Your Guide to Family Wedding Photos
At Emerson Fields, we see families coming together to celebrate their loved ones tying the knot every weekend. These family members often drive from far away to join the celebration. Almost every couple we have seen at Emerson Fields reserves a portion of their special wedding day to capture family portraits. These groupings of family members tell a story about your loved ones in this unique stage of life.
These family wedding photos make their way onto a grandmother’s mantle, a great-aunt’s gallery wall, or a father’s desk. What can you do to make sure your family formals turn out just the way you want? And how do you make this a smooth and pleasant experience for everyone involved?
You might be interested to know that Amelia, owner, and operator of Emerson Fields, used to be a wedding photographer. Having seen the full scope of a wedding day, from getting ready to the sparkler exit, helped Steve and Amelia design an ideal wedding venue. Emerson Fields has four different ceremony sites, a serene lake, mature trees, a gorgeous white-wall indoor venue, and so many more indoor or outdoor locations to take family photos. Having different locations for photos means that you are not locked into one background for your newlywed portraits, wedding party shots, and family photos. You’ll love the variety and natural beauty and your photographer will thank you for booking your wedding here!
“EVERYTHING about Emerson Fields is designed around how it will photograph for our couples. The direction the venue sits, the location of the lake, and the placement of the trees, were thought about from the very beginning”
Family Wedding Photo Timeline
To make sure you have time in your busy day to include family wedding photos, talk with your wedding photographer and wedding planner about creating a detailed timeline. This will help everyone stay on track throughout the day. It also helps you communicate with any family members before the wedding day so they know when and where to be when the photographer starts snapping photos. Crazy uncles, fussy children, and different family dynamics could throw a wrench in your timeline and end up using valuable time.
We interviewed an experienced wedding photographer from Jefferson City, MO who knows a thing or two about managing family wedding photos. We asked Kelsi Kliethermes how she helps her couples get the family photos they want on their wedding day.
“I always create a wedding photography timeline for each of my couples that includes at least 30 minutes of scheduled time before or after the ceremony for family formals. I also send them a questionnaire a few months before their wedding day asking them to list out the family formals they would like captured.”
Before or After the Ceremony
When you create your wedding day timeline, you will need to decide if you will be taking your family formals before or after your wedding ceremony. If you are doing a first look with your partner earlier in the day and you want to get right to the reception after the ceremony, take family photos before the ceremony. If you would rather not stress about family photos before you walk down the aisle, you may choose to do them all after the ceremony.
Kelsi Kliethermes gave us some great advice on this subject.
“I suggest that my clients start small and end big if family formals are taking place before the ceremony, but if the family formals are taking place after the ceremony they should start big and end small.
If my clients are opting for a first look, family formals before the ceremony might be a great option so they can jump right into the party after their ceremony. Starting with immediate family portraits and then branching out to family portraits with several people ensures that we aren't having to wait on a particular portrait in case a family member is late.
And if family formals are taking place immediately after the ceremony I always suggest getting the larger family portraits with multiple people finished first to allow for those family members to grab a drink and begin enjoying the reception.”
Family Wedding Shot List
To be prepared for your wedding day, send your photographer your family photo shot list. There are tons of checklists available online or on Pinterest. Be sure to detail names, their relation to you, and who you want in which photos on your checklist. Consider if you’ll be going from “big to small” or “small to big” groupings of people and put your list in order to make it easier on your photographer. (Easier = Quicker = More time to party)
We asked Kelsi Kliethermes, “What helps the photo process run smoothly for family formals?”
“Family formals always run smoothly when I have a list with names! Instead of listing out "Bride and groom with bride's immediate family," try writing "Melissa and Charles with Carrie (bride's mom), Dane (bride's dad), Stephanie and Haley (bride's sisters)." This gives your photographer or planner the opportunity to say names out loud instead of just calling "bride's mom and dad." It's just a nice personal touch and helps your photographer get to know everyone a little better.”
Request Candid Shots
Don’t forget that some of your favorite family “formals” might actually be the informal, candid shots your photographer gets throughout the day! Standing still and smiling at the camera will always stand the test of time, but those candid shots show personality and relationships in a fun way. Getting ready, the first look with a parent, joking around with siblings, twirling your flower girl, or hugging your dog may be your favorite moments throughout the day!
“The best piece of advice I think I’ve given to my couples when it comes to family formals is to stay organized and don’t overthink it. I will help them develop the perfect family formal list for the time that they have available so that we still have ample time for just married portraits during the golden hour/sunset. I always assure them that additional photographs with family and friends can always be taken during the reception (those tend to be a lot more candid and fun anyways!).”
Other tips to help your family wedding photos go smoothly:
Choose a location where sunlight isn’t directly in everyone’s eyes.
Ask people to wear coordinating colors to your wedding style so your photos look cohesive. Offer ideas in a color palette so everyone isn’t in the same color. If every female in your wedding family formals is wearing a navy gown it can be boring and lack interest.
Have someone in charge of organizing and gathering people, like your wedding coordinator or planner (not your photographer, mom, or someone in the wedding party).
Keep your shot list as short and sweet as possible.
Photograph any children or elderly family members first if possible. For small children, try to avoid formal photographs during their normal nap time. Keeping their schedule as close to normal as possible is key to having happy photos.
Communicate with any family members that you want to be included in photographs ahead of time. Give clear instructions on where you’ll be meeting for those photos.
Inform your photographer of any strained relationships or difficult family circumstances to avoid awkward encounters or stressful situations.
Finally, we asked Kelsi Kliethermes what could hinder the family wedding photo process. Take note of these two things and add them to your email or text to family members before the wedding.
“The two things that ALWAYS hinder the family formal process are: family members with their own cameras who ask the photographer to move out of the way so they can take the family portrait themselves and guests who decide to ditch the couples' family formal shot list and ask for different family portraits all together.”
A wedding day is all about two people vowing to love one another for a lifetime. Honoring and remembering your family members during your special day is a literal snapshot of who was there supporting you on your big day. We hope these tips from us at Emerson Fields and Kelsi Kliethermes Photography help you as you plan your family wedding photos. Thank you, Kelsi, for all the fabulous photos of real wedding days at Emerson Fields!
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05/04/2022 - Gabrielle Isom
