How much time is needed to capture the classic family/ wedding party groups on the day?
In general, 10 group photos takes me approximately 20-30 minutes to organise.
The list might look something like this:
(I’ve based this list on a Bride/ Groom wedding but if you are 2 lovely Brides or 2 lovely Grooms the combinations could be similar…. we just might have some Bridesmen or Groomsmaids in there too!).
Wedding list
Of course, every wedding and every family situation is different, so it is helpful for me to have a list, from you, before the big day. You are welcome, of course, to request more group photos, but please be aware that they do take time to arrange, and you need to factor this into your plan.
Wedding Reception Timeline
There is usually around an hour and a half to two hours between the end of the ceremony and being called in to the wedding breakfast, if your ceremony and venue are in the same place.
A typical timeline could be:
2pm ceremony
2.30pm drinks reception/ canapes
3pm group photos
3.30pm couple’s photos
3.45pm guests called in to dinner
3.50pm couple ready to be called in to dinner
other considerations
During this period you might also be asked to inspect your wedding breakfast room and you might want to pop back to your room to freshen up.
I really don’t mind taking as many group photos as you ask for… just bear in mind that if you give me a list of 20-25 groups, this is going to take up most of your drinks reception. I fully appreciate it is a rare occasion to have so many friends and family in one place at a time, I just know from an experience that what seems like a good idea on paper, can be time-consuming in real life!
Finally, it may be difficult to capture large numbers of people (10+) if the space is limited or the weather is bad, so we may need to break any huge groups into smaller ones on the day.
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