Family and Group Photos - Wedding Photography
Family and group photos at your wedding... phew. These photos tend to be the most staged portion of your day and they can be a bit stressful if you aren't prepared for them! This is where having an experienced & reliable photographer (and a second photographer & wedding coordinator) really makes all the difference.
First things first - have your group photo list ready!
Your group photo list is the single most important aspect to making this portion of your day go smoothly. Most photographers will ask you for your group photo list (and should provide a format with examples). Below is what I give to my own clients and should give you a good base to go off of on your own.
In general, I recommend trying to keep this list as short as possible. While it might seem important that you get individual photos with each and every one of cousins, doing that many photos on the day-of can be exhausting.
Trying to do too many family photos is also one of the easiest ways to turn your special day into a photoshoot rather than an enjoyable occasion.
I recommend keeping your list as short as possible and really honing in on the groups that are the most important to you. This generally looks like doing a big group photo of both families, then separating by side (partner A and partner B's side) and doing a big extended family photo, an immiediate family photo, then parents, and siblings.
Format of a typical family photo list:
- Partner A (A) + Partner B (B) + all family & loved ones present at this portion of the day (let's not let anyone feel left out)
- A + B + both extended families (i.e. grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc)
- A + B + both immediate families
- A + B + partner A’s extended family (i.e. grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc)
- A + B + partner A’s immediate family
- A + B + partner A’s parents
- A + B + partner A’s siblings
- A + B + partner B’s extended family (i.e. grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc)
- A + B + partner B’s immediate family
- A + B + partner B’s parents
- A + B + partner B’s siblings
If you were to start breaking down the list even further, you can see how quickly this list gets very, very long. Estimate about 2-3 minutes per photo (maybe more if your loved ones are likely to be talking/mingling and not listening for their names for the next group). The above example is 11 groups, so about 22 - 33 minutes on the timeline. While yes, we will likely be able to complete a photo faster than 3 minutes, there is a chance that one photo takes 10-15 minutes because 3 important people wandered off or went to the bathroom (yes, your VIPs of the day WILL do this) so we do need the extra cushion to make sure that we don't fall behind due to this portion of the day.
Every photographer will have their own thoughts and plans about how to best approach the day so I highly reocmmend you have a detailed discussion with me or whomever your photogrpaher is about how to best approach your group photos on the day-of.
Talk to Your Family Ahead of Time
A tip to make this go smoothly - talk to your family ahead of time. I cannot tell you how many times I have been to or photographed a wedding where someone didn't know that were involved in family photos and we have to spend 15+ minutes searching for them! Whether it's an uncle, cousin, or your sister's long-time boyfriend - please tell every single person on your shot list that they are included and where to be at a certain time (i.e. stay in the ceremony space after the ceremony or arrive one hour before the ceremony, etc). This will save you a tremendous amount of time on the day-of!
Task Someone to Help Gather Loved Ones for Photos
It may also be helpful to assign a knowledgeable loved ones the task of helping to gather people for photos - this helps speed up the process of finding anyone who is missing since your vendors are much less familiar with who your loved ones are & what they look like. This task is best given to someone who knows everyone & isn't afraid to tell someone that they aren't in the right place at the right time!
Try to Do Family Photos Before Your Ceremony
If at all possible, doing any & all family and group portraits before your ceremony is always the best route to go! I love to get all of the staged photography finished before the ceremony so that you & your new spouse can go and enjoy time with your guests.
It's also helpful to do this before all of your guests arrive because it avoids any hurt feelings from any distant family members who may not be involved in photos since they haven't been instructed to arrive early. It's fairly common for distant relatives to assume they will be in formal family photos and then it can be a little awkward when they are waiting to be called for a photo and never are.
Don't Take This Too Seriously!
Family photos are easy to get hung up on - but don't take these too seriously. It can be difficult to get large groups of excited, tipsy people to cooperate for 30-60 minutes, especially when the task isn't the most enjoyable thing in the world. The important thing is that you get a photo of your loved ones together on your special day - the other details are secondary. :)
In fact, the photos of your people having fun & being themselves often turn out to be the best. :)