Holiday Style Guide: The Case for Black-Tie Formal

There’s something wonderful about getting dressed up for a family photograph.

Not just “nice” dressed up. We mean really dressed up.

A black-tie-inspired family portrait. A dramatic black dress. A tailored suit. Beautiful fabrics, polished details, and the kind of wardrobe you might normally save for a special occasion.

For holiday family photos, there is something especially beautiful about taking that idea all the way. A family dressed entirely in black, photographed against a chic black backdrop, feels sophisticated and modern—but it doesn't have to feel cold or overly serious.

In fact, some of our favorite formal family portraits are also some of the most emotional.

Formal Doesn't Mean Stiff

When people hear “formal family portraits,” they sometimes imagine everyone standing perfectly straight, looking at the camera, with very little movement or expression. The worry is that it will come across an inauthentic!

That's not how we approach it.

Formal styling gives us a beautiful foundation, but the posing can still feel intimate, relaxed, and full of personality. A daughter leaning into her mom. A hand resting on Dad's shoulder. Siblings laughing together. Everyone gathered close.

The wardrobe may be polished, but the connection should feel real.

That's where the magic happens.

Why Black Works So Beautifully

There's a reason black has remained a staple of fashion photography for decades.

It's elegant, flattering, and visually strong without competing for attention. When an entire family wears black, the photograph becomes less about individual outfits and more about shape, texture, expression, and connection.

This is especially effective against a dark backdrop.

Rather than creating a busy holiday scene, the setting becomes almost cinematic. The focus stays entirely on your family…their faces, their expressions, the way they interact with one another.

And because the wardrobe is so simple in color, we can introduce visual interest through texture and silhouette. Velvet, satin, wool, silk, tailoring, and beautiful evening fabrics all reflect light differently, creating dimension even within a monochromatic palette.

The result is dramatic without being overdone.

Think Editorial, Not “Everyone Say Cheese”

The difference between a formal portrait and an editorial family portrait often comes down to the posing.

Instead of asking everyone to stand in a straight line and smile, we can create a series of images that feel more like moments unfolding.

We might have everyone gathered closely together for one photograph, then move into something more intimate. We might photograph parents with their children individually, siblings together, or a quiet moment between family members.

And not every photograph needs everyone looking at the camera.

Some of the most powerful images happen when one person is looking at someone they love instead of looking directly at us.

Let This Be the Year You Go All In

If you've always loved the idea of formal family portraits but worried they might feel too serious, consider this your permission to try it.

Go monochromatic.

Get dressed up.

Choose the beautiful dress you've been waiting for an occasion to wear.

Then let us take care of the rest.

We'll create the polished, editorial portraits, but we'll also look for the laughter, the closeness, the small gestures, and the relationships that make your family yours.

Because a family portrait can be sophisticated without being distant.

It can be dramatic without being serious.

And it can look like it belongs in a magazine while still feeling completely, unmistakably you.