A lot goes into planning your special day, and as you get closer to the date the countdown is on to finalize all the last-minute details. While working with your photographer to prepare, it’s important to note in advance everything and everyone that you would like photographed. We typically send our wedding clients a questionnaire a few weeks before their big day to capture all this info, and make it easier and organized for both them and us! Formal family portraits can be chaotic depending on how large your family is, but it is certainly possible to get beautiful family photos without sacrificing too much time. We’ve compiled our top tips to help do just that. All it takes is some planning and organization and you can get through family portraits in a breeze!

Make a list together of everyone you’d like to get formal portraits with, to both get you organized and make sure you don’t miss anyone. Of course you’ll want to include your parents, siblings and grandparents- but perhaps you’ll want to include any cousins, aunts or uncles if you are close with them as well. If there is anyone else very special to you, make sure to include them on the list!

Select either a friend or family member who knows both sides of your family well enough to be able to round them up. Assign them to get everyone lined them up so the next set of people to be photographed are ready to go. They’ll organize the groups and this will save so much time, as well as keeping a smooth process for everyone. This also helps your photographer tremendously, so that they can focus on the two of you and capturing the portraits efficiently, with no moment missed.

Decide whether you would like the family portraits to be at the ceremony location or reception venue. You’ll want a backdrop with good lighting and enough space to accommodate the groups getting photographed with you. Also consider that you’ll want it to be somewhere that is minimizing travel time for your guests to keep it simple for everyone.

To avoid any delays or confusion, let your family members know in advance when and where you will be photographing family portraits. Of course your photographer will be capturing candids and every special moment throughout the day, but giving them a heads up for these photos specifically can help ensure they show up promptly.

When creating your shot list and planning out the timeline for these photos, we recommend starting your family portraits with larger groups and working your way down to smaller ones. Doing so allows keeping a smooth flow, as these individuals cam then easily transition in and out of the shots.

We hope these tips are helpful to you when it comes to planning your wedding day! If you are looking for wedding photography please reach out to us we are more than happy to share more details and host you at our studio located in Greenwich, CT. We’d love to be considered to capture this special day for you!