Guest and formal group photographs

One of the hardest decisions with wedding planning that I am often asked to advise is how many Guest and formal group photographs should we have. And there is no straight forward answer.

My suggested group list if you are lucky enough to have these people at your wedding is Parents first, then add siblings, Grandparents (as I say if you are lucky enough to have them there) and lastly bridesmaids and groomsmen. Of course the above gets more complex when parents have new partners and perhaps step siblings. Which is why every group list is unique. With a list like the above you would have more traditional portraits with your family, but then should have enough time to do something a bit different with your bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Then what about extended family or friends that aren’t in the wedding party, well this is up to you. You need to decide what is more important to YOU (not me) spending time during your reception with everyone or having a photo with certain groups. If you have two photographers you will still get candids whilst I am capturing these, but if I am photographing the wedding solo, you may also miss the candid and couple portrait time.

I will happily ask couples and groups for photos without you whilst you enjoy the drink reception if you aren’t going for extended groups.

And how long do guest and formal group photographs all take? I say allow 5 mins per photo, at a minimum it will take 3 minutes. Not to take the photo itself but to get everyone in place, after they’ve naturally said hello. With extended groups someone is likely to have disappeared off to the bathroom. As they often say it is like herding cats, but I love it.

Then of course there is the everyone photo. Some venues this works really well others where I don’t have a window to shoot out of or ladder to climb its less effective. BUT often it can take around 15 mins for it to be created, but its a great idea if you don’t want to do lots of individual groups

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