Making Family Portrait time a Success
I am all about being as organized as possible, and making your wedding day run as smoothly as possible. I require a list of family portraits including family member’s names. Why you ask? First of all, family portrait time can easily be the most chaotic part of my day, and I like to have a plan. A list of family portraits helps me manage a lot of people and their expectations. I like to have an answer when (for example) the Mother of the Groom asks if there is time for a picture with her sisters that flew in for the wedding. I like to be able to say “Yes
, that group is up next” instead of, “…uh, yeah, just remind me when we are finished…”
I create an order for the portraits that flows, and minimizes potential shuffling. I think it is important to get images with kiddos over quickly, so they aren’t held captive…and are free go play. Second, I want Grandparent images taken care of early in the order, especially if we have mobility issues. The rest of the family can fill in around Great-Grandma, right?!
Here is my suggested list as a starting point…Bride and Groom with:
Brides extended family 
Brides immediate family
Brides siblings
Brides parents
Both sets of parents
Grooms parents
Grooms siblings
Grooms immediate family
Grooms extended family
I suggest between 10-15 groupings. The way I work a wedding is to let the action unfold in front of me. I do not spend a whole lot of time on posed family portraits. It is important to me to finish up Family Portrait time in about 20 minutes
, then your family can head to cocktail hour, and continue the celebration.
As I mentioned above, I ask for family member’s names. Here is why… First, it helps me understand how many people we are photographing. Does “extended family” mean 6 people or 30 people? I’ll want to schedule the appropriate amount of time, and select the appropriate location. Having specific names also helps my second photographer and I locate people if necessary. Finding Katie Smith is easier than “all the brides cousins”.
Lastly, for Family Portrait time, I find it important to know any relational issues. Family dynamics are very interesting. Divorces within the family are always tricky. I want to be informed so I don’t accidentally create an awkward situation. During my first wedding season I wasn’t asking about family dynamics…I just assumed my clients would tell me if I needed to know. At a particular wedding, I was taking family portraits and I started arranging the brides extended family. I put Grandpa and Grandma next to Mom, and Great-Auntie next to Grandma. The family got really squirmy and weird. I look at the bride, and she is 5 shades of red. One of the aunts grabbed Grandma and put her on the other side of the group. Ok, that’s cool, I thought…took the picture and moved on. The Aunt came up to me later and explained, “Grandpa just divorced Grandma, and brought his new girlfriend” OMG! I was so embarrassed. I apologized about 300 times it felt like. Had I known, I wouldn’t have assumed that all the elders were together. Very embarrassing for everyone involved.
I want your family portrait experience to be quick, painless, and ORGANIZED…and creating a comprehensive list is the first step in getting us there.