How to Plan Stress-Free Family Photos on Your Wedding Day
Family photo tips - from a photographer’s perspective:
Have a list of all the combinations of people you want photos with. I include a template in this blog!
Make sure your special people know where & when to meet you for photos.
Keep the list of combinations as short as possible. The less we have, the more time you have to be in the moment & celebrating with your people!!
Family photos are such an important part of your wedding day because these are the people that made you who you are and both of your families are all in one place.
This part of the day can be the most stressful since we are trying to coordinate with so many people. Some people are bound to run late or forget where they’re supposed to go.
Having clear communication with all these special people is crucial. Let them know where & when they should meet for photos, so everyone is ready to go.
Family photos BEFORE your Ceremony
Whether you’re doing a first look or not, being able to take as many family photos prior to ceremony allows you to have more time to mingle during Cocktail Hour. I know formal photos are important, but those sweet moments & hugs with your guests are pretty special too. I want to prioritize as much time for that as possible.
If you are not doing a first look and want to take family photos prior to the ceremony, we can take photos with your individual sides of the family and do the photos that include both of you during Cocktail Hour.
If you are doing a first look, we can do immediate family photos with both of you. We usually get through most, if not all, family photos prior to the ceremony. Sometimes we will do extended family photos during Cocktail Hour with aunts, uncles, and cousins to break up the list a bit.
If you are doing photos beforehand, tell your people when and where to meet you so everyone is on the same page :) Even if you aren’t sure where we will take photos, we can still have a meeting place and then walk together to the photo spot.
Example: Immediate Family (parents, grandparents, siblings) please meet by the Fountain no later than 1:55pm (Family Photos will Start at 2pm).
Family photos after your ceremony
If we are taking photos right after your ceremony, you can tell your people to stay in the ceremony space instead of heading to cocktail hour. You can also ask your officiant can make an announcement at the end of your ceremony to remind them again. They can say, “Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, please stay in the ceremony space for family photos. Everyone else can head to cocktail hour.”
The Family Shot List
To make everything more streamlined day-of, having a list of all the combinations of people you want photos with is really helpful for me. Having a list means that you’ll get all the photos you want & that we can get through photos more efficiently since I can call out names and check off the list as we go. The more specific the better :)
I will go through the list you sent me first, then we can do extra combos after if there are new suggestions day-of! (This just helps me stay on track).
Family Photos List Template:
Partner 1 & Partner 2 + 1’s Mom, Dad, Siblings, Grandparents (Start with the biggest grouping and then break it up from there!)
Partner 1 & Partner 2 + 1’s Parents, Siblings
1 & 2 + 1’s Parents
1 + both Parents
1 + Mom
1 + Dad
1 & 2 + 1’s Siblings
1+ 1’s Sibling
Family Photos List, my Example:
Eva’s Side:
Eva & Josh + Mom (Kim), Dad (Bob), Nick (brother), Marissa (sister), Jarid (brother), Ryan (brother) Grandma, & Grandpa
Eva & Josh + Mom, Dad, Nick, Marissa, Jarid, Ryan
E&J + Eva’s Mom & Dad
Eva + Mom & Dad
Eva + Mom
Eva + Dad
E&J + Grandma & Grandpa
E + Grandma & Grandpa
E + Grandma
E + Grandma + Mom
E + Grandpa
E + Grandpa + Dad
E & J + Nick (brother)
E + Nick
E + Marissa (Sister)
Both Sides:
Everyone
E&J + Both sets of parents
Eva’s side is free to go, then we will start on Josh’s side
Josh’s Side:
I’d copy and paste the template again and start plugging in everyone’s names for Josh’s side :)
Tips for Family Photos on Your Wedding Day:
Have a family shot list using the template above. Please send this to me at least 1 day before your wedding so I have time to copy it into my Notes App on my phone!
We’ll go through the list you send me first to get everything checked off, then we can do on-the-spot suggestions & ideas!
Have clear communication with your special people. Let them know where & when they should meet for photos. You might need to remind them a few times!
If we are taking photos after the ceremony, ask your officiant to make an announcement after you & your wedding party have walked back down the aisle at the end.
Try to keep the list of combinations as short as possible. Consider bigger groupings if you want to include lots of your people (or breaking it up so we can do half earlier in the day and half later). I know formal photos are so important, but I also know that quality time hugging & celebrating with your people is important too!!
When you click the link or the photo of the document, it’ll automatically copy my document for you so you can start planning your family photos!! This is something I send to all my couples as we begin planning their day :)
