How To Plan For Family Photos At Your Wedding

Weddings have the unfortunate nature of finishing far too quickly. Those once-in-a-lifetime experiences are over just like that. Perhaps that’s part of what makes them so special, but it doesn’t stop us all from wanting to go back and repeat the whole day again.

Fortunately, that’s where wedding photographers and videographers have a great part to play in helping you remember all these moments for the rest of time. One of the most important parts is getting photographs of you and your loved ones on such a special day. However, that can sometimes take a fair bit of planning. So, if you’ve been wondering things like “when should you plan family photos during a wedding?”, read on to find out!

Family Portraits Require Forethought

One of the best ways to ensure you capture the most special memories is to think about it beforehand. Sure, you could turn up and have spontaneous photos taken on the day, but – when considering how to plan for family portraits at your wedding – a little bit of planning goes a long way as far as family portraits are concerned.

Spend some time with your other half and consider which photos you would really like to have afterwards. Don’t rush this part, take your time and come up with a small list of different groups you’d like to have photographed.

You can then pass that list on to me and we can work out a plan to make sure everyone is happy. It’s going to be hard at any point to usher lots of people into one location for family portraits. However, the best time to do so is likely going to be straight after your ceremony when everyone is up and moving.

Make Sure You Get Your VIPs In The Photos

Sometimes the wedding day can be a little hectic in places, so if you aren’t too sure what family photos you want I recommend starting with your VIPs and working outwards. If your wedding is on the larger side, there’s a chance you won’t know everyone who’s attending your day (at least not well). As such, it makes sense to start with those who mean the most, and anything else you want to be added in on the day can be accounted for. 

Get Help!

Grabbing 25 different people for a single wedding photo is going to take some doing, so get some help! If you’re looking for 15 of your cousins, that will take a lot of time by yourself so you’re far better off handing the responsibility to another person. That’s what best men, ushers and bridesmaids were made for! Many hands make light work in this situation, so use everyone to your advantage when thinking about how to plan for family portraits at your wedding.

If you want to give someone else a job for your wedding day, another good idea is to designate a ‘Photo Wrangler’ whose role is to get those specific people together. I’ve got a great little document you can download to help simplify things – take a look at it at the bottom of the article! That way they can handle your wedding family portrait checklist while you relax.

Understand The Goal For The Photograph

Perhaps the most important tip for planning family photos at your wedding is to realise who is going to be printing and enjoying the photograph. While most of the photos will be enjoyed by you, there may be a couple you have in mind for other people.

For instance, a photo of you and all your siblings together may be extremely well received by your parents, but a photo of you and people you’ve barely met before might not ever be printed out. As such, a great way to prioritise and simplify the planning phase of family portraits at a wedding is to consider where the photo will be going in the end.

Don’t Overdo It

Finally, it’s important to remember that if you can never imagine pictures of certain people together, then it’s probably not worth the effort of making it happen. Instead, spend time with your family, friends and loved ones, living in the moment and enjoying your day. It only happens once, so you’ll want to make the most of it!

As an experienced Mornington Peninsula wedding photographer, I know the importance of creating stress-free family portraits. That’s why I’ve created a FREE family photo template that can help you plan your wedding photography timeline and get the photos you want. Simply download and fill out the sheet, hand it over to me (and your photo wrangler!) and rejoice in the amount of stress you’ve just prevented.

If you have any questions at all about how to plan for family portraits at your wedding or want to discuss anything regarding your wedding day family photos, get in contact and let’s plan your dream wedding!