It’s always a good idea to know what photos you will want on your big day. It’s actually quite difficult to think of everything so here’s a handy list of the type of shots you may want on your wedding day. Scroll down for tips on organising the group shots.
Preparation shots
I try to get as many of these as possible. Time is always the biggest factor. I’ve had everything from 2 hours to take these shots, to just 6 minutes to get these shots because the bride was running late. If I’m doing Bridal Prep I like to be there early so I don’t have to rush.
Bridal Prep
- Close up details
- Flowers
- Dress
- Shoes
- Dress with shoes
- Jewellery
- Getting ready
- Zipping Dress
- Putting on shoes
- Straightening dress (MoB etc)
- Hair spray spraying
- Bridesmaids
- First look, parents
- First look, others
- Solo and group photos
Groom Prep
- Close up details
- Cufflinks
- Straitening shirt
- Tie
- Watch
- Jewellery
- Shoes
- Getting ready
- Putting on shoes
- Groomsmen getting ready
- Best Man putting tie on Groom
- Solo and group photos
- Ring shots
Ceremony Shots
- Guests sitting down
- Officiant walking in
- Bridal party walking in
- Groom walking in
- Bride walking in
- Groom reactions
- Guest reactions
- Ceremony shots
- Exchanging ring shots
- Vows
- First Kiss
- Bride & Groom signing
- Bride and Groom walking out
After ceremony shots
- Candids outside
- Receiving line
- Confetti shots
- All the group shots
- Bride and Groom Shots
Reception Shots
- Outdoor shots of the venue
- Indoor shots of the venue
- Decorations
- Detail shots
- Cake shots
- Cake cutting
- Table layout
- Table details
Things to tell your photographer
- Will there be a first look?
- Is there a gift or letter exchange?
- Is there a piece of jewellery or keepsake?
- Is there something from a lost relative you want to be captured?
Family and everyone group shots
The single biggest way of keeping this list flowing quickly is having one of the guests, who is loud and knows most people, to assist in rounding people up. I will always ask you to designate someone to help me with this. Always!
It is usually best to start large and work down. Some people can’t stand for long periods, others have kids to control. If we start with the ‘everybody’ group shot we can then let those go that need to go.
It’s good to keep the ‘group’ shot list small, say 6-8 shots. The more you have, the longer you’ll need. We can work out from the available time how many ‘group’ shots you can get in that time. It can take 10 minutes just to round up everyone and position them for the biggest group shot so please don’t expect you’ll have everything done and dusted in 15 minutes.
