What’s the number one stressor when it comes to wedding days? Family.

At least that’s true for a lot of couples! One of the best ways to cut down on stress during your wedding day is to keep your family photos short, sweet and organized. Nothing can put a damper on your day like a chaotic family photos session. So, here are a few tips you can do to help this part of your day run smoothly!

Before we get to that, though, I want to introduce myself. I’m Madeline! I’m a wedding photographer in Dallas, Tx. I specialize in colorful, timeless wedding photos. With close to 150 weddings under my belt, I’m sharing some of the things I’ve learned to help brides reduce stress on their wedding day. This is part two of the series, if you want to check out part one, you can find it below!

Tips for a Stress Free Wedding Morning

1. Create a list beforehand

Before your wedding day, sit down with your fiance and create a list of all the family photo combinations you want. Get input from your families if you want, but don’t feel pressure to do that if they’ll do more harm than good. Creating a list beforehand allows your photographer to call people up by name and keep everything organized for you. I’ve included a sample photo list at the bottom of this blog as a guide.

2. Keep it Short

I like to tell couples that it takes about 1 minute per photo. And that’s only if everyone is where they’re supposed to be! So if you have a list with 50 photos on it, it will take 50 minutes to an hour to get through. So keep it short! You can always get group photos with people at the reception if you need to. We need this valuable cocktail hour time to get your bride & groom portraits done.

3. Take all Photos with the Bride AND Groom

A lot of times, I’ll receive photo lists from couples that include a lot of duplicate photos like “Bride with Bride’s family” then “Bride and Groom with bride’s family” and this honestly wastes time. How would you feel if your new mother-in-law posted a family photo from the wedding that didn’t include you? It would suck, right? There’s no point in taking family photos that don’t include both of you. Nobody is going to use them because the day is about BOTH of you. Your families wants to show off photos that include their new son/daughter-in-law! (There are a few exceptions that you’ll see in my list below, but that’s it!)

4. Assign Someone to Wrangle Family

Since your photographer doesn’t know your family personally, there’s only so much we can do to get people where they need to be. If they don’t listen to us, then they don’t listen! So assign someone, like a bridesmaid or sibling, to help wrangle family. They can ensure everyone stays for photos, gets on stage when their name is called, and can go track people down if someone wanders off. This helps your photographer stay focused on the photos.

5. Tell People Before the Wedding Day if They Need to Stay

If you want any family in photos, especially extended family, I recommend personally texting them a few days before to let them know. A lot of times when people hear the officiant tell family to stay back, they assume that doesn’t include them! So just send them a text saying “Hey Aunt Mae! I’d love to include you in some photos on our wedding day, so would you mind staying in the chapel after the ceremony for family photos? Can’t wait to see you!”

Every family is different, but if you implement these tips, it can go a long way in helping family photos run smoothly! The last thing you want is for family photos to take forever and keep you from getting to that epic party you planned!

And if you’re still looking for a wedding photographer, I’d love to be there for you on your big day! You can learn more about me HERE and see pricing HERE. To check if I have your date available, send me a message through my CONTACT page! Can’t wait to connect!

Example List

Bride and Groom with Officiant

Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents, Siblings, and Extended Family

Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents and Siblings

Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents

Bride with Mom

Bride with Dad

Bride & Groom with Groom Parents, Siblings, and Extended Family

Bride and Groom with Groom’s Parents and Siblings

Bride and Groom with Groom’s Parents

Bride and Groom with Both Immediate Families

Groom with Mom

Groom with Dad