Today, I wanted to talk to you about when to take wedding portraits of your family and wedding party.

This has come up a few times and I wanted to share with you the easiest and most efficient way we do this.

I prefer to take most of your group portraits immediately after your wedding. After you walk down the aisle hand in hand, we ask that all of the family and wedding party stay behind.

From here, we like to whittle the group down. We start with the entire group, then move to the entire family on one side then the other. I will always work with your elderly family members first to make sure they are not out in the heat or uncomfortable for too long. As we photograph your family, we release them to the reception or cocktail hour. We continue to do this until it’s just you and your spouse.

There are a few reasons as to why we prefer to take pictures in this order. One is because once the ceremony is over, it’s like a weight has been lifted from everyone’s shoulder. People feel more free and relaxed because the “hard part” is over. The sooner we take photos, the more likely everyone will be sober, present, and or still put together, and less likely we will have to hunt a family member down for the photo.

Sometimes, if we have the time before the wedding, we try to get a couple shots of the brides with their bridesmaids and the grooms with their groomsmen. This doesn’t always happen, and sometimes it’s just easier to do this after the stress of the ceremony.

Of course, you don’t have to follow this guideline. I will always do what works best for my couples.