 weeks when we took these, and I really wish I had scheduled them around 30 weeks. At 30 weeks I felt better and, in my opinion, looked better. Cute bump and not all the swelling. Luckily for me, Johnny assured me that I looked great so I decided to just embrace the hot, sweaty, pregnant bod for the photos.
SO, let’s talk outfits.
Actually… first: decide on location + vibe.
Naturally, I had a hard time deciding on a location and a vibe, so I decided to do more than one location and not two but three different *vibes.* We went with Romantic/Ethereal, Street Style & Sleek/Sexy. I started out with one big long blog post for all three looks but it was going to be INTENSE so I decided to create three different posts. Here you’ll find my tips for an ethereal / romantic shoot. For the others, click through below to find a full post on the vibe you are looking for.
STREET STYLE MATERNITY PHOTOS
SLEEK / SEXY MATERNITY PHOTOS
OK, back to the topic at hand..
romantic / ethereal
Find a green space, field, farm, or waterfront location to achieve a romantic and ethereal photo vibe. For ours, I wanted to recreate the vibe from our 5 year anniversary photos with Halle. We took them in a field outside of town and to this day I just love them so much! *hello long quarantine hair* But, we had to improvise with the location this time, in the city, so we took them near Great Shiplock Park. A nice little green space along the canal in the city. A hidden gem, if you will.
I know, I know, let’s get to the dress! For these photos, a dreamy maxi dress is a must.
I absolutely fell in love with the black version of the Hatch Collection Nala dress when they sent it to me earlier in my pregnancy and knew I just had to have the pink version, too. It was absolutely perfect not only for these photos but also for my baby shower. Everything from Hatch is just what a pregnant mama needs to help you feel GOOD in your changing body. There is a reason for the price tag and let me tell you, they are WORTH IT. I know I will keep wearing these dresses after baby girl comes, too, which helps!
If you are willing to spend a little extra, they really do have some gorgeous options >>
HATCH COLLECTION DRESSES
Here are some of my other favorite places to shop for maternity dresses.
(Because here is the deal: you can size up in regular clothes at the beginning of your pregnancy, but I found that there is a certain point where sizing up just doesn’t really work with the way your body changes. There’s a reason maternity clothes exist. Luckily for us, there are some pretty great options out there now.)
PINK BLUSH MATERNITY has some great options. They are usually always having some sort of sale and they have allll kinds of different dress options.
INGRID & ISABEL was also a favorite of mind during pregnancy!
I also love layering up some gold necklaces if you have an open neck situation. It adds a little bit of subtle glam! gorjana is always the first place I go when I’m looking for affordable gold jewelry that I can wear daily. I have had their pieces for years and they really hold up.
FOR THE GUYS:
I gotta be honest, ideally, John would have been in khakis here for a more truly romantic vibe, but it was HOTHOT summer, so I let the shorts slide. I am, however, NOT a huge fan of flip flops on guys his age but he loooooves his flip flops so, there you have it.
It’s really all about the shirt, though. This particular short sleeve button down is from Zara, but the other go-to when I want something affordable but nice and fun for him is Abercrombie. He wore his Abercrombie shirt in the street style pix and I just LOVE it. We first discovered how great these shirts were for the 5 year anniversary photos and the ones he got then are still in major rotation a couple years later.
SHOP SHORT SLEEVE BUTTON DOWNS ON ABERCROMBIE MEN.
~ PIN FOR INSPO LATER ~
