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We’re Cayla + David, stars of our own pop-punk love story and artists committed to capturing yours. We’re a husband and wife production team based in Austin, TX devoted to telling love stories through photos and film that will last forever.

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Your love story is filmworthy.

How to Organize Family Photos on Your Wedding Day

Wedding Planning

As an Austin wedding photographer and videographer team, one of our goals is to make your wedding day as stress-free as possible. This means it’s our job to organize your family photos at your wedding and make sure you get photos with everyone you want and still enjoy cocktail hour! Every wedding is different, and each family requires its own special considerations. That’s why we communicate thoroughly before your wedding so we know exactly who you want photos with, how they’re related to you, and if there are any family dynamics we should be aware of.

A black and white photo of a bride and groom kissing while the rest of their family cheers

Planning for Your Family Photos in Advance

We send each of our couples a questionnaire that includes a section dedicated to the family photos you want on your wedding day. Here, we start you with a list of common combinations and let you check off the ones you want and leave blank the ones that aren’t relevant for you. Then, you can fill in any combinations we didn’t list. This way, we can create a list that flows easily and minimizes chaos. We even take stamina and age into account, taking photos with young children and grandparents first!

A template of your family photo list could look a lot like this:

COUPLE TOGETHER

Kids (flower kids, ring bearers)
All grandparents
Bride’s Parents
All Bride’s Immediate Family
All Parents + Siblings + Grandparents
All Parents + Siblings
All Parents
All Groom’s Immediate Family
Groom’s Parents
All Siblings

PARTNER 1 ONLY

Kids (flower kids, ring bearers)
Parents
Parents + Siblings
Parents + Siblings + Grandparents
Grandparents Only
Siblings

PARTNER 2 ONLY

Kids (flower kids, ring bearers)
Parents
Parents + Siblings
Parents + Siblings + Grandparents
Grandparents Only
Siblings

Managing Challenging Family Dynamics on Your Wedding Day

When we create a list of blended or separated family photos on your wedding day, we consider every household involved. For example, if the bride’s parents are divorced, she may want a photo with her parents and step-parents. On the other hand, the mother of the bride will likely only want that portrait with her current partner. Similarly, with blended families, there are often many different sibling pairings to consider. And some family members may not want to be in photos together at all! This is why we maintain such a high level of communication before the wedding, so we can be prepared for these nuances and treat them with respect and consideration. We want every person we photograph to feel seen and respected.

A family takes a photo with a bride and groom in front of the altar after a wedding ceremony

When To Reserve Time for Your Family Photos

Whether or not you choose to have a first look on your wedding day, we still recommend taking your individual photos with your immediate family before the ceremony. Taking family photos around the same time you take photos with your wedding party minimizes portrait time after the ceremony, allowing everyone to enjoy more of cocktail hour! If you are doing a first look, this is the perfect time to knock out all the immediate family portraits, including photos of both partners with the whole wedding party, all sets of parents, siblings, and grandparents. This way, you only need to take photos with extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) after the ceremony. We love this plan because it lets everyone enjoy cocktail hour, or allows the couple to eat a private meal before the reception.

Family photos at a wedding beneath an arch of white flowers

How Long Will Family Photos Take?

We recommend allotting 20 minutes after your ceremony for family photos, but we always include a buffer in case they run long! Twenty minutes is usually more than enough time for five larger groups (usually extended family) and 10 smaller groups (immediate family). If you had a first look and all of your immediate family portraits were taken before the ceremony, it might not even take the whole twenty minutes! But we always make sure you have more than enough time, so no part of your wedding day feels rushed.

General Tips for Taking Family Photos on Your Wedding Day

Over the years, we’ve figured out how to make family photos run smoothly. We want to share those tips with you! First, we always recommend alerting the family members you want to have photos with. This can be simple text before the wedding, but you can also have your officiant mention it at the end of the ceremony. However, people still tend to disappear. So we recommend giving your family photo list to someone who knows everyone on it and can pull people in quickly. Feel free to ask us for a PDF version of your list! We are happy to provide that if you’d like to share it with your family. This way, we can ensure that we are all working off the same list and not causing any confusion.

A mother and father of the groom watch a wedding ceremony joyfully A father of the bride begins to cry after seeing his daughter in her wedding dress

Experienced Austin Photographer and Videographer Team

No matter how complicated your family may seem, I promise that we can handle it with grace and care! Throughout our high-touch planning process, we will learn everything we need to know about your family to ensure that taking family photos on your wedding day is quick and seamless.

So, if you’re getting married in Austin, Texas, we would love to be your wedding photographer and videographer team! We love capturing love stories and would be honored to capture yours. Head over to our contact page to tell us all about your wedding!