7 Tips For

stress Free Wedding group photos

Group photos can be one of the most painful parts of the wedding day for many couples. But there are ways to avoid that pain if you plan in advance and know what you're walking into.

Why can group photos potentially be painful for couples?

The main reason group photos can be frustrating for a couple on the wedding day is the time that is involved. Arranging a group of humans can be tricky and time consuming. Time is not in unlimited supply on a wedding day, so group photos taking too much time can put pressure on the time plan if they aren't managed well.

There can also be a lot of pressure from family to get certain group photos or extra photos that the couple doesn't have time for or doesn't want themselves. Also smiling at the camera for long enough will begin to hurt your face muscles (unless you have a very muscley face).

Group photos can also cut into the amount of time available for candid photos, which many of our couples want to prioritise on their day. So here are are few tips we have to make group photos as easy as possible for you.

1. Have a list

For most couples having a list of the group photos you want is going to reduce stress on your wedding day. It's a good idea to name each group and list the names of each person in the group. Listing the names of each person in the group will help to avoid missing someone out or any awkward confusion as to whether someone is in a group or not.

Here is an example of a group photos list

Work friends - Sarah B, Rosa, Josh, Mike S, Sam

School friends - Radhika, Alla, Doug, Tim, Sarah Smith,

Easy right!

2. Have a wrangler, or three

Having someone (or several someone's is better) who know all the people in the groups, acting as a wrangler will make the group photos much smoother, quicker, and easier for everyone involved. Bonus points if these people also have loud voices. These people will also need the list of all the group photos.

A really good wrangler will be organising the next group of people, while the current group is being photographed. An excellent wrangler will have the next group ready to be photographed as soon as the last group is finished.

As photographers, we can do this but it will take us a lot longer. It's difficult for us to find people if we don’t know them and we are also trying to take the photos at the same time. If we try to do both the wrangling and take the photos it will at least double the amount of time it will take to get the group photos done.

3. Set aside enough time

You should set aside 5 minutes for each photo of 10 or more people, and 3 minutes for each photo with less than 10 people. Everyone usually underestimates how much time it will take for group photos. You really want to set aside enough time for group photos so that there is no stressful time pressure on your day. If the group photos are finished slightly earlier than expected then you will just have some extra time for mingling and candid photos.

Finding and organizing the groups is what takes up the most time. If you don’t have a wrangler we recommend at least doubling the time needed for group photos (unless you are having a very small wedding eg 20 people total).

There are only so many hours available on your wedding day (24 if you really want to push it i guess haha). You have to choose where you want to spend that time. If you want to spend 2 hours doing group photos, that is your decision and we are completely fine with doing whatever you like. Just make sure that’s what you want to do.

4. Smaller groups look nicer and take less time

From a photography aesthetic point of view, smaller group photos lock nicer than larger groups. With smaller groups you can see people more clearly, simply because they are bigger in the frame. Smaller groups also have a more intimate feel.

The bigger a group gets the less options we have for where we can take the photographs. So sometimes very large groups will need to be photographed in a less than optimal location simply due to space constraints.

5. Only one photographer

Sometimes guests at the weddings also want to photograph the same group photo on their own camera or phone. We don't mind if guests want to use their own camera or phone to photograph the wedding, it's not a problem for us. However, when it comes to the formal group photos, if we have to wait for another person to photograph the same group every time, that can greatly increase the time it will take to get the group photos done. We don’t mind either way, as long as you are happy with it.

6. Don’t go straight into group photos after the ceremony

The moments after the ceremony has finished and the guests have started congratulating you is a really beautiful time. We love getting candid photos of people at this time. Emotions are high, everyone is hugging and celebrating, and some of our favourite candid photographs come from this time.

A more traditional wedding plan will call for group photos to begin immediately after the ceremony, before any congratulations have happened. This kind of ruins this beautiful moment on a wedding day in our opinion. It feels like it disrupts the natural flow of the wedding.

Instead, we would recommend allowing at least 10 minutes of mingling time after the ceremony before diving into any group photos.

Because we love candid photography we are pretty biased when it comes to this. But if you would prefer to go directly into group photos that is not a problem for us. Totally up to you :)

Note: Of course, there is no reason for group photos to be immediately after the ceremony anyway and you can do them later in the day if you prefer. Group photos can take place at any time that works best in your time plan. However, it is highly recommended to have all of your group photos finished before the sun sets. Group photos at night just don’t look… as nice.

7. The big group photo - only do it if you actually want it

Over the years we have seen the popularity of this big group photo slowly reduce over time. Probably about 40% of weddings we photograph still do this photo (possibly even lower for large weddings). It sounds like the main reason for the slow demise of this big group photo is people realising you can’t really see anyone's face very well in the photo because they are so small. But there are other less known reasons for you to consider when deciding to have this photo or not.

The big group photo is probably the most time-consuming photo on the wedding day and also the most disruptive to the wedding. Getting all your guests to stop what they are doing and assemble in one place takes time, especially for large weddings. There have been many times the whole wedding is finally assembled and then someone realises that an Uncle/Grandad/Bridesmaid is missing (in the bathroom) and the whole wedding has to awkwardly wait for them.

We have photographed the weddings of other wedding photographers, and the big group photo is one photo they always choose not to do for all of the reasons above.

If you do want this photo then you should do it. For some people it is important to them. We only really say this because over the years we have realised that lots of people are doing this photo only because they think they have to not because they want to. So as with everything about your wedding, it’s up to you and we will do whatever you like.

How can group photos be structured?

Most of the information above applies to the structure of group photos that is most common at weddings, which is to have a written list of the photos you want. But there are a few ways you can structure your wedding photos which I’ll go over now.

Written list

The most common way is to have a written list with all the different groups you want photos of. The list includes a name for each group and the name of each person in the group. For most couples this will be the best option.

No list, just set time

Maybe less than 5% of weddings choose to not have a list but just have a time slot that group photos will be taken. Anyone who wants a group photo needs to assemble at a designated place and time (eg in front of the venue at 4pm). If there are some ‘must have’ group photos, this option alone is not advised.

No list, no set time, free form

Even less common is to not have a list and not have a set time for photos. Group photos are taken throughout the day when a guest asks the photographer directly and assembles a group themselves. If there are some ‘must have’ group photos, this option alone is not advised.

The main disadvantage to the options which involve not having a written list and relying on you or your guests remembering to get certain group photos, is it is easy for certain groups to be forgotten on the day. A wedding day is so busy it is easy for people to forget things on the day.

Note: you can combine some of these options together if you wish. For example, you could have group photos based on a written list, and then throughout the day also get some other group photos that you think of at the time in a more free form way.

Ok wow, that was a big brain dump. Apparently we have a lot to say about group photos at weddings haha. Hopefully not too much information for you, but hope it was useful. If you have any questions about any of this feel free to contact us we are always happy to help.