If you’re wondering what to wear for fall family photos in Texas, you’re probably dealing with a very specific problem: you want your photos to feel like fall, but the forecast still calls for temperatures that should be reserved only for the summer.

We’re dying to wear cozy sweaters, layers, and boots. Until you remember that October in Fort Worth can feel like July. 😂

The good news? Your family photos can still feel like fall without dressing like it’s actually 55 degrees outside. In fact, trying too hard to dress for the season instead of the weather can leave everyone hot, uncomfortable, and ready to be done before we even get started.

Instead, think about creating that fall feeling through color, texture, and a few strategic accessories.

Choose Fall Colors Instead of Fall Layers

You don’t need sweaters to make an outfit feel seasonal. Instead, pull in the colors we naturally associate with fall: warm browns, camel, olive, rust, chocolate, cream, muted blues, deep reds, and richer neutrals. A lightweight dress in a warm brown can feel much more appropriate for an October session than a chunky cream sweater when it’s 85 degrees outside. And bonus: no one is sweating and uncomfortable before photos even start.

You also don’t need everyone wearing the same two or three colors. I actually prefer when a family’s wardrobe feels a little more collected. Start with one piece you love and pull complementary colors, tones, and textures from there rather than trying to make everyone perfectly match.

Add Texture Without Adding Heat

This is probably my favorite trick. Texture adds that cozy, collected feeling we love about fall without necessarily adding warmth. Think linen, eyelet, crochet, gauze, suede, leather, denim and lightweight knits. A top with a crochet skirt, a linen dress with leather boots, or a lightweight button-down with great denim can give you plenty of visual interest without piling on layers.

This is especially helpful when you’re dressing an entire family. Mixing textures gives each person’s outfit a little dimension while still allowing everything to work together.

Use Accessories to Make an Outfit Feel Like Fall

If the weather isn’t cooperating with your fall wardrobe plans, accessories can work wonders!

Leather boots, loafers, a great belt, warm-toned jewelry, and hats can shift an outfit toward fall without requiring a sweater and coat. You can also bring a layer rather than wear it the entire time. A jacket draped over your shoulders added for a few photos gives us another look, and then you can take it right back off before you melt.

Yes, You Can Wear a Summer Dress for Fall Family Photos

There seems to be an unwritten rule that once September arrives, light colored summer dresses have to disappear. They don’t. The right dress can work beautifully for fall family photos in Texas, especially when we’re still dealing with warm temperatures well into October.

A white or cream dress can totally be appropriate if you pair it with the right things….boots instead of sandals, adding a leather belt, a jacket on your shoulders. Suddenly that lightweight dress feels completely different, without requiring you to pretend there’s a crisp fall breeze when there absolutely is not.

What Should Kids Wear for Fall Family Photos?

Kids are usually the first ones to get hot, uncomfortable and completely over whatever we’ve asked them to wear. And an itchy, sweaty three-year-old is not particularly concerned about your fall family photo aesthetic. Keep their clothing breathable and easy to move in. A lightweight button-down, cotton dress, romper, shorts with a textured shirt or simple knit set can still coordinate beautifully with the rest of the family.

I’d much rather photograph your child comfortably running around in something slightly less “fall” than spend the session trying to convince an overheated toddler to keep his sweater on. Comfort matters because how your kids feel in what they’re wearing is going to show up in your photos.

Dress for the Feeling, Not the Calendar

This is really the goal. Your family photos don’t need pumpkins, plaid scarves and chunky sweaters to tell us they were taken in the fall. So when you’re choosing between an outfit that technically looks more “fall” and one that you’ll actually feel good wearing in the Texas heat?

Choose the second one.

Or… Bring Fall Inside

Of course, there is another option: skip the 88-degree forecast altogether.

For an in-home family session, we can crank up the AC and bring on the layers. Sweaters, bare feet, cozy knits, denim, blankets…all the things that feel like fall without asking anyone to sweat through them outside. And honestly, fall at home is pretty good anyway.

If you love the idea of photos that feel a little cozier, a little more relaxed, and a lot less dependent on what Texas decides the weather is doing that day, an in-home family session might be exactly what you’re looking for.