Tips for a Fun Wedding - Scrap (or just have less) Group Photos!
Group photos? “No thanks!” or “Okay, maybe just a few.”
I speak to loads of engaged couples who are planning their wedding and so often a similar story comes up. I often hear of their experiences as guests at a wedding where they had to stand around for ages having group photos taken. To the point where they got really achy faces from forcing smiles! The info below will help you to make sure that this doesn’t happen on your wedding day and that you will have so much more time for mingling and fun!
Usually, this happens because it’s presumed that group photos are something that you should do at a wedding. Well, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: you don’t have to do them!
Nothing bad will happen if you don’t do them and you can still have a wonderful record of who attended your wedding (without having to line everyone up and force them to smile). You might actually have time for some fun if you scrap them altogether! Or if you think your mum will kill you if you don’t get a family photo, read on to find out my tips and tricks to make sure that they’re done as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Here’s my advice (supported by some inspiration from my lovely couples) on how to have more time for fun on the day by having no (or just a few) group photos…
Consider Scrapping the Group Photos Altogether
That’s what this awesome pair did. Christina and Lee’s wedding on a field in Exmouth was so much fun! They chose to have absolutely no formal/group/posed photos on their wedding day. This meant they had loads more time to have fun (including a bucking sheep contest and a bouncy castle wrestle) and more time to make genuine memories with their guests.
The photos they did end up having of their very favourite people now actually capture real memories and stories of the day. Of course, throughout the day Christina and Lee would grab someone, or a small group of friends and family, for an impromptu “looking at the camera photo”, but there was no strict structure to it.
You might be blown away by this idea and considering scrapping the group photos altogether. But then a thought comes to you: “What if we don’t have a photo of great Aunty Jane who means the world to us?” If you’re scrapping the group photos but want to make sure that your most important people are photographed at your wedding, you need to communicate with your photographer. Tell them before the wedding who the most important people are and point them out on the day. This way your photographer won’t spend as much time photographing your third cousin(four times removed)’s new girlfriend’s kid(’s friend) and they will spend more time capturing the people who you love the most.
But My Mum Will Kill Me If We Don’t get a Formal Photo of the Family!
The tradition of having a few group photos of your nearest and dearest can still be important to you and your family (especially your parents and grandparents’ generation). So by all means, if by asking your family to stand still and smile for a photo you’ll make them feel super important and included, then definitely have a few! But you don't want to stand around all day when you could be off having that space hopper race on the lawn like Laura and Tony (pictured below at their St Ives Harbour Hotel Wedding). These two only had one large group photo of all their guests and a few small group photos on the beach (which only took about 15 mins). This meant that the rest of the day ran really smoothly and no one got achy faces.
I Want a Super Fun Day! But I Do Actually Want Some Group Photos
Here are my awesome tips for tackling this threat of boredom and avoiding super achy faces from forced smiling for too long (like Gayle at her super fun Buckland Tout Saints Wedding below):
1 - Keep the list of the group photos very, very small.
No more than 6 different groups (4 is better and 1 is best). Make sure it's just your nearest and dearest - the people that you’ll actually remember in 20 years when you look back at your photos.
With a very short list your photographer can get through them super quickly.
(Just make sure to give your photographer this list at least 4 weeks before the wedding to allow them time to study it and make any adjustments.)
Here’s a sample list (provided by one of my lovely couples - Shanna and Sam) in case just one big group photo isn’t enough:
All guests
Us with grandparents (+ a couple of variations)
Us with parents (+ a couple of variations)
Us with siblings (+ a couple of variations)
Us with the wedding party (+ a couple of variations)
This list also included the names of all of the people in each group (which I highly recommend that you do for your photographer).
Write all of the names of each person in each smaller group i.e. “Us with our grandparents - Dot and Alan.” This helps your photographer to be more personable and address people by name, making everyone feel more comfortable.
There will be a little wiggle room to grab a few more variations of the group photos you choose, and time for impromptu ones throughout the day (like the cheeky one below). But if you get these super important ones on your list done quickly, you know for sure that you can relax and enjoy the rest of your day.
2 - When writing the (very short) list, start with a big group photo of all of the guests.
That way if you get bored (or an achy face) quickly, you can shout “CUT!” and you will still have that one lovely photo of everyone who came to your wedding day.
3 - Pop any photos with grandparents or children right at the top of the list (just after the big group one) so that the grandparents can sit down before too long and the children don't get too restless.
4 - Find a 30-minute gap in your timeline for your photos (and no longer!)
Way ahead of the wedding, inform your featured guests exactly when the photos will be happening - it’ll mean less groans on the day. Also pop this info on your timeline at the wedding, event page on Facebook, wedding program etc...
The best time is usually after the ceremony, right after everyone has congratulated you and has pelted you with confetti. Everyone still looks and feels their best (bonus if they have confetti in their hair) and they are not too drunk to round up for photos.
5 - Assign a “People Gatherer” or two.
The key to keeping group photos quick and fun is to make them efficient. Before the wedding ask one or two people if they will be “People Gatherers”. It’s best if you choose people who either recognise your family members or who will shout loudly enough to get everyone’s attention. You need someone who will go and find your dad when he’s snuck off to the bar!
Make sure this person knows well in advance that this will be their role and give them a copy of your list on the day. While one group is being photographed, your helpful person can be gathering people for the next one.
6 - Actually enjoy having the group photos taken!
Don't think of them as having to be stiff and formal. They can be as much fun as you like as long as the right people are in them. Laugh with your friends and family, give them kisses and big hugs, pull funny faces, chuck people in the air - have a blast!
Following this advice will give you far more time on your wedding day for this…
A bit of this….
And loads of this!
What do you think?
Are you thinking of scrapping group photos altogether at your wedding (safe in the knowledge that photos of your faves will still exist)?
Will you just have the one big group photo and a few impromptu ones as and when you fancy them?
Are you planning to give your photographer a small list of the must-haves, get through them as quickly as possible, and enlist “people gatherers”?
Or have you got another idea I’ve missed?
Remember, there’s no right or wrong when it comes to planning your wedding day!
I’d love to hear from you.
Tell me your plans in the comments or hit the button below for chat!
Katy and Matt had a super fun and relaxed DIY wedding on Dartmoor. With VW Beetles, speeches that made people ugly cry, a broken bridesmaids dress, a Magician, live music, a homemade bar, Ice cream and pizza vans, a totally dreamy moment where it was raining as the sun came down and we got amazing photos, sticky buns on the dancefloor (yep! haha) and an absolute banger of a party!