When Is The Best Time To Do Formal Wedding Portraits?

When you get engaged, it’s normal to immediately think of all the fun parts of a wedding. The planning, the buying of gowns and tuxes, seeing everyone you love on the wedding day and getting back great photos that capture the day from your photographer. What you might not have given as much thought to is how much time you will need to invest on the wedding day to get those photographs you want.

Your photographer’s style can play a major role in determining how much time you need to invest in your formal wedding portraits. Take a good look through the portfolios of the photographers you are considering. Do you see a lot of obviously posed portraits? Are there a lot of family groupings? Or do you see very little posed photos and more emotion-driven moments in their work? Ask yourselves; what do you as a couple want to see in your wedding photos after your wedding day? Do you want a lot of posed extended family groupings, or do you prefer to limit it to just immediate family? Most couples want a blend of both formal portraits and candid photos. These are the three most requested formal photos:

Family Groupings
This includes such people as parents, grandparents and extended family. Traditionally, these photos are done immediately after the ceremony. However, in recent years because of both relaxed traditions and time constraints at venues, many couples have opted to do them before the ceremony after they do a “first look” between the bride and groom. There are many advantages to doing photos before the ceremony including the fact that everyone looks their best and you are not kept away from family and friends doing photos after the ceremony. However, it’s not a perfect solution for everyone, and some people have religious preferences or other reasons for not seeing each other before the wedding. Discuss with your photographer their approach to family portraits, and form a plan that will work for your preferences and the time you have on the day.

Wedding Party Groupings
This includes the people in your wedding party, as well as ushers, children who are in the wedding, and sometimes honored guests who have a role in your wedding (singers, readers, etc). These photos are taken with the bride and groom present and are often done after the ceremony, but again, can be included in photos taken before the wedding if you wish to save time after the ceremony. If you don’t want to see each other before the wedding, you can ask your photographer to do groupings of just the groom and groomsmen and bride with bridesmaids beforehand.

The Bride and Groom (Couple) Portraits
ISPWP photographers report that couples who devote the time to discussing their expectations for bride and groom portraits are much happier overall with not only their photos but with the experience with their photographer. Listen to your photographer’s advice and trust their experience on when is the best time to do these portraits regarding timing as well as the best lighting on the day. You might love the idea of sunset photos, but if the sun sets right during your dinner hour, you might not appreciate being pulled outside for portraits at that time. By forming a plan before the wedding, you can adjust the schedule or your expectations.

ISPWP Photographers are the best of the best wedding photographers. Known not only for their skills in wedding photography, they also have years of experience to help you plan your photography timeline so they can capture the photos that you desire. Find an ISPWP photographer in your area!

Photo by Benjamin Brette, Paris, France wedding photographer