When it’s time to photograph your family, I’ve found that it’s super important to work from a well-organized list. Creating a list before the wedding will help ensure that we’ll make the most efficient use of our time.

When you’re planning your schedule in relation to your family portraits, I suggest that you budget a minimum of three minutes per photograph. Although I can certainly photograph most groups in a minute or less, you’re going to want to budget for delays that are likely to occur.
Once you’ve created a draft of your list, please send along via e-mail. I’ll take a look and if necessary offer suggestions related to the order of photographs or perhaps mention my observations in relation to any duplication in your groupings.

After we’ve finished, I suggest that you contact each person and make sure that they know where and when they are supposed to meet for the family photos. I’d recommend that you stress the importance of being there on time as folks will often disappear when it’s time for formal portraits.

Formal Portraits (Post Ceremony)

Here’s a list of common formal portraits that I’m often asked to photograph after the ceremony–typically near the ceremony location. Please feel free to add other groupings unique to your family, but please note that your own list should have far fewer groupings than those presented here. When you’re preparing your list, please name the group (as seen below) and then list the members in the group. For example: "Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents and Siblings (Jane, Bill, Sally, John, John Jr.) " That information will assist me in helping you organize the order of the list. It will also help us on the wedding day as my assistant will be able to call on members by name rather than by their relationship to you and your fiancé.

• Bride and Groom with Officiant
• Bride and Groom with Flower Girl(s) and Ring Bearer(s)
• Bride and Groom with Sons / Daughters
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents and Siblings
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s Grandparents
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents and Grandparents
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents, Grandparents, and Siblings
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s Family
• Bride and Groom with Groom’s Parents
• Bride and Groom with Groom’s Parents and Siblings
• Bride and Groom with Groom’s Grandparents
• Bride and Groom with Groom’s Parents and Grandparents
• Bride and Groom with Groom’s Parents, Grandparents, and Siblings
• Bride and Groom with Groom’s Family
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s and Groom’s Parents
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s and Groom’s Parents and Grandparents
• Bride and Groom with Entire Family
• Bride and Groom with Special Friends and Family

Creative Portraits (Pre or Post Ceremony)

The Creative Session is the timeframe you’ve set aside for your fashion forward photographs (similar to your engagement session). The Creative session typically includes the bride and groom and bridesmaids and groomsmen only–family members or other members of the wedding party are not present. I usually spend half of our time with the wedding party and the other half with the bride and groom only.

In terms of the time you should set aside for the Creative Session, most couples budget an hour and a half (1.5 hours). For larger wedding parties or in cases where you feel my fashion-forward portraits are super important, I recommend that you set aside two hours.

Unless you let me know otherwise, in addition to madhotsexy™ creative portraits, I’ll also capture some “typical” photos–time permitting. If you have any thoughts about these photos, please let me know your specific preferences prior to the Creative Session.

Typical

• Bride Only
• Groom Only
• Bride and Groom
• Bride and Groom with Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
• Bride with Bridesmaids
• Bride with Each Bridesmaid
• Groom with Groomsmen
• Groom with Each Groomsman

Optional

• Bride and Groom with Maid of Honor and Best Man
• Bride with Groomsmen
• Groom with Bridesmaids
• Bridal Party Couples
• Headshots of Groomsmen
• Headshots of Bridesmaids

If you’d like to use this information on your own web site, please place the following statement and link (URL) wherever you use this text: "This information was provided by Los Angeles wedding photographer Rob Greer (http://www.robgreerweddings.com)." Thanks a bunch!