Maine & NH Wedding Photographer // You Don’t Need 87 Family Formal Photos on Your Wedding Day. You Need These 9 (and a Plan)

AKA: Let’s Not Spend Your Entire Cocktail Hour Wrangling Uncle Bob

Let’s talk family formals. You know, that part of the wedding day where we pause the fun and wrangle every blood relative, in-law, and person who’s basically family into one place for the most organized chaos of the day.

Here's the thing: You don’t need a million combinations. You need nine.
These nine get all the VIPs in, keep things running smooth, and give Grandma something to proudly frame next to her 1998 Precious Moments figurine collection.

Here’s your solid, no-fluff formal photo list that actually covers everyone:

1. Bride & Groom with Bride’s Parents

2. Bride & Groom with Groom’s Parents

3. Bride & Groom with Bride’s Siblings

4. Bride & Groom with Groom’s Siblings

5. Bride & Groom with Bride’s Grandparents

6. Bride & Groom with Groom’s Grandparents

7. Bride & Groom with Bride’s Immediate Family (Parents + siblings + spouses/kids)

8. Bride & Groom with Groom’s Immediate Family (Same deal—parents + siblings + spouses/kids)

9. Bride & Groom with Everyone (Both families together)

Boom. That’s it. That’s your gold standard. You can add more if you really want (shoutout to the aunts who helped raise you and your favorite cousin who flew in from Switzerland), but this list right here? It hits all the must-haves without sucking the joy out of your cocktail hour.

Pro Tips from Someone Who’s Been in the Trenches:

• Tell people ahead of time. Like, days before. Tell them when and where to be for photos. Otherwise, we’re sending out a search party for your brother who “just went to pee.”

• Keep the space near the ceremony site clear. We don’t need a full-on receiving line forming while I’m trying to get you in 9 combos before the sun dips behind that one tree.

• Assign a family wrangler. Preferably someone with a loud voice and zero shame. A cousin who used to teach kindergarten works great.

Here’s the deal: I love family formals. They matter. But we can do them quick and painless if we go in with a plan. I’ll make sure Grandma’s in focus, your dress is fluffed, and everyone’s looking like they were thrilled to be dragged into a group photo before their first drink.

Let’s knock ‘em out, then get you back to the good stuff: food, drinks, dance floor, and catching your niece trying to twerk in her flower girl dress.