How to Organize Wedding Family Photos and Video
Wedding Family Photos can be the cause of most delays to your wedding day. Here are 3 tips to keep your wedding timeline on track so that you can avoid the stress that a delay in your wedding timeline can cause. Your Photo and Video sessions will be a breeze if you follow these simple tips.
3 Tips to make your OC Wedding Family Photos go smoothly
Firstly, choose a proper time to shoot your wedding family photos. The best time to shoot these is immediately after the ceremony. After the bride and groom kiss and walk back up the aisle.. One suggestion is for the officiant to announce that all immediate family shall remain for family photos ( Or those who have been asked). This is the ideal time to shoot the session because everyone is in the same place at that moment. Your wedding photographer can immediately shoot the bride and groom side of the family before everyone starts to wander off into different directions.
Older family members will want to rest, freshen up or use the restroom and once everyone scatters it will be difficult to get everyone together for family photos. That is why I always start with the family, followed by bridal party and finally bride and groom romantics. By starting with the family first you can avoid delays from sending out the search party for aunt Linda!
Second tip, form a list of the important photos you want from your family session. Your photographer may have a recommended shot list but you should know what photos you want depending on your family. You could do bride and groom with the bride’s parents, Then bride’s additional family. Followed by bride and groom with the groom’s parents, followed by the grooms larger family. Try to do all combinations on the bride’s side, adding cousins, uncles and aunts, and grandparents. Throw in additional spouses and partners as needed. After completing one full side ( Bride or groom side first) Then that side of the family can go to cocktail hour as you transition to the other side of the family.
If there are step parents involved we simply add these photos to the list. Each wedding is unique and a list should be made before the wedding day to avoid confusion.
Mackenzie and Aaron Wedding Family Photo. Venue: Rancho Las Lomas in Silverado Canyon, CA
Wedding Family Photos Shot List:
- Bride and Groom with Groom’s parents
- Bride and Groom with Groom’s entire family
- Bride and Groom with Groom’s extended family
- Bride and Groom with Groom’s grandparents
- Bride and Groom with Groom’s siblings
- Bride and Groom with Bride’s parents
- Bride and Groom with Bride’s entire family
- Bride and Groom with Bride’s extended family
- Bride and Groom with Bride’s grandparents
- Bride and Groom with Bride’s siblings
- Bride and Groom with combined group photo with both parents
- Bride and Groom with combined group photo with all siblings
- Bride and Groom with combined group photo with both immediate families
This is not a hard and fast list but rather, a guide to be modified and tailored for your own use.
Tip #3 is to assign someone to be in charge of family members and manage the shot list order. Everyone has someone in the family who will know almost everyone at the wedding. This person is the perfect person to be in charge of gathering folks that will be in the next photo. As the photographer is working on the current photo, this person should be organizing who will be in the next photo so that the next group is ready to step in. This will greatly reduce time between shots and keep your wedding on track.
Do not assume that the photographer knows who any family members are at the wedding. Often people will tell the photographer that “so-and-so” is missing, and looks to the photographer for help. But sadly we do not know what they look like. Having a family member in charge is ideal and it is good for the bride and groom to start thinking about who that may be.
After Family Photos… What’s next?
After family photos the family can move on to cocktail hour and we usually shoot the Bridal party, followed by “Romantics” with the Bride and Groom. Usually set aside 40-60 minutes for photos before your grand entrance. If you follow these 3 simple recommendations for your wedding family photos we will be off to a great start and not cause any delays to your timeline. If you would like to hire me for your wedding day I would love to set up a consultation with you. Please fill out the form on our contact us page or contact me via email here.