Although the brides/grooms that pick Urban Bridesmaid Photography as their wedding photographer for their big day, are after wedding photographs that capture bride and groom and guests looking natural and at ease, they do (sometimes) opt for a short formal family session after the wedding ceremony to capture the more traditional formal shots. Outside of this time, photographs are captured as the day unfolds.
How much time should be allowed for formal photos?
Formal wedding photographs (group shoots) does not have to take hours – every guests’ nightmare! Formal shots can be taken in as little as 30 minutes, depending on the size of the wedding party and the number of family and friends the bride and groom wish to include. However, it is good to note that formals usually end up being closer to an hour to complete. Here are some tips to help this time go with a swing.
- To save time, think about having your formals at your ceremony venue rather than your reception venue if different – you tend to lose guests between venues.
- To speed up the process of formal photographs, make a list of all groups needed. Make a list of essential groups and also note groups that can be missed off if time runs out. Consider only having people in one group shoot set up rather than in varying different group shot combinations. As a guide, each grouping takes about 3-5 minutes to set up (getting family into position) and execute (not counting the photographer taking two or three of the same grouping in case of any of the group blinks).
- Delegate responsibility to a relative to round up the troops and ensure the required relatives are available, especially if your wedding ceremony site and wedding reception site are separate, as you may lose relatives along the way due to transport. Give a copy of the list to a member of the family or an usher and get them to call the people needed for each photo.
- Discourage your guests from taking photos during this time, as you and the people in the group will get distracted by multiple cameras and it will take longer to finish your formals.
- Work from the largest group first until only the bride and groom are left, and then allow the guests to return to the reception if possible. This will allow them time to settle down at the reception, and have something to nibble and drink whilst they await your return. Since most guests have not eaten since breakfast, this will be greatly appreciated.
- Finally on the wedding day itself, the best made plans usually can go awry – timelines do slip regularly for whatever reason. So always plan for more time than you think you need.
- If you don’t want formals – don’t have them! But make sure you let your family/guests know this is your preference, so that your family doesn’t think the photographer is public enemy number 1! And hire a photographer who is a skilled photo journalist to capture all the moments!
- Try to set aside time to have portraits with the bride and groom alone only because this is the time that gets squeezed the most.
A sample formal shot list
- Bride and groom with bride’s immediate family (parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers, other special family members)
- Bride and groom with bride’s parents
- Bride and groom with groom’s immediate family (parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers, other special family members)
- Bride and groom with groom’s parents
- Bride and groom with entire wedding party (bridesmaids, groomsmen etc.)
- Bride with bridesmaids and/or chief bridesmaid/flower girl
- Groom with best man and/or groomsmen
Then it’s the bride and groom alone shots!
