How to get fantastic group shots on your wedding day

I love reportage and documentary style photography but some shots work better when some planning and setting up is involved. This will help us get the best possible result for your wedding group shots on the day.

Every wedding day is different but it is a good idea to schedule a little time for your group shots. I like to get these done after the ceremony and before guests start wandering off to far (especially to the bar). Usually 6-8 different group shots is a good number to aim for and they can be as traditional or non traditional as you like.

Often I will shoot immediate family, both sets of parents, the couple with their respective sides of family, the bridal party and any others that you may want on the day. It’s a good idea to have a list of the shots you want on the day and send it to me a couple of weeks before ideally. Also let your bridal party know they might be helping gather the troops on the day.

Children in group shots are amazing but if they’re not feeling it please don’t try and force them. I am happy running around after the kids catching them having a great time and playing without trying to get them to smile or pose if they really don’t want to.

It’s always great to get one big group shot of everyone that comes to the wedding. For these shots it’s great to have confetti to add some colour and movement and get people involved throwing confetti and laughing.

Bubbles also work well if the venue isn’t keen on confetti and if you’re feeling brave then smoke grenades are really fun to use 😊. Also some venues, like the Well Being Farm have animals on hand to make group shots that bit more fun. Embrace the mayhem and get some photos taken with llamas if you get a chance.

The main thing is to have fun. Gone are the days of wedding photographers taking tonnes of traditional staged shots. I am here to capture everyone having a great time, whether the shots are staged or not. When you look back on the wedding photos from your day you want to remember what a great time everyone had and I am here to help you achieve that.