Recently, I reached out to our brides and asked them what topics they’d like to see on my blog and one of them suggested writing about our approach to wedding party photos. I loved this idea, especially since I had never blogged about it before, so today I’m sharing all about how we tackle the wedding party photos on your wedding day.
But first, a disclaimer! Every wedding day is different – from time allotted for photos to weather to schedules being thrown off to bridal parties who might be a little distracted to, most importantly, the different and unique personalities of all the members of the wedding party – no wedding day is ever the same. Therefore, your photos won’t be the same as another couple’s either! Our goal during every portrait session is to deliver images that are in line with our portfolio and are also reflective of the personalities of our clients and their loved ones. We prioritize the must-have shots first and then we move on to more unique, personality-driven images with the remaining time that we have allotted for wedding party photos. We could never guarantee any shots on a wedding day, much less bridal party images with so many factors involved, but you can be sure that we’ll try our very best to deliver a mix of classic and timeless images along with some relaxed, fun, and candid photos, too!
Ok, so on to how we approach wedding party photos. We always start with the full wedding party. This is because they are generally more focused towards the beginning of the portrait session so it’s easier to keep their attention. After we’re done with the combined wedding party photos, we move on to kids and then just bridesmaids and just groomsmen. Here is the workflow we strive for at every wedding:
Wedding Party: The Classic Shots
These are the photos where we want everyone to look their very best and where we want to make sure we get images with everyone smiling at the camera. Generally, one of these ends up in the wedding album so we want to make sure everyone looks neat, tidy, and put together. Here are some sample classic shots:
If you have a large bridal party and/or space is limited in the portrait location, we may do these seated instead of standing.
Wedding Party: The Relaxed and Fun Photos
Once we’ve got the photos of your bridal party looking their best, we move on to some relaxed and fun shots. These images are completely driven by the personalities of the bridal parties. If you have a shy or quiet group of friends then your images will look very different from those of a boisterous crowd. Here are some images that are more relaxed and fun:
Wedding Party: The Candid Photos
Throughout the entire portrait session, we look for those in-between moments where we can capture a natural expression and create a unique image. They may also be images that we take when we are wrapping up bridal party photos or are in transition to another location, since that’s when everyone is having side conversations and acting naturally.
Wedding Party: The Prop Shots
If you are including something unique for your wedding party photos, we’ll want to do those at the end of the wedding party portrait session, especially if things can get messy – like confetti poppers and champagne!
Wedding Party: Photos with Flower Girls and Ring Bearers
If there are children in your wedding party, we’ll want to take those photos next! Children are unpredictable so we don’t want to make them wait! We love to include a mix of images for this part – some posed, some fun, and some silly ones, too!
No kids? How about your furbaby?!
Bridesmaids Photos: The Classic Shots
Once we are finished with bridal party photos, we’ll split the group. One photographer will focus on the bride and her wedding party members and the second photographer will focus on the groom and his wedding party members. We like to begin with the classic shots here too. Just like the full wedding party photos, the classic shots of the bridesmaids are the ones where we want all bridesmaids looking their best!
Bridesmaids Photos: Candid Photos
Love these unposed moments with natural expressions!
Bridesmaid Photos: The One-on-Ones
Your bridesmaids spent a lot of time and money on your wedding so we want to make sure you’re able to gift them a nice portrait of you with each one of them. You can print one out and include it with a thank you card after the wedding – I guarantee your friends will love these! I’ve also noticed that a lot of our past brides post a photo with their besties when they want to wish them a happy birthday – it’s such a nice way to make them feel special and you get to re-live that moment of your wedding day, too. Logistically, it also makes sense for one photographer to take these while the other photographer is getting the photos of the guys so that no time is lost! It’s a win-win! For these, we again start with the classic shots before moving on to personality-driven photos.
Bridesmaid Photos: The Details
During this part of the day is when we’ll get photos of your florals, too!
Groomsmen Photos: The Classic Shots
Our workflow for the guys mirrors the same as the one for the bridesmaids. Here are some timeless shots of the guys:
Groomsmen Photos: The Relaxed and Fun Shots
These photos aren’t posed by us; these are totally driven by the personalities of your groom and groomsmen or they may just be a candid moment captured during our time with the guys.
Groomsmen Photos: Candids
We love when the groom and groomsmen have fun personalities!
Groomsmen Photos: One-on-Ones
The groom with each one of his groomsmen. Although often less sentimental than the ladies, the groom and groomsmen always appreciate these and they have fun with them, too!
Groomsmen Photos: The Details
These photos may include boutonnieres, ties, and gifts since, often times, your groom will gift his groomsmen something to wear. We’ll want to capture that!
And sometimes the groomsmen have portraits all planned out:
Boys will be boys!
And there you have it! We love to get as much variety as possible for you during the 20-30 minutes that are allotted for wedding party photos. We know your wedding party wants to get back to the trolley, bus, or limo for refreshments and/or get to cocktail hour so we’ll do our best to be as efficient as possible while still getting a variety of photos of you with your guests of honor!
Interested in knowing how we handle family formals? Click here.
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