Where to Buy Maternity Dresses for Pictures [2023]
Today I’m talking all about where to buy the best dresses for maternity photos in 2022 and how to pick the right outfit for your pregnancy pictures.
Shopping for Maternity Photos
Do you have maternity photos coming up and need to find a dress to wear for pictures? Are you having a hard time finding the perfect maternity photoshoot dress? I’m sharing the best places to buy beautiful dresses online at every price point. Don’t worry – we’ll find something for you to look gorgeous in for your maternity photo shoot.
The bonus? Most of these you can also wear for your baby shower celebration of other special occasions coming up!
What to Wear for Maternity Photos
Let’s talk about what to wear for maternity photos. You want pictures that are timeless and capture this beautiful (and probably uncomfortable) stage where your body is doing something amazing. Figuring out what to wear can be a bit overwhelming.
My top recommendation is to wear a dress for at least one of your outfits. If you want to go basic with jeans for another look, you can, but today I’m focusing on recommendations for finding the best dress for your maternity shoot.
Maxi dress (flowy)
The top choice for most women when picking a dress for maternity photos is a maxi dress. The silhouette is incredibly flattering on all pregnant bodies and, if you pick the right one, it is also incredibly comfortable. A maxi dress is great because you’ll also be able to wear it after photos through the rest of your pregnancy.
You can wear long sleeves or find a short sleeve option (my personal preference is something with flutter sleeves but you can also go sleeveless). You also have a wide range of formality when it comes to maxi dresses. You can wear something more formal and pick a gorgeous maternity gown or go for a more casual maxi dress that you can also wear regularly between now and delivery.
The movement + draping of the flowing fabric looks gorgeous in pictures and you can easily place a hand under your belly to really show off the bump even with a flowing material.
Bodycon dress (fitted)
Maternity photos are a time to celebrate your growing and changing body. Whatever your size, your body is amazing right now! It is growing a human! A tightly fitting bodycon dress hugs your curves and shows off the shape of pregnancy. It also does a great job showcasing the baby bump.
If you pick the right bodycon dress it’ll be made out of stretchy fabric that is also very comfortable and you can dress it up or down for the rest of your pregnancy.
If you’re not comfortable with a bodycon dress, don’t worry. You can still show off the baby bump by holding in a less fitted dress for certain images.
Consider bringing one fitted and one flowy option for your photoshoot
Patterns vs. Neutrals:
The general rule for pictures is to stay away from big + bold patterns. As a photographer, I’m a fan of more neutral colors and very subtle patterns (or solid colors) because they lend themselves to more timeless (less trendy) photos and really put the focus on the emotion and connection between subjects.
You can’t go wrong picking a solid color dress or something with a small pattern (think very small flowers instead of big flowers on a dress). I also recommend staying away from pure white gowns because they can easily get blown out in photos.
Where to Buy Best Maternity Dresses for Pictures
1. Pink Blush (top recommendation)
Pink Blush has a huge selection of flowy midi and maxi dresses which photograph beautifully and is a GREAT place to start your dress search. They also have some shorter bodycon style dresses if you’re really looking to highlight the bump without a full length dress.
Pink Blush dresses come at a good price point (especially if you can snag the 30% off coupon) and the 5+ dresses I’ve ordered from there have always been incredibly soft and comfortable. Pink Blush also has a Maternity Plus selection so if you’re looking for a wider range of sizes, start here!
They even have a dedicated selection of photoshoot gowns (find them here).
Here are a few favorites from Pink Blush that would be beautiful for a maternity session:
2. Shein Maternity:
This fast fashion industry giant has recently expanded their affordable fashion to include maternity pieces. Shein takes trendy pieces from top retailers and makes lower quality, lower priced versions. This means you might not want to rely on them for the maternity pants you want to wash and wear 50 times this pregnancy but they are great for dresses, blouses, or anything for those final weeks when nothing fits. If you haven’t shopped at Shein before, I shared a full post on tips for finding the best things on Shein here. They have a great selection of short length maternity dresses that work for a more casual maternity shoot and have a few longer more formal options.
3. Pea in a Pod Maternity
If you are looking for a higher quality maternity dress (or maybe something you can wear for pictures and then to a summer wedding), Pea in a Pod Maternity carries a lot of higher end maternity brands with gorgeous options.
4. Tiffany Rose Maternity
With a beautiful selection of formal, semi formal, and daywear maternity dresses, this British brand is a beautiful choice. You won’t find anything that drapes quite as beautifully and their buttery fabrics are so soft against your stretching skin. The phenomenal fabrics of their whole maternity line cannot be beat.
These dresses come at a higher price point and you can see and feel the difference the quality makes.
5. Amazon Maternity
Amazon has everything these days, including great maxi dress options for your maternity photos. Almost all of the Amazon dresses I’ve linked below come in 4-30 colors so you can find exactly what you want.
You can find dresses at a variety of price points and I’ve included some great options below:
6. Asos Maternity
If you’re looking for something fun and trendy, Asos is always a good place to look. They have a great collection of modern cuts and colors. For example, instead of a basic maxi, you can try their kimono maxi dress in this gorgeous peach color. The prices vary depending on the type of dress but you’re look at between $30 and $150.
7. H&M Maternity
H&M does really well at the maternity game. While I usually think of them for good basics, work wear, and cute tops, they also have a selection of dresses that would work for maternity photos. And likely, the dress you got here would be something you’d want to wear over and over again for the rest of your pregnancy.
8. Nordstrom Maternity
From basic flowing maxi dresses to more formal maternity gowns, Nordstrom has you covered. The best part is they offer free shipping + returns so feel free to order a couple or a few different sizes so you can figure out what works best for you from the comfort of your bedroom.
9. Zulily (BUDGET FRIENDLY)
Have you ever shopped on the deal site Zulily before? You’ll have to create an account to browse but its worth it. Their maternity selection is always changing but you can almost always count on them running at least one maternity deal at any given moment. Score name brand maternity clothes at deep discounts (and browse their cute baby section while you’re at it).
They usually have a few maternity dress options and I’ve seen a handful of gorgeous neutral maternity photoshoot dresses for under $20. Right now I’m seeing 30+ dress options and think this one in toffee would make for gorgeous, classic, maternity photos.
Shop Zulily’s Maternity Dresses here
10. Sexy Mama Maternity
This site has a huge selection of maternity dresses with stretchy material that are ideal for showing off your beautiful bump in pictures. A lot of them are incredibly long and are only going to work for pictures (and not for regular wear). Don’t miss their whole section of photoshoot favorites. They also have a cute maternity section to check out if you’re already placing an order.
A few other tips for your maternity pictures:
- If you’re hiring a maternity photographer, check to see if they have a client closet with options for your maternity shoot. Some photographers have a few dresses in various sizes that they’ll let you borrow (and that they know photograph really beautifully).
- If you can order a few different options and different styles and try them on before the photoshoot, that is preferably. This is a great way to figure out what you really like. The dresses that look beautiful on and that you feel great in might surprise you.
- You can also shop non-maternity brands for bump friendly dresses. Check out Free People and Baltic Born for a few options.
Gorgeous Options for your Maternity Photoshoot Dress:
I’ve rounded up some of the prettiest options for your maternity photoshoot dress. The best part? These will look gorgeous in pictures and they’ll also work really well for baby showers or any other events you have coming up while pregnant!
You might also like:
- 30 places to buy cute maternity clothes in 2022
- The BEST Pair of Maternity Boyfriend jeans
- Favorite maternity purchases of the second trimester
- Best pregnancy splurges according to 100 moms
Okay, tell me, what did you wear for your maternity pictures?
Is there somewhere else you’d recommend for pregnancy photoshoot dresses?
