5 Tips for Stress Free Family Wedding Portraits | The Dalles Wedding Photography
The Dalles Wedding Photography
Family Portrait Tips
The Dalles wedding photography tips, when talking with Brides and Grooms about the pictures that they want to have taken at their wedding, the most stressful section tends to be what to do with family wedding portraits. It can be hard and stressful to gather up everyone’s families to make sure they are all around at the correct time. The other stress factor is deciding on whom they want in the pictures. Do you include your extended family? Do you just do your immediate family members? As a Bride or groom, you don’t need to stress about these decisions. Leave it to your photographer or wedding planner. Use these 5 tips below to help.
Count
Get a head count of what family members will be able to attend. This way you can decide if you should include your extended family. Are all of your aunts and uncles coming, your cousins, your grandparents? If only one or two members of your extended family can make your wedding, it would be best to not include them. This makes it easier to not leave someone out. Just tell your family that you decided to keep it simple by only doing immediate family portraits.
Communication
As your family contacts you in the days leading up to your wedding or at the rehearsal dinner, let them know when the family portrait session will be taking place. This should be on a schedule that you or your wedding planner created. If you need help with a schedule, your photographer can give you some guidelines.
Decide
Choose which side of the family to photograph first. You may also want a picture of both the Bride’s side and the Groom’s side. Decide whether you want the Bride’s side to stay next to the couple or for them to take a moment and sit down while your wedding photographer is taking pictures of the Groom’s side. One way to choose which side should go first is by looking at what family members might get fatigue quicker than others. For example: Grandparents or someone that has a hard time standing would be best to have take the pictures first. This way they can go relax while you finish up with the photographer. BONUS TIP: If you are having an outdoor wedding on a hot day, arrange to have some cool beverages nearby for those waiting to take their pictures!
Start Big, Go Small
It is the wedding day and the family wedding portrait session has arrived. Start with the side (Bride’s) that you picked first. Make sure you tell your photographer which side of the family you picked to go first and the family names. That way they can control the family wedding portrait session and leave you stress free! Include all of the family members in the first picture. Then thin down the group until you are left with immediate family and then lastly the Bride’s parents. Add in the parents of the Groom and then the Bride’s parents and her entire side of the family are done!
Switch Sides
Get the entire Groom’s side in the photo and slowly thin down the family until you are left with just the parents again. Before you know it, the family wedding portrait session is done. Now go dance!
