Beyond the Bride & Groom - How to organize family portraits at your wedding

Group family photographs are on the top of the list for most brides and grooms at their wedding.  These are the images that will be shared by the entire family and make the passage of time in one’s family album.  When going over the timeline of the wedding day, the bride usually asks me when is the best time to accomplish this?  If you are having a fairly traditional wedding, usually the most optimum time is directly after the ceremony.  This allows for everyone to arrive (on time or not) and move through the importance of the ceremony.  Right after the ceremony is over, all of the attention will be focused on greeting the bride and groom.  This is a great time to use that energy and focus before the cocktail hour!
    I usually suggest starting with the largest group desired and moving into medium and then smaller groups until only the bride and groom are left with their parents.  This allows us to dismiss family members once they have been photographed to socialize with other guests.  This method also cuts down on confusion and extra talking and milling about.  Many bride’s will ask me if they need to compile a list of groups to photograph.  My answer is usually no, as this tends to be fairly easy to achieve if orchestrated right after the ceremony when everyone is present.  If you would like to make a list of family groups to photograph, please go ahead but it is not usually necessary to accomplish the goal of family groups photographed with the bride and groom.

    After the family groups are finished, this is a great time to work with just the bride and groom on their couples portraits.  This way the guests have gone on the the cocktail and appetizer hour, are entertained and happily out of the way!  It also gives 15-30 minutes to build anticipation for the bride and grooms entrance and announcement as a married couple.  Occasionally a bride and groom prefers to be photographed together before the ceremony due to various reasons.  The only reason, beyond tradition, I typically would suggest that after the ceremony portraits are better is because the emotional anticipation and relief of the ceremony being a success provides a more relaxed bride and groom which reflects in their pictures.
    Helping organize the wedding day time line is a complementary service available to any couple who is looking for guidance or advice on the flow of the day.  I enjoy helping people with this process, and draw not only on my own wedding experience as a bride, but also from the dozens of weddings and events that I have photographed.  Please give me a call to go over the events of your wedding day at anytime.

• Erin Bess