What to Wear for Your Maternity Session: Timeless & Trendy Outfits for 2025
Planning your maternity session is such an exciting part of celebrating your pregnancy—as it should be! What an accomplishment pregnancy is. And one of the most common questions I get is: What should I wear? The good news? You have me to help. :)
Although I can work with all different types of dresses, the right outfit for you can make or break the way you feel about your images. I want to make sure you choose a dress that highlights your beautiful bump and also photographs well. I want you to feel confident, elegant, and comfortable. I am just a phone text, or email away to help you decide! I am also in the process of curating a client wardrobe, especially for studio sessions.
To get you started, here are five tips to help you choose the perfect outfit for your maternity session:
1. Flowy Dresses Are Always Flattering
Soft, flowy fabrics such as the image below, can create beautiful movement in photos and give a dreamy, timeless feel, especially if we get a little wind! Clients worry when it’s windy, but as a photographer I embrace the wind and make it work for us! Whether you’re outdoors at sunset or inside my studio studio, dresses that drape right below the bump help elongate your frame and flatter all the right places. It is a great idea to make sure you can also pull the fabric tight underneath with your hands, for more variety in your photos.
Style tip: Earthy tones, blush, ivory, taupe, and muted pastels photograph beautifully and never go out of style. Most of my images and editing styles will work beautiful with this.
The wind showed up at just the right time during this mama’s session and this is one of my favorite photos! The wind just added such a special element, and because her dress was light and flowy, it created magic together!
2. Stick to Neutrals or Soft Colors for a Classic Look
If you are finding yourself not sure what color to use, neutrals like cream, beige, gray, soft whites, or pale mauves are always beautiful. They help keep the focus on you, and not on loud patterns or overly bold colors. These shades also work well with natural backgrounds and my editing style, giving your images a cohesive and calming vibe. Make sure that if mama uses a neutral so does her partner. A beautiful cream dress will not look well with a bright blue, red, green shirt.
This is especially true towards the end of the summer when the golden fields are at their peak!
This dress fit mama so good, and the color of it was absolutely perfect. A soft brown tone will look beautiful anytime of the year. I had such a fun time getting creative and capturing her belly at her session!
3. Show Off the Bump (But remember Comfort Is Key)
Form-fitting gowns or tops that hug your bump, (like in the image below), are perfect for showing off your pregnancy shape—but only if you feel good in them. There is never any pressure to come in a huge or fluffy or even elaborate runway style dress if that is not your vibe. Comfort is just as important as style. Most mamas are around 33 weeks along when we do their session, and typically that is when you start feeling the weight of your belly, and start to get uncomfortable. So when you are purchasing your dress, don’t think about how you feel now, think about how you might feel at 33-35 weeks along. Many mamas (myself included) start to get swollen legs around that time as well, so a long dress might be a good option so you can wear comfy shoes. I wore flip flops to my Maternity session, and you would never know!
When mama arrived in this gorgeous magenta gown, I was so excited. How gorgeous did this turn out? It is not a neutral dress obviously, but is a wonderful example of how exceptions to the rule can be the perfect solution.
4. Add Texture—Not Bold Patterns
Textures like lace, knit, tulle, or ribbed cotton add visual interest without distracting from your face or belly. They also photograph beautifully. In contrast, busy prints and logos can quickly date your photos and pull focus from the moment. Be sure to check dad and kids clothes for this as well. The pocket on Dads shirt is usually the most common culprit. It is something that can be edited if it is small, but I prefer to not have it in the first place.
This lace dress mama brought was so perfect. I really need to find out where she got it!
Think timeless: Delicate textures and soft layers will still look beautiful decades from now, and you will still feel beautiful looking at them, rather then “what was I thinking?”
This pose was actually mama’s idea and turned out to be one of my favorite images. Because we started her session around an hour before sunset, the light hit her perfectly for this image. When I recommend we start your session late in the evening, it is for a reason. :)
5. Coordinate (Don’t Match) If You’re Including a partner/Family
If your partner or other children are joining the session, choose mama’s dress first, and then choose a color palette and build around it. You don’t need to all wear the same color (I highly recomment you don’t)—just stay within similar tones. Think of one soft muted color, then add neutrals to support it. Soft blues, greens, and warm neutrals often work well together.
Pro tip: Avoid jeans or sneakers for adults unless it’s a casual lifestyle shoot. Barefoot and natural looks are often best in studio, so no need to spend money on any expensive shoes! Also remember your feet might start to swell then, and tight high heeled shoes might not be your best friend.
I loved how mama coordinated her outfit with her boys! The one blue color supported by neutrals was perfect.
6. What to wear under your maternity dress
Sometimes what you wear underneath your dress matters just as much as the dress itself. If you’re choosing a fitted or body-hugging gown, be mindful of visible underwear or shapewear lines—yes, even thongs can show through in photos! I recommend wearing seamless shapewear or skipping undergarments altogether if you're comfortable. The goal is a smooth, flattering silhouette that won’t distract from your bump or your beautiful shape. One easy way to check? Step outside in natural light and have someone take a few quick phone photos of you from different angles. We tend to only see ourselves from one perspective in the mirror, and this little test can help you avoid any surprises when you get your images back.
Extra BONUS TIP — What Not to Wear: Super Thin, Tight Cotton Dresses
I KNOW they are what first show up when you search on Amazon, but while soft thin cotton can be comfortable, it tends to be VERY thin and form-fitting. These style of cotton dresses often do more harm than good in photos. They tend to cling in ways that highlight areas you might not want emphasized—like undergarment lines, shapewear lines, bras, belly buttons, or texture in fabric. These dresses can also show every seam or fold which can be distracting in your final images. Think of them as microscopes to every part of your body.
Here is an EXAMPLE of the type of dress I would recommend you avoid.
Tip: Opt for thicker fabrics with structure or flow, or choose maternity-specific gowns that are designed to flatter your bump while providing coverage where it matters most.
Ready to Plan and book Your Maternity Session?
I would LOVE to work with you! If you’re expecting and dreaming of beautiful, timeless maternity photos in the Salem or Portland, Oregon area, I’d love to help!
📩 CONTACT ME HERE to get all the details about your maternity session!
Bonus: When you book both your maternity and newborn sessions at the same time, you’ll receive a $200 discount. It’s a perfect way to capture the full journey—from bump to baby—and take one more thing off your to-do list. Looking forward to meeting you!
