family maternity styling

1.// dream weaver lace duster at scout and cloth 2. //gathered crochet bralette bikini top by she made me 3.// all jewelry from rocksbox [for a month free, sign up using my code thelovedesignedlifexoxo] 4.// beach bunny short by blue life [at revolve] 5.// flat chain sandals by zara

We have never done a maternity session before.  I used to think they were pretty cheesy because, well, there are a lot of cheesy ones out there!  Also, when I was pregnant with my first, I was younger and quite frankly, less mature.  I assumed no one really wanted to see my pregnant body eternalized in photos for years to come.  On top of all that, I was very self concious about my pregnant body and sharing my very personal journey to motherhood with a wider audience.

Fast forward to now and a lot of things have changed that have in turn, have changed my opinion on the matter.  For one, I have had two children.  As this third one is very likely to be the last, this is really my only shot at getting a professional to make me look and feel beautiful in a state where I naturally just don’t.  Secondly, as an older and [perhaps] wiser person, I truly see the beauty in the pregnant body’s form.  Perhaps I am not 100% there with my own body, but I have seen so many beautiful images of pregnant woman since becoming a mother of my friends, celebrities, etc. and I want to have those images for myself and my family.  And thirdly, I finally decided that I just don’t give a f//k what other people think.  And since I am really going for this whole maternity shoot thing, I decided why not just go bare belly to really show off my child-bearing figure?

If there is a camera with a talented photographer like my friend Brandi around, I want to have my most favorite people [my family, just to be clear] around me in the photos to make the most of it!  And as you probably know if you’ve been following along, I can’t pass up a chance to style a family, especially my own.  So, after months of carefully curating each of our outfits, here’s what we will be wearing this weekend for our family maternity photoshoot.

1.// panama hat that we’ve had for a while [can’t remember where from] 2.// smokey lilac gingham shirt by crew cuts 3.// kids’ birkenstocks from amazon 4.// pull-on lightweight short by crew cuts

1.// origami halter top by sienna london 2.// glitter hanger from pearls and pastries 3.// champagne tutu maxi skirt by wrare doll 4.// ballet flats by leia roux

And as always, last by not least, the father of my children and adoring husband [who refused to wear the pastel pink shorts I originally picked out] will be wearing this:

1. lived-in flat front shorts from gap 2.// white cotton shirt from h&m 3.// flip flops by rainbow at j.crew