Wedding group photos: how I do them (and why you don't need a list)

I’ve used the same method for my entire life as a wedding photographer. It starts with the biggest group and works its way down.

Doing it this way means everything flows as smoothly and as fast as possible. Each time a group finishes, people can head back to the drinks, so nobody is left standing around. That means more time with your guests.

This is the order I follow at every wedding. The photos underneath are all from Olivia and Josh’s wedding day, so you can see how it works in real life.

Using my method, even without a list, I cover almost all the group combinations you’d like. Don’t worry though, I’m not strict about it.

When we meet before the wedding, we have a chat and I talk you through the order. If there are any extra groups you want, we make a note of them and I’ll take them just before the wedding party photos.

We do them straight after the confetti. It’s the one moment in the day when I know everyone is there, all in one place and ready to go. You can see where they fit into the rest of the day in my wedding day timeline.

I usually tell couples to allow 30 minutes. That’s plenty of time for most weddings. I’ve managed 150 guests in 15 minutes before, but that was a rare occasion because the rain was on its way!

I often round people up myself, as it’s faster and more efficient. Sometimes I’ll ask someone from the wedding party to help find people for the next group.

For the shot with everyone, I put the two of you in the middle. Then I ask your guests to picture an imaginary line that you’re both standing on. They spread out along it on either side of you and fill in behind, getting nice and close together.

It’s often the shot that takes the longest, as it’s when people are least cooperative. We always manage to make it work.

If you have children, I always make sure to get a photo of you with them separately afterwards. I feel your own kids deserve their own group photos. We usually go somewhere away from the guests to capture those intimate moments, having fun and having close snuggles.

If families are split up, I’ll do that side of the family after the first. If both sides are split, it’s something we talk about at our meeting and we can easily come up with a plan.

I usually ask each family separately. Couples have often told me about it when we meet before the wedding, so I know how to plan for it. Some decisions you just have to make on the day, but I’ve never had any issues. It’s a wedding day and people are there to have fun!

If it’s raining, I’ll talk to the venue and come up with a plan. If there’s no space indoors for the big group photo, we stick to the smaller family groups and I’ll talk this through with the two of you on the day.

There will always be that one guest who delays things. Don’t worry, we can skip that group and come back to it.

In the past, one guest left straight after the ceremony to walk their dog, so we just had to leave them out. Sadly that’s something I can’t control.

• Tell your families the plan. If there are any family disputes or split families, let them know the process beforehand. If we’ve made a plan at our meeting, sharing it makes everything frictionless.
• Ask the registrar to make an announcement. Let them know we’ll be doing group photos straight after the ceremony, so they can tell your guests before anyone wanders off.
• Tell me about any extras at our meeting. Friend groups or special combinations are easy to add when I know about them.
• Leave the smiles to me. I’ve got a few tricks to make sure everyone has their eyes open, but they’re secrets for the day so I don’t spoil how they work.