When you’re planning your wedding photographs, one of the things you’ll probably need to think about is which family and friends you’d like group photographs with.

You might have already started putting together a list, or perhaps you’re a bit daunted by your rather long spreadsheet of every possible combination of relatives! Either way, it’s worth giving this a little thought before the day.

Group photographs are lovely to have. They’re often the photographs that end up framed on the walls or in family albums, and it’s nice to have everyone together in one place and mark that with photos. But you also don’t want to spend your entire drinks reception lining people up for photographs when you could be enjoying a glass of fizz and catching up with everyone.

So, how many group photographs do you really need? Here’s my advice on keeping things simple, choosing the combinations that matter and making sure everything runs smoothly.

How many group photos should you have at your wedding?

My recommendation would be to aim for around 8 group photographs.

This is usually enough to include your closest family and friends without taking up too much of your wedding day. As a rough guide, I’d allow for around 2-3 minutes per photo – so 30 minutes for this number of photographs.

Of course, there’s no strict rule. Every family is different, and you might have particular people or combinations that are especially important to you. If you’d like more than eight, that’s absolutely fine – just remember to allow a little extra time.

The reason I suggest keeping the list fairly short is that your drinks reception is such a lovely part of the day. It’s when everyone is relaxed, catching up and enjoying themselves, and it’s also my chance to capture all those informal photographs of your family and friends.

I’d much rather you spend your time enjoying your wedding than working your way through a never-ending list of group photographs!

Which wedding group photographs should you include?

If you’re not sure where to start, here’s a suggested list of family group photographs. It’s a useful starting point, but you certainly don’t need to include every combination.

1. You both with Partner 1’s immediate family (parents, siblings and grandparents).
2. You both with Partner 1’s parents.
3. You both with both sets of parents.
4. You both with Partner 2’s parents.
5. You both with Partner 2’s immediate family (parents, siblings and grandparents).
6. You both with your wedding party (bridesmaids, groomsmen or whoever is standing with you).

That gives you six suggested groups, leaving a couple of spaces for any other photographs that are particularly important to you.

Perhaps you’d like a photograph with all your cousins, your university friends, your children or a special group of people who have travelled a long way to celebrate with you.

Think about the people who really matter to you and the photographs you’ll be glad to have in years to come.

And remember, your family doesn’t have to fit into traditional categories. If you have step-parents, blended families, close family friends or other important people you’d like included, we can organise the list around your circumstances.

How long do wedding group photographs take?

I’d usually allow around 30 minutes for 8 group photographs.

This gives us enough time to gather everyone together, arrange each group and take the photographs without feeling too rushed.

Some groups will be quicker than others, but the biggest delay is usually finding people! It’s surprisingly easy for someone to disappear to the bar, pop to the loo or head off to chat to somebody just as we need them.

A little organisation beforehand makes a huge difference.

If you have a longer list, allow additional time rather than trying to squeeze everything into the same half hour. It’s much nicer to have a little breathing space than to feel like we’re racing through the photographs.

How to organise your wedding group photographs

There are a few simple things you can do to make your group photographs run smoothly.

1. Decide on your list before the wedding

Have a think about the combinations you’d really like and put them into a list before the day. I’ll usually ask you for this in advance so we can agree everything together.

You don’t need to worry about remembering it all on the day – I’ll bring a copy of the list with me.

2. Nominate someone to help

This is probably my biggest piece of advice!

Choose someone who knows your family and friends, and who is happy to help gather people together. Ideally, this is someone who can confidently call out names and knows who belongs in each group.

It saves a huge amount of time if I’m not trying to work out who’s who while also organising the photographs! It also saves you time running after people yourselves.

If you have two people who know each side of the family, even better. They can help gather everyone ready for their turn.

3. Let everyone know beforehand

If you know you’re having group photographs straight after the ceremony, let the relevant family members know in advance.

It’s much easier to find everyone if they already know they’ll need to stick around for a few minutes.

5. Organise them in a logical order

If there are any photographs involving lots of different people, it’s often easier to work through the smaller family groups first and build up to the larger ones. Sometimes adding people in, then taking them away works best, so they get all their photos done in one go. For example, we might start with just parents, then add in siblings, then add in grandparents.

We’ll also think about anyone who might find standing around for a long time difficult, so they can have their photographs taken early.

6. Choose a nearby location

This is something your photographer will do naturally on the day, but the easiest place to do group photos is near to the drinks reception. That way people are nearby and won’t have to walk too far. It should also be a shady spot away from direct sunshine so no-one is left squinting, and have a nice plain background. Your photographer will work this out for you on the day!

When should you take your wedding group photographs?

Most couples choose to have their group photographs during the drinks reception, usually shortly after the confetti and congratulations.

This works well because everyone is already gathered together, and it means we can get the photographs done before you settle down to enjoy the rest of your reception.

If you’re having your ceremony and reception at different venues, or there are travel arrangements to consider, we might need to adjust the timings slightly.

I’d also recommend photographing any older guests or anyone with mobility difficulties first. This means they don’t have to stand around waiting while we work through the rest of the list.

We’ll always work around your plans and make sure everyone is as comfortable as possible.

Do you really need formal group photographs?

Absolutely not! It’s your wedding, so you can have as many or as few formal group photographs as you’d like.

Some couples love having a photograph with all their family and friends, while others would rather keep things to a handful of immediate family combinations.

You could even skip the traditional family group photographs altogether if they’re not important to you.

There are plenty of other ways to capture the people who came to celebrate with you. I’ll be photographing your guests throughout the day – chatting, laughing, hugging, dancing and enjoying themselves – so you’ll still have lots of lovely photographs of the people who were there.

You don’t have to choose between having a few important family photographs and having natural, informal photographs of everyone enjoying themselves. You can have both!

My advice? Keep it simple and enjoy your day

I always want couples to have the photographs that matter to them, but I also want them to have time to enjoy the wedding they’ve spent so long planning.

A short, well-organised list of group photographs means we can get everyone together, capture those important family combinations and then get you back to your guests.

If you’re not sure which photographs to include, don’t worry. We can work through your list together before the wedding and make sure we’ve allowed enough time in your schedule.

If you’re also trying to work out how much time to allow for the rest of your wedding photographs, have a look at my guide ‘How Much Time Do You Really Need for Wedding Photographs?’

And if you’re planning a wedding that doesn’t follow the usual format, you might enjoy my guide to 5 Ways to Have a More Relaxed Wedding in Hertfordshire.

The important thing is that you get the photographs you really want, without spending your whole wedding day organising everyone else!