Eventually I decided something had to change. It is the same shift I make when I plan our holiday ornament exchange months ahead rather than days: decide early, and December stops running the show. Holiday family photos in the spring.
Now I schedule our holiday family photos in the spring ā and it has completely transformed the experience. This year we took our family photos at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, and it was absolutely ideal. The grounds, the architecture, the light ā everything about it felt intentional and beautiful in a way that a last-minute holiday session simply never could. What once felt like one more obligation now feels like one of my favorite things we do as a family all year.
If you’re searching for holiday photo tips, trying to plan family photos for Christmas cards, or simply looking to remove something from your holiday to-do list, this one shift is worth considering. The same intention I bring to a Supper Club table ā choosing the right setting, thinking through every detail, showing up prepared ā is exactly what spring photo planning makes possible.
Why Spring Is the Best Time for Holiday Family Photos
The idea sounds counterintuitive at first. But once you try it, the logic becomes clear.
Booking holiday family photos in the spring lets you sidestep the rush, book the photographer you actually want, and have your Christmas card photos finished months before December arrives. In cities like Atlanta, where summers turn warm quickly, spring also offers the mild temperatures and beautiful natural light that make outdoor sessions genuinely comfortable for the whole family.
Here are ten reasons this simple scheduling change makes a significant difference.
1. You Eliminate One Major Task From the Holiday Season
November and December are already among the busiest months of the year. School events, holiday parties, travel logistics, and hosting responsibilities fill the calendar before you know it. Somewhere in there you are also meant to be setting a holiday tablescape and pouring drinks at a Christmas morning mimosa bar.
When your holiday family photos are done by May, the season arrives with one meaningful tradition already complete ā and that breathing room matters more than you’d expect. One less thing on the list feels small until you actually experience it.
2. You Book the Photographer You Actually Want
The best photographers fill their fall calendars quickly. Families who wait until October or November often end up choosing whoever has availability rather than whoever is the right fit.
Booking holiday family photos in the spring means more flexibility, more options, and the freedom to choose a photographer whose style you genuinely love. That choice alone can make a significant difference in the final images. Ready to start planning? Spring sessions book quickly ā and the right photographer is worth finding early.
3. Your Photographer Can Focus Entirely on Your Session
During peak holiday season, photographers often shoot multiple sessions per day. The pace is fast, and there’s limited room for creativity or spontaneity.
Spring sessions move differently. Your photographer has the time to slow down, explore the setting, and capture moments that feel authentic rather than hurried. The resulting images often have a warmth and ease that rushed sessions simply can’t replicate. Not sure what to look for when choosing a photographer? We cover exactly that in our complete guide to choosing the right holiday family photographer.
4. The Weather Works in Your Favor
For anyone living in the South, this one speaks for itself. Spring offers mild temperatures, blooming landscapes, and beautiful natural light ā ideal conditions for outdoor family photos.
No one is sweating through their outfit or squinting in harsh afternoon sun. Everyone stays comfortable throughout the session, and that ease comes through in every frame. It’s one of those practical details that makes a noticeable difference in how the photos actually feel.
5. You Receive Your Gallery Faster
Photographers editing sessions in November are managing a high volume of clients simultaneously. Turnaround times stretch, sometimes significantly.
Book holiday family photos in the spring and your gallery typically arrives much sooner. You have ample time to sit with the images, revisit your favorites, and make thoughtful selections without any looming deadline adding pressure to the process.
Shop Erica’s Picks
The Holiday Cards I’m Sending This Year
I’ll be ordering ours from Minted this year. These are the eight designs I keep coming back to — several foil-pressed, a few photo mounts that frame your picture like a small piece of art, and two that hold more than one photograph. Minted runs holiday card promotions throughout the season, so it’s worth checking the banner at the top of their site before you order.
Elegance Framed Foil-Pressed Card
Black and gold foil with a painted holly border, and room for two photographs rather than one. In essence, the most formal card in the set.
Sending Christmas photo cards is one of my favorite traditions ā but when photos arrive in late November, card design inevitably gets rushed.
Taking photos in spring gives you the time to choose your favorite images carefully, explore different layouts, and select stationery that genuinely reflects your style. This year I’ll be using Minted for our cards. What drew me to them is that every design comes from an independent artist rather than a template library — the layouts feel current without being trendy, the paper options are genuinely beautiful, and the ordering process is seamless. These are the kind of cards people actually keep displayed long after the season ends. If you haven’t explored their holiday collection, it’s worth a look the moment your gallery arrives.
7. Your Cards Arrive Before the Holiday Rush
December mailboxes overflow. Cards sent in early November arrive when people actually have time to appreciate them ā before the seasonal noise takes over.
Mailing on November 1st has quietly become one of our family’s most beloved small traditions. There’s something genuinely satisfying about knowing your cards are already in the hands of the people you love while most families are still scrambling to schedule their photo sessions.
And here’s something most people don’t think about until it’s too late ā if something goes wrong, you have time to fix it. If the cards arrive with a printing issue, if an image doesn’t look the way you hoped, or if you simply want a reshoot, booking in the spring means you still have months to spare. No panic, no scrambling, no settling. Just the time and flexibility to get it exactly right.
8. You Can Choose a Location That Feels Personal
One of the most meaningful decisions you’ll make for your holiday photos isn’t the outfits or even the photographer ā it’s the location.
When sessions are booked at the last minute during the holiday season, location becomes an afterthought. You end up at whatever is available ā a Christmas tree farm, a seasonal studio backdrop, a park everyone else is using too. The setting has nothing to do with who you are as a family.
Booking in the spring changes that entirely. You have time to think about what actually speaks to you. A place that holds meaning. A setting that reflects your family’s personality, your aesthetic, your story. That intention comes through in every single image.
For us, that place was the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The architecture, the grounds, the sense of history ā it felt like us. The photos don’t look like holiday portraits. They look like a family that chose to show up somewhere beautiful and meaningful, and simply enjoyed being there together.
Coordinating family outfits at the last minute is one of the most underrated stressors of the entire holiday season. It’s the kind of detail that seems minor until you’re texting your mother-in-law three days before the session trying to agree on a color palette.
Scheduling months ahead gives you the time to plan looks that feel cohesive and polished. A few general guidelines that always work well: lean toward neutral tones and earth tones, avoid busy prints or overly matched looks, and choose fabrics that photograph well and feel comfortable to move in. The goal is coordinated, not costume. When I put my own look together I start the same way I did with my favorite dress for a lovely ladies lunch — one piece I genuinely love, then build everyone else around it.
10. The Entire Experience Becomes Something You Look Forward To
When sessions are squeezed into an already packed December calendar, everyone arrives a little distracted and a little rushed. The mental energy is split between the session and the next commitment on the list. The photos often reflect that undercurrent of stress, even when everyone is smiling.
Holiday family photos in the spring feel entirely different. There’s time to arrive, settle in, explore the location, and simply enjoy being together. Children are more relaxed. Adults are more present. And that ease shows up in the images in a way that simply cannot be staged or edited in after the fact. The best family photos don’t come from perfect lighting or a perfect location ā they come from people who are genuinely at ease with one another, and spring sessions create exactly that environment.
A Simple Timeline for Holiday Family Photos in the Spring
March ā May ā Schedule and complete your session
September ā Review your gallery and select your favorites
October — Design and order your holiday cards with Minted
November 1 ā Mail before the seasonal rush begins
Spread across several months, each step stays completely manageable. Nothing feels last-minute because nothing is last-minute. The entire process becomes something to look forward to rather than something to survive.
KEEP HOSTING
More ways to make the season feel like yours ā the table, the menu, and the morning toast.
ENTERTAINING
How to Host a Holiday Dinner Party
The menu, the timeline and the table for a December dinner that still feels relaxed.
The Simplest Holiday Upgrade You’ll Make This Year
The holidays will always be full. That’s part of what makes them worth celebrating.
But taking holiday family photos in the spring means arriving at the season with one beautiful tradition already behind you ā and spending December doing what actually matters most. The gatherings. The meals. The moments that don’t need to be scheduled. That is the whole reason behind the dining rules I live by and behind every Eating With Erica table I set.
It’s a small shift in timing. The difference it makes is anything but small.
Ready to host with confidence, elevate your gatherings and create unforgettable moments around the table? This beautifully curated guide was made for you. Get your copy now!
