In my opinion family formals are so important. Your wedding will be one of the only times that your ENTIRE family will be together in the same place; family formals are something you can look back on year after year with your family and cherish the moment forever.

Family formals, however, can be very overwhelming when trying to round everyone up, get everyone in order and get everyone to smile at the same time! But alas, this is why I have the perfect system in place to make family formals go smoothly and quickly.

Create a list

I will ask you who will be a part of your family portraits; this can be anyone you consider your immediate family. When you create this list, please include any family dynamics that I should be aware of. I defiantly don’t want to put two family members together who shouldn’t be next to each other!

Here is a sample list: 

• Parents on both sides 
• Siblings on both sides 
• Spouses of siblings
• Children of siblings
• Grandparents on both sides 
• First aunt and uncles on both sides 
• First Cousins on both sides 

The Order

Once you have created your list and sent that over to me, I will make a shot list based on your family. This shot list will help me stay on track and help my second shooter or your wedding planner know when we are doing their particular family photos. Don’t hide from us during this time; we will find you! HA!

I always make sure that I do one entire family first and then the next. For example, the bride’s mom and dad, add in siblings, add in their spouses and kids, then aunts and uncles and cousins for the full family photo, then move onto the groom’s family.

The Day of

Your wedding day timeline for your family portraits will look different if you have a first look or are doing your photos after the ceremony; either way, it works perfectly, and everything will be smooth!

This is the best way to streamline your family photos, starting with a list and building the shot list and timeline from there. I will always get you (and your partner) individually with everyone on the list. I always send over the approved list to you before the wedding to make sure I have it all correct!

I would love to chat more about your upcoming wedding and learn more about your family!