Wedding Talk: The Group Shots

As much as your wedding is about you two love birds officially coming together as a couple, it's also a union of (and often reunion for) your two families. It's important to document their presence, as it plays a big role in your big day.

Formal group photos have been the preferred route to accomplish this for who-knows-how-long. The breakdown is simple: everyone lines up, girls hold their flowers at their belly buttons while the men fold their hands neatly. Then, everyone plasters on a big grin and waits for the photographer to count to three. But, it really doesn't HAVE to be this way anymore. Or at least not if you hire So Many Moments!

My goal with every wedding is to take the best possible photos for each unique couple's celebration. I strive to capture their style. And being that I'm so lucky, I keep getting fabulous clients with loads of style! (*knock on wood*) But, they don't always seem to know what they're "allowed to do". Is it ok to NOT do formal photos all together? Are there other options for group photos? YES and YES. You can do whatever you want! It's your day!

But really, why I'm bringing all this up in the first place, is to talk about how much time these photos take. Time that is inevitably keeping us from shooting the fantastic things happening that we can't always catch if our cameras and lights are positioned to take a formal shot. I try to encourage my couples to skim down their formal lists, in hopes that they will realize there is so much more magic in the actual interaction between their families and guests when they aren't lined up classic formation. I've also found that the playful moments in between the formal poses can be a really fun way to grab photos that tell a story with a bit more flavor.

A classic debate between Matt and I is the future and necessity of the formal shots all together. I believe they are important, but should be done in a fresh way. He thinks they'll fade out all together. What do you think?

I'm going to close with my favorite of Matt's group shots from our last wedding; only because this little girl that was NOT into group shots and it made for a wonderful one!



If you've hired So Many Moments for your upcoming wedding, and have some fun ideas for a less traditional approach for your group shots, shoot me a message and let's chat!