Nothing strikes dread in the hearts of couples quite like the thought of doing family photos on their wedding day.
Standing still in uncomfortable shoes, fake smile pasted on your faces, thirsty and hungry as heck, and ready to get this party started, amiright??
We absolutely get it.
We know that we are the ones standing between you and the open bar.
So, we have developed a method to make the family wedding photo process as least painful as possible.
Dare we say even a little fun?
(We do. We dare say it. We’re effing delightful and damn good at this.)
Here's The Key:
You HAVE to get everyone on board before the wedding day.
Tell your parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces, and nephews that they should plan to stay after the ceremony.
If you’re doing any photos with extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents), you must let them know beforehand that they need to stay put after the ceremony.
Call them to tell them this. And remind them at the rehearsal dinner. Heck, if you’ve got family members who are notoriously MIA, put someone else in charge of corralling them.
Basically anyone who is involved in family portraits needs to be told directly they are needed for family photos right after the ceremony.
They. Should. Not. Go. Anywhere.
Here's The Key:
You HAVE to get everyone on board before the wedding day.
Tell your parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces, and nephews that they should plan to stay after the ceremony.
If you’re doing any photos with extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents), you must let them know beforehand that they need to stay put after the ceremony.
Call them to tell them this. And remind them at the rehearsal dinner. Heck, if you’ve got family members who are notoriously MIA, put someone else in charge of corralling them.
Basically anyone who is involved in family portraits needs to be told directly they are needed for family photos right after the ceremony.
They. Should. Not. Go. Anywhere.
Let Mom Have Some Say
The magic word here is “SOME.”
Create your list, then run it past all parents.
Remind them that, while it is important to get family photos at your wedding, you don’t want to spend an hour doing so.
Make sure that your moms are cool with the combos and are not going to surprise us with last-minute additions on the wedding day.
This will only slow us down and frustrate everyone. And if someone has already been excused, we either have to track them down, try to remember to get the group at your reception, or shoot the photo without them.
A good rule of thumb when creating your list (and having moms edit it) is to ask if someone is going to specifically print this photo and hang it on their wall.
No? Then why are we taking this photo?
Our Typical Family Photo List
These are the photo groupings that we suggest (and we typically do them in this order):
- Couple w/ each set of Partner 1’s grandparents
- Couple w/ each set of Partner 2’s grandparents
- Couple w/ P1 parents & siblings & families
- Couple w/ P1 parents
- P1 w/ parents
- P1 w/ mom; P1 w/ dad
- P1 w/ siblings
- Couple w/ P2 parents & siblings & families
- Couple w/ P2 parents
- P2 w/ parents
- P2 w/ mom; P2 w/ dad
- P2 w/ siblings
Obviously, if someone has step parents, this adds a small level of difficulty and a few more combos, but we can usually photograph the basics above in 15 to 20 minutes.
Our Typical Family Photo List
These are the photo groupings that we suggest (and we typically do them in this order):
- Couple w/ each set of Partner 1’s grandparents
- Couple w/ each set of Partner 2’s grandparents
- Couple w/ P1 parents & siblings & families
- Couple w/ P1 parents
- P1 w/ parents
- P1 w/ mom; P1 w/ dad
- P1 w/ siblings
- Couple w/ P2 parents & siblings & families
- Couple w/ P2 parents
- P2 w/ parents
- P2 w/ mom; P2 w/ dad
- P2 w/ siblings
Obviously, if someone has step parents, this adds a small level of difficulty and a few more combos, but we can usually photograph the basics above in 15 to 20 minutes.
Aunts and Uncles and Cousins, Oh My!
If you would like to do extended family photos, we’ll take care of both sides at the beginning of family photo time, directly after the ceremony.
We want to get as many people finished and out of there as quickly as possible because more people = more chaos.
Here’s what we would suggest for extended family photos:
- Couple w/ P1’s mom’s extended family
- Couple w/ P1’s dad’s extended family
- Couple w/ P2’s mom’s extended family
- Couple w/ P2’s dad’s extended family
These are YOUR photos!
If you’ve gotten this far, you can probably tell that we are big fans of doing family photos as quickly and efficiently as possible.
That all said, if you want formal photos of special people in your life, groups of friends, or you and each individual cousin, we are there to make it happen!
Just keep in mind that each group is going to take time to move in and out of the photo area, get situated, and posed flatteringly.
Each additional small group you want to do adds two to three minutes to your formal family photo time.
Each large group (over eight people) will add three to five minutes to your time.
These are ultimately your and your family’s treasured photos, and we want everyone involved to feel good about the shots we get.
These are YOUR photos!
If you’ve gotten this far, you can probably tell that we are big fans of doing family photos as quickly and efficiently as possible.
That all said, if you want formal photos of special people in your life, groups of friends, or you and each individual cousin, we are there to make it happen!
Just keep in mind that each group is going to take time to move in and out of the photo area, get situated, and posed flatteringly.
Each additional small group you want to do adds two to three minutes to your formal family photo time.
Each large group (over eight people) will add three to five minutes to your time.
These are ultimately your and your family’s treasured photos, and we want everyone involved to feel good about the shots we get.
Want A Big, Giant Group Photo?
We have one last tip that is super fun to create on your wedding day.
What about a photo with EVERYONE at your wedding?
We can accomplish this by using a balcony or deck, or by having your DJ get everyone on the dance floor for a big, giant group shot.
Always fun, always a favorite.
We value family portraits and think they are a very important part of your wedding day. It’s up to you to determine how much of your day to spend on them.
As always, please let us know if we can help put together your family photo list. We are always happy to help!
