How long wedding family photos take and how to plan them
The video gives our rule of thumb for family photo time, about an hour when 75 to 100 family members are involved, and explains why a written list matters. For couples with large families.
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Our rule of thumb for family photo time
Needless to say, the time family photos require depends on the size of the family. If you have a big family and want each pair, or each household, photographed with you, that takes a good amount of time. Every grouping means gathering, arranging and shooting, and it adds up.
So here is the rule of thumb from the video. If your family members number around 50 to 100, or let's say 75 to 100, allocate about an hour for photographing all of them in the different pairs and singles. That hour leaves ample time for everything else while making sure these photos are taken.
With that many family members, it is really important to have a list of all the photos you want to take. Obviously all the family photos will be taken, but the list is for the most important ones, and we check them off before you leave the space.
Building the family photo list
The list works best when it is short, ordered and named. Start with the groupings you would be upset to miss: both sets of parents, grandparents, siblings, the full immediate family on each side, then the extended pairings you care about. Write names rather than roles, because we will be calling people over.
Order it from largest group to smallest, or oldest relatives first, so grandparents are not standing around for most of the hour. Share it with us and with one person on each side who knows everyone by sight. That person is why a long list gets done in an hour.
Fitting the hour into the day
Where the hour lands depends on whether you do a first look. With one, much of the family list can happen before the ceremony, while everyone is fresh. Without one, the hour comes right after the ceremony, when guests drift toward the bar and the light starts to change.
Either way, the hour is only realistic if the people on the list know they are on it. Have your officiant or planner announce where family should go right after the recessional, and keep the spot close to the ceremony site.
What our team does about this on the day
We work from your list
We carry the list you sent us and call groups by name, largest first. As each grouping is photographed we check it off, so at any moment we know which combinations are still missing and who to call back.
Pairs, singles and the hour
With a family of 75 to 100 we plan on about an hour and pace it: the big groups first, then parents and grandparents, then the individual pairs and singles with each of you. If we are ahead, we add combinations; if behind, we protect the must-haves.
Nobody leaves until it is done
Before we release the family, we go through the list once more and confirm every photo you wanted has been taken. It is far easier to grab one more grouping now than to reassemble a family in the middle of the reception, and we have had to do that.
Couples usually ask
How much time should we set aside for family photos?
It depends on the size of the family and how many pairings you want. For around 50 to 100 family members, or 75 to 100, allocate about an hour. A small immediate family is faster, but a long list of combinations always takes longer than couples expect.
Do we really need a written family photo list?
Yes, especially with a big family. All the family photos will be taken either way, but the list is how we make sure the most important ones are checked off before you leave. Without it, the missing grouping is discovered when the gallery arrives, and by then the relatives are in three different states.
Who should help gather family for photos?
One person from each side who knows every face and is not shy about calling names: usually a sibling, a cousin or a close family friend, not a parent, because parents are in most of the photos. Give them the list in advance.
Should family photos happen before or after the ceremony?
With a first look, as many as possible before the ceremony, when everyone is fresh and the timeline has slack. Without one, right after the ceremony, near the ceremony site, before cocktail hour pulls people away. Either way, keep the hour on the timeline.
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