I’m sure you’ll all have experienced the family group photos at a wedding. Whether you attended the wedding as a guest or were an important member of the wedding party, most couples want some kind of formal shots of the bride and groom with their respective families. After all, these photos will be with you for life and they are a wonderful thing to have of the day.

Some brides don’t want many formal shots and prefer to have the natural ones of people laughing, chatting and drinking, whereas other couples may want lots of group shots all featuring various people who are important to them. One thing is true – these kind of formal shots can be difficult to organise and choreograph on the day. This is why it’s important to think about the groups of people you want photographed together well in advance instead of winging it on the day.  Do let your wedding photographer know in advance too and check out my helpful guide on how to keep your wedding guests entertained during the photos!

 

Parent family photos

• Bride and groom and bride’s parents
• Bride and groom and groom’s parents
• Bride and her parents
• Groom and his parents
• Bride and groom with both parents
• Bride and her mum
• Bride and her dad
• Groom and his mum
• Groom and his dad

 

Grandparent family photos

• Bride and groom and bride’s grandparents
• Bride and groom and groom’s grandparents
• Bride and her grandparents
• Groom and his grandparents
• Bride and groom with all the grandparents
• Bride and her grandma
• Bride and her grandad
• Groom and his grandma
• Groom and his grandad
• Bride and groom and bride’s parents and grandparents
• Bride and groom and groom’s parents and grandparents
• Bride and her mum and her grandma
• Bride and her dad and her grandad
• Groom and his mum and his grandma
• Groom and his dad and his grandad

 

Sibling wedding photos

• Bride and groom and bride’s siblings
• Bride and groom and groom’s siblings
• Bride and her sister(s)
• Bride and her brother(s)
• Bride and all her siblings
• Groom and his sister(s)
• Groom and his brother(s)
• Groom and all his siblings
• Bride and her mum and sister(s)
• Groom and his dad and brother(s)
• Bride and groom and their parents/siblings together

 

 

Sometimes, it’s also beneficial to have a think about where you’d like the photographer to take the formal shots (indoors, outdoors, etc.) and where the photographer could stand to get a good shot. For the image above, I photographed from inside Thornton Manor on the second floor to make sure I could get everybody in.

Children

It’s less traditional for couples to wait to have children until after marriage and so many brides and grooms have children that they obviously want to be involved in the day. They’re usually flowergirls or pageboys but having some lovely photos with your children is important.

• Bride and groom and their children
• Bride and groom, children and the bride’s parents
• Bride and groom, children and the groom’s parents
• Bride and groom, children and both sets of parents

 

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen family photos

• Bride and groom and the bridesmaids
• Bride and her bridesmaids
• Bride and her maid of honour
• Groom and the groomsmen
• Groom and his best man
• Bride and groom with the best man and maid of honour
• Bride and groom with the groomsmen and the bridesmaids
• Bride and the flower girls
• Groom and the pageboys
• Bride and groom with the flower girls and pageboys
• Bride and the bridesmaids and the flower girls
• Groom and the groomsmen and the pageboys

 

 

I love this ‘pretty-in-pink’ photo of the bride, Aleisha, with her bridesmaids and the cutest little flowergirls at Soughton Hall.

 

 

Then Aleisha’s groom, Phil, had some photos with the groomsmen.

 

Larger group photos

• Close family, including parents, grandparents, siblings, aunties, uncles and cousins
• Friends, such as school friends, university friends, etc.
• All the wedding guests

Any wedding photographer who has lots of experience shooting weddings will be able to give you plenty of advice around which family photos you can have. On the day, they will do all the organising and will tell people where to stand so you don’t have to worry about a thing!