Good morning and happy Wedding Wednesday, friends!

One of the most expected activities during weddings are the family photos. Now, some people might have just groaned a little bit (were you one of them??), but before you get all groan-y on us, let us tell you how to have better family photos at your wedding!

1.) Make a list of the family groupings you definitely want to have formal photos of – and use NAMES! It’s so much more efficient for us to call people by their names, rather than “okay, I need the bride’s mom and the groom’s mom!” … people respond much faster (and more kindly) to being called by their names.

2.) Keep that list short-ish and sweet. Right after the wedding during the family photos is not the time to take individual photos with each guest (we can totally do that during the reception!), but it IS the best time to get photos with your grandma, and both sets of parents, and your siblings. Our RAD couples usually keep their lists less than 10 combinations, and that seems to work great (plan on 2-3 minutes per grouping).

3.) Schedule enough time for it in your timeline. Nothing makes us more stressed out than having 10 minutes to do 10 family combos – people are laughing, people usually have drinks, they’re hot and they’re hungry … 10 minutes is not enough time. We ask for 30 minutes dedicated to family photos.

Bonus tip? Ask your parents if there are any photos they’d really love to have. It may be the only time the entire family is together this year, and they might like some photos together with their family. Even if we don’t do it during family formals, we can totally bring that list and take care of those shots during the reception! And you never know – mom might think of a shot you didn’t!

Do you have a question about wedding planning?
Shoot us an email at randyandashleystudios@gmail.com and you might just see your question featured on the blog!