The only wedding photo list your photographer needs is a list of family groups, with names. I'm Paul Hickey of Once in a Lifetime Photography, a Worcestershire wedding photographer. I have photographed more than 150 weddings since 2014. Below is the list I'd start from, how long it takes, and how to adapt it for your family.
You don't need to list the first kiss, the cake or the first dance. Those happen in front of me and I photograph them. Family groups are different. I don't know who your aunt is, and no photographer does.
How long do wedding group photos take?
Ten family groups take me 20 to 25 minutes. That is an average across my weddings. It is quicker when helpers have the next group waiting. It is slower when guests have drifted to the bar.
6 groups: about 15 minutes. Barely noticed.
10 groups: 20 to 25 minutes. A comfortable part of the drinks reception.
15 groups: 35 to 40 minutes. You'll miss a good share of your drinks reception.
20 or more groups: 45 minutes or more. Most of the drinks reception has gone.
I've seen what a long list does. At one summer wedding there were more groups than we had planned for. They took a good share of the time I'd set aside for the couple's own portraits.
A wedding photo list that works
This is a starting list of ten. Swap, add or remove to suit your family.
Everyone at the wedding, if the venue has room
Both immediate families together
Partner one with their immediate family
Partner one with their parents
Partner two with their immediate family
Partner two with their parents
Both of you with grandparents
The whole wedding party
Bridesmaids, then ushers
One group of close friends
My questionnaire has space for ten groups, plus a section for any others you'd like. On the day I start with the photograph of everyone. Then I work through your list in the order you wrote it.
So the order is yours to set. Parents and family first works well, with friends at the end. Put older relatives near the top so they can sit down sooner. If you add a lot of extra groupings, I'll rearrange them so nobody is called back twice.
"Immediate family" usually means parents, brothers and sisters, their partners and their children.
How to write your list
Write names, not labels. "Mum, Dad, Sarah, Tom and Gran" is far more use on the day than "bride's family". Your helpers can read it out and people know they are wanted.
Four more things make it work.
Put the two of you in every group. It saves you stepping in and out.
Keep each group to about a dozen people at most, apart from the photograph of everyone.
Avoid near-duplicates. "With Mum and Dad" and "with Mum, Dad and brother" is one photograph too many. Pick one.
Add anyone easily forgotten. Step-parents, godparents and partners of siblings are the usual ones.
If your parents are divorced or separated
This is common, and it only needs a little thought beforehand. Tell me the situation and I'll run the list without anyone having to explain on the day.
There are three ways to do it. Choose whichever suits your family.
Together. You two with both parents. Suits families where parents are on good terms.
Separately. You two with Mum and her partner; then you two with Dad and his partner. Suits families where parents would prefer not to stand together.
Both. One photograph together, then one each with partners. Suits families where parents are civil, and you'd like every version.
I keep the two groups apart in the running order where that helps. Nobody is left standing next to someone they'd sooner avoid.
Blended families, small weddings and missing faces
Blended families. Decide whether step-brothers and step-sisters appear with their parent's side, in a group of their own, or both. Children from earlier relationships usually belong in the first family photograph and in one of their own with you.
Small weddings. With thirty guests or fewer, six groups is plenty. A photograph of everyone becomes the centrepiece.
Someone who has died. Some couples leave a space, hold a photograph or wear something of theirs. Tell me, and I'll photograph it quietly.
Someone who can't stand for long. Their photographs happen first, sitting down, near the door.
Who helps on the day
Choose two helpers, one from each side of the family. They need to know the faces and have a loud voice. An usher and a bridesmaid often do it well.
Their job is simple. While I photograph one group, they find the next. That one arrangement saves more time than anything else on this page.
Then tell everyone on the list beforehand. If they know to stay close after the confetti, half the work is done.
When and where the groups happen
Family groups work well straight after the confetti. Everyone is together and nobody has wandered off yet. My wedding day photography timeline shows where they sit in a summer and a winter day.
I choose the spot on the day, based on the light. If the sun is fierce, I move groups into open shade. People stop squinting and the photographs are far kinder.
A photograph of everyone needs width more than anything, so that every guest fits in the frame. Most of my group photographs happen outside, where there is plenty of room. I'll often stand on a chair or a table for a little extra height, so the faces at the back can be seen.
If it rains, groups move indoors or under cover. Ask your venue where a group of thirty can stand inside.
I take several frames of every group. That way there is one where nobody blinked.
What you don't need to put on the list
I photograph these at every wedding without being asked.
Morning: details, hair and make-up, getting dressed, parents seeing you ready.
Ceremony: arrivals, walking in, vows, rings, the kiss, signing photograph, walking out.
Afterwards: hugs, confetti, drinks reception, guests talking and laughing.
Meal: the room before guests come in, speeches and reactions.
Evening: cake, first dance, dancing, night portraits.
What does help is knowing about anything I couldn't predict. A surprise, an heirloom, or one photograph you'd be sad to miss. Here is the full list of what to tell your wedding photographer.
Wedding photo list: common questions
How many group photos should we have at our wedding?
About ten. That takes 20 to 25 minutes and covers both families, the wedding party and close friends.
Should we do group photos before or after the ceremony?
After, for most weddings. Everyone is there and in good spirits. Before works for a late winter ceremony, when daylight will be gone.
Do we need a list of every shot we want?
No. Send a family group list and tell me about anything unusual. I photograph the rest as it happens.
What if someone on the list is missing?
We move on and come back to it. Your helpers look for them while I photograph the next group.
Can we skip group photos altogether?
You can, but most couples are glad they didn't. A common regret is having too few family photographs, not too many. Six groups takes fifteen minutes.
Sending me your list
If you have booked me, your questionnaire has space for ten family groups and a section for any others. It is in your client portal now, and you can change it as often as you like.
If group photographs make you uneasy, you're not alone. I've written about feeling comfortable in front of the camera. If you're still choosing a photographer, my wedding photography packages set out what is included. Once in a Lifetime Photography covers Worcestershire, the West Midlands, Herefordshire, Warwickshire and Shropshire. My work has earned several Wedisson Awards and a Flashmasters Gold Award.
Paul Hickey, Once in a Lifetime Photography · paul@onceinalifetimephotography.co.uk · 01905 900911