Family is everything and this article is all about the best ways to capture that connection with simplicity and joy. You may be thinking “Well, every wedding I have been to is chaos when you get all the cousins together”… we get it and these recommendations should help.
Wedding day stress is real and we can avoid it by having a practical and detailed schedule to ensure you can cherish your family on your wedding day and have an amazing experience with your friends and bridal party.
Here are a few tips to consider as you think about family portraits to have the images captured that you want and enjoy the flow of the day.
Enjoy the Moment
Above all else, savor the beautiful time you have with your family. Weddings go by so fast and even if your cousins are crazy and loud, just have fun! We will be here to guide you during the day, keep you on track, and have fun with you too!
Group Lists
We always take family group photos with a list. This will help us be efficient when we invite everyone into the group to be photographed and ensure that we don’t miss anyone.
- Multiple lists – To keep everyone organized, we advise making one list for the bride’s family and one for the groom’s family. Within each of those lists create smaller groups.
- First and last names – For your list, use the first and last initials of everyone you want to be included in your photo groups. We all have different family types and unique situations. We want to ensure everyone feels honored and respected so we never assume relationship, so we tend to use first and last names and Mr. & Mrs. to honor everyone in the process.
- Tell your family in advance – If possible, tell your relatives that you want to be included in your portraits to stay at the ceremony location after the service and not go to the cocktail hour so we can have everyone present. This will help save time.
- Awkard people and family drama – Everyone’s family is unique so I am very sensitive to fractured relationships, demanding relatives, and good old drama. Sharing this with me before privately helps me know how to interact with people and respect everyone involved.
Family Size
Once you know who you want to have in your photos then we can figure out how much time you need to allocate to have all of the photographs taken.
- Small – Medium: Schedule about 20 minutes to have 5 “groups” per side.
You can add as many groups as you want, but it will take longer so schedule accordingly.
POST-CEREMONY PHOTOS
BRIDE
1. Bride with brides parents (Eric & Leslie)
2. B&G with bride’s parents
3. B&G with bride’s brother (Brandon)
4. B&G with bride’s grandparents (Joe & Marilyn)
5. B&G with parents and brother
GROOM
1. Groom with the groom’s parents (Steve and Mary Jean)
2. Groom with groom’s brothers (Steve, Gabe, Rafe, Josh)
3. B&G with groom’s parents (Steve & Mary Jean)
4. B&G with groom’s grandparents (George & Jean)
5. B&G with groom’s brothers (Steve, Gabe, Rafe, Josh) - Large: There are two main directions we would recommend. Schedule 30-35 minutes for photos OR do some pre-ceremony and some post-ceremony. Here is a sample list from a couple that chose to have photos taken before and after their ceremony.
PRE-CEREMONY PHOTOS
BRIDE
1. Bride with the bride’s Mom (Stephanie)
2. Bride with bride’s Dad (Scott)
3. B with bride’s parents (Scott and Stephanie)
GROOM
1. Groom with groom’s Mom (LaTonya)
2. Groom with groom’s Dad (Jerome)
3. Groom with groom’s parents (Jerome and LaTonya)
POST-CEREMONY PHOTOS
BRIDE
1. Bride with brides parents (Eric & Leslie)
2. B&G with bride’s parents
3. B&G with bride’s brother (Brandon)
4. B&G with bride’s grandparents (Joe & Marilyn)
5. B&G with parents and brother
GROOM
1. Groom with the groom’s parents (Steve and Mary Jean)
2. Groom with groom’s brothers (Steve, Gabe, Rafe, Josh)
3. B&G with groom’s parents (Steve & Mary Jean)
4. B&G with groom’s grandparents (George & Jean)
5. B&G with groom’s brothers (Steve, Gabe, Rafe, Josh)
One Month Before The Wedding
We will have a video consultation where we review your day-of schedule and your family formal list. It’s most helpful that couples do their best to create these documents, but we love to help talk through scenarios and help guide you in creating your wedding day flow to experience more joy and less stress.
