Wedding Photography Tips Every Bride Should Know … Bridal Party and Family Portraits
Getting ready and photos, arguably, take up the most time on a wedding day. They can easily put you behind, causing you to sacrifice some elements of your big day. So let’s talk about portraits. Portraits can be slightly stressful, but hey..we love them! Below are three things to consider when strategizing and planning your portrait sessions, so that they’re efficient and don’t cost you precious time!
First Look Jitters
It’s a tough decision, whether or not to save the First Look for the ceremony. Consider this: do you want to attend your cocktail hour? If yes, move your first look to before the ceremony. A first look allows more time for family & bridal party portraits after the I-do’s, so you can scoot away to the par-tay! Also, it’s your wedding day! You may have those pre-ceremony butterflies; seeing your lovebug prior to the altar could calm those excited jitters.
The Burnout
This is probably one of our biggest Wedding Photography Tips Every Bride Should Know. Be selective with your family portraits because “smile burnout” is real! A typical after-ceremony portrait session includes: wedding party, family, and Bride & Groom photos. Work with your photographer to narrow down your “shot list,” so that you stay on time, strike a pose with all your loved ones, and not burnout before the party has even begun! Here are a few things to consider when crafting your shot list:
- What poses will I want in my wedding album?
- How long do I have for portraits?
- What groupings will make portraits go by more efficiently?
- You know your family members better than anyone! Taking their quirks into account, will help your photographer out tremendously.
Here’s a list of groupings to get you started!
- Bride + Groom with Bride’s Parents
- Bride + Groom with Groom’s Parents
- Bride + Groom with both Parents
- Bride + Groom with Bride’s full immediate family
- Bride + Groom with Groom’s full immediate family
- Bride + Groom with complete wedding party
“Like herding kittens!”
Have you ever tried to get 50+ people to do the same thing? No? Probably for the best, because it’s super difficult! Don’t stress, just be strategic. Consider doing group photos with extended family members, as opposed to smaller groupings. If you’re indifferent to whether they’re posed or not, grab that cocktail and say cheese during cocktail hour
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