Plan Your Wedding Photos

We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again: Your wedding day is one of the only days you will have most of your loved ones in one place. Because of this, you must plan your wedding photos accordingly. While, of course, many of your wedding photos will center around you and your bridal party, you don’t want to miss out on photos with your other loved ones too. To accomplish that, you need to organize your guests by the connection they have to you and to each other in a grand list for your photographer. Here’s how you should start to plan your wedding photos with your special wedding guests.

Immediate Families

The immediate families include the parents and siblings of the newlyweds. These photos are usually not forgotten, but they are important to organize nonetheless. Some details to keep in mind are:

• Is there an old family photo you’d like to recreate alongside your formal photos?
• Are there any family dynamics the photographer should be mindful of?
  • I.e. Divorced parents, differently-abled or handicapped family members who may not be able to stand for long, etc.

Photo: MBD Wedding Photography, Venue: Heritage Prairie Farm, DJ: Music By Design

Extended Families

Extended family includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, & cousins. This group of people requires a lot of photos. This is often the most overlooked group of people for wedding photos. Being that this is one of the only times in your life you’ll have a photographer present, it’s so important to get photos with your aging relatives. That being said, keep in mind any physical difficulties your elderly relatives may have while taking pictures. Many couples also have special relationships with aunts and uncles. Therefore it may be important to get one-on-one photos with special family members too. The easiest way to organize this larger group is to divide them by individuals/one-on-one photos and large group photos. Some important photos for extended families may be:

• Individual/One-on-One Photos:
  • Grandparents, together and individually. Also with the groom/bride together and individually.
  • Aunts & Uncles, together with the newlyweds, and potentially individually too.
  • If there are specific special cousin relationships you might also want individual photos with them too.
• Large Group Photos
  • The entire side of the prospective families (just the bride’s side, then just the groom’s side) including grandparents, cousins, parents, and siblings
  • Grandparents group photo (bride’s side and groom’s side separately) with the immediate families
  • Grandparents group photo with the extended family (bride’s side and groom’s side separately)
  • Divided extended family, families the bride and groom may be close to (ex. Uncle John’s family with the bride and groom)
  • Just the bride/groom’s generation of cousins

Photo: Kelly Anne Original Photography

Specific Friend Groups

Oftentimes newlyweds have friend groups from various stages of their lives. Just because they were not in the bridal party does not mean you cannot get special photos with them. An easy way to accomplish this is to have your wedding photographer coordinate with your wedding DJ. The DJ can call the various groups to the dance floor for group photos during any reception downtime. Here are some potential groups you may want photos with:

• Elementary School Friends
• Middle School Friends
• High School Friends
• Sports Team Friends
• College Friends
• Work Friends
• Neighbors

Photo: MBD Wedding Photography, Venue: Heritage Prairie Farm, DJ: Music By Design

All Your Wedding Guests

What is more fun than getting a ginormous group photo of all your loved ones together on your wedding day? This often-overlooked photo will be so fun to look back on. You’ll be able to remember who was at your wedding, even as years go by.

Photo: MBD Wedding Photography, Venue: The Blackstone Hotel

If you have this detailed list to give to your photographer you will surely not miss any cherished photos with your loved ones. You will never regret being organized in advance. Each couple has different family and friend relationships, so organize this photo list in a way that works with your relationships. We can’t wait to see your special wedding photos from your organized list! Tag us in your wedding photos or email them to hello@ChicagoWeddingBlog.com. For more wedding planning inspiration and advice check out more Chicago Wedding Blog posts below.