Your Ultimate Wedding Photo List: A guide
Must have wedding day group photo lists for your wedding day
I like to think about a wedding day as if it were a movie. Every aspect of the day, a different scene.
Starting out with some photos pre-ceremony, this can be anything you want it to be. Still, usually, it looks like couples getting prepped to get hitched. Think hanging out with your friends and family with a glass of champagne, beer, or whiskey in hand.
Scene one
Great time to snap any details and capture a few portraits of anyone nearby that may or may not include friends, family and/or fur babies.
Scene Two
The ceremony. We've arrived to do the thing that makes the thing "official". Depending on what you have planned, ceremonies can last 15 minutes or 1 hour. Some include speeches, religious elements or cultural traditions. I love seeing how couples choose to celebrate this part of their day. In this scene, I capture all the feels. Tears, laughter, joy. Proud parents, cheeky grandmas and wild kids, this is where the candid wedding photography approach shines its brightest. Oh, and not to mention the 'first kiss'.
Scene Three
The celebration. It's evident that after every single wedding I've shot that people naturally want to throw their arms around you and congratulate you. I sometimes call this part of the wedding 'hugs & kisses' because that's exactly what unfolds. For a good 15minutes, everyone will want to surround you and tell you how wonderful you are. Which is true. So embrace this time with your community, and I'll be doing my thing to capture candid photos of the joy.
Scene Four
Family photos. That's right. Time to capture the all-important family photos. These are the photos that you MUST get to make sure all family members are stoked. Think grandparents, people who have travelled far or your nearest and dearest. I wouldn't dare try to specify who that is, but I'm sure you'll know. The golden ticket to making sure we don't miss a family photo is by having a list. It may not seem important now, but this list will help you wrangle up your loved ones from chin wags, and it will bring a bit of order to the joyous chaos. Family photos at weddings usually take about 20-30minutes. So keep that in mind when you're planning your day.
Scene Five
Wedding party photos. This is where we step away from the guests for a few minutes and take some snaps of those you consider to be your best pals. Usually, we stay close to the venue unless you've got a specific epic location in mind. So bring some snacks and champagne and enjoy this time with your best mates. I'll capture all the commotion and joy the unfolds and grab a few formal photos as well so you can stick them on your fridge in a few weeks. All up, this could be between 20-40mins.
Scene Six
Take breath. It's portrait time. I say portrait, but what I mean is this is the first moment since all the chaos that's elapsed that you finally have a few moments by yourself. I'll give you some space to connect with one another as you revel in the fact that it's your wedding day. From this point, I capture some photos of just the two of you. Smooching, chilling, eating ice cream, whatever the heck you want to do, let's do it. I'll assess the scene and make sure we get some rad photos in the process before we head back to the party.
Scene Seven
Reception. This is where the party begins. During this final scene, I capture the party. The details of the space you're celebrating in, including the food and decor. I also capture all the feels from those hard-hitting speeches. This is also a great time to snap informal photos with the rest of the guests. So holla at me from across the room, and let's capture some happy snaps with your community. Oh, and if the dancefloor lights up, you'll find me there, joining in and capturing the antics that unfold.
And that, my friends, is your ultimate guide wedding photos guide. I would love to hear more about how you're choosing to celebrate. So hit me up for a chat here, and let's create some rad photos together.
