Derek and I got all dressed up last night and went out to a fancy Christmas open house.  We were leaving Ethan with Jen so it was going to be just a night out for mom and dad.  My mom had given Ethan the cutest little suit and we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take an "all-dressed-up" family photo.  But how was I going to get Ethan into a suit and tie without pulling my hair out (and his too, for that matter)?

There were three keys to success. 

• Look what Dad is wearing.  Derek got all dressed first and was sure to pick out a tie that almost matched the one I was going to put on Ethan.  He asked Ethan to help him get dressed by asking him to get his shoes for him.  Then we laid out all of Ethan's clothes on the bed and pointed out how much they looked like the clothes Dad was wearing.  By the time we were finished the sales pitch, Ethan was trying to put the clothes on himself.  He was so excited and couldn't wait to put on his suit coat.
• Wait until the last possible minute.  Any dad will tell you that wearing a tie is no fun so I'm guessing a toddler wasn't going to like it either.  I had the cameras ready to go, Mom and Dad were dressed and ready and we threw those clothes on Ethan as fast as we could.  As soon as they were on him, I was taking pictures as fast as I could.
• Be happy with the pictures you can get.  Ethan didn't want his picture taken and was in a not-so-happy mood.  Rather than fight for the "we're-so-happy" family picture, Derek turned Ethan upside down and made him laugh.  Those were the pictures I got and they are hilarious.  Not exactly what I had in mind, but they are adorable. 
  

These are just a few ideas to help you get over the hurdle of the backlash you might get when you want your kids to get all dressed up.  Hope it helps.