If you have been doing your research for a photographer, you will probably notice that few photographers showcase family photos, or “grandma photos” in their portfolios. The reason for this is simple: these kinds of photos only mean something to the families and groups involved. A photograph of assorted family members standing on a beach can’t compare to the flash and bling of a killer ring shot, or of a high-fashion pose of the bride and groom at twilight. And yet, when all is said and done, the photos that you will probably cherish most will be the ones of you and your family, with no fancy posing, just standing together in a group and smiling on your big day.
While working out timelines with a couple, I’ll often hear a familiar refrain: they don’t want to spend a lot of time on group photos; they want to get on with it and get to the reception and spend some time at the cocktail hour before the formal reception kicks in. This is understandable, and it’s for this very reason that I tend not to agonize over posing groups. I generally find that as long as everybody relevant to the photo is in the photo, and everybody is smiling with their eyes open, a group photo doesn’t need to be an elaborately posed work of art. With this attitude in mind, it’s easy enough to speed through a group photo session fairly quickly, before people get tired, bored, or hungry.
That being said, it is vital to cover all the basic groupings so that nobody is left out. These people have come a long way to be with you at your wedding, and you should think about getting photos of them as historical documents, photos that will accrue more meaning over the course of time.
My standard rule of thumb for group photos is that they should be of immediate family and wedding party members only. If you want larger extended family photos, or photos of your college or high school friends, these are best done informally during the reception, generally with the DJ’s help. But for the sake of expediency, you should limit your group photos immediately after (and before) the wedding to the bridal party and immediate family (grandparents, parents and step-parents, siblings and their spouses and children, and your own children).
For purposes of simplicity and clarity, I’m using the heteronormative convention of bride/groom here; but for same-sex couples the basic principles still apply, with minor alterations.
3:30pm-4:45pm – Getting ready—separate locations
Groom with his side of wedding party
Groom with parents
Groom solo
Bride with her side of wedding party
Bride with parents
Bride with each parent individually
Bride solo
5:00pm-5:30pm – Ceremony
5:40pm-6:45pm – Couple Portraits and Group Portraits
Couple
Couple with wedding party
Couple with one side of wedding party
Couple with other side of wedding party
Couple with bride’s parents
Couple with bride’s parents and siblings
Couple with bride’s parents, siblings and grandparents
Couple with both sets of parents
Couple with groom’s parents
Couple with groom’s parents and siblings
Couple with groom’s parents, siblings, and grandparents
Couple with wedding party
Beauty shots of couple
6:30pm – Reception
