To my wedding couples who don't want anyone left out,

FROM, RAYNA

When it comes to the family portrait section of your wedding day, there are many ways to ensure an easy breezy process. In my expereicne, family photographs last anywhere from 15-45 minutes depending on the size of the family. Each photo combination will normally take up a two-five minute length. My personal preference is to schedule this portion of your day immediately following the ceremony- this way everyone is already in the same place and you don't have to spend extra time wrangling everyone in.


Before your big day, make sure to personalize a family photograph checklist for your photographer complete with who you want in the picture, their relation to you, and their names. You want this to be as detailed as possible.

For example:

  • Bride with mom (Jane Doe) and dad (John Doe)
  • Bride with sisters (Sally Doe, Suzy Doe, and Sadie Doe)
  • Bride and grrom with both sets of parents (Jane & John Doe, Jill & Jack Doe)

Having a list your photographer can work down streamlines the process and is so time efficient. You can even consider going a step farther to assign a wedding guest familiar with your family the job of going down the list for your photographer. Your photographer likely won't know what your aunt and uncle look like to direct them into a group photo, however, another one of your wedding guest might fit perfect for that task.


Pro Tip: Let each of your family members you plan to have in your photographs know where to be and when before your wedding day. Don't assume they'll know you want them in any photos, or that they should stick around after the ceremony!


Each couple, wedding, and family photograph list is unique. However, here's a great starting point I use for my couples when going over their timeline with them:


Client #1

Couple with parents

Couple with immediate family

Couple with siblings

Client #1 with mother

Client #1 with father

Client #1 with siblings

Couple with immediate family + grandparents  

Couple with grandparents

Couple with all present families

Repeat for Client #2’s family.

 

Couple with all parents

Couple with all immediate families