Although my wedding portfolio emphasizes unposed moments, nearly all weddings also include some posed portraits, usually called the formal wedding photos, or “formals”. I encourage clients to schedule some time for these photos for family historical purposes. Formals usually include the bride and groom, their parents, immediate families and wedding party.
Five Key Formals
For most weddings, there are five key formals (which may be all you need):
- Bride and Groom
- Bride and Groom with Parents
- Bride and Groom with Bride’s Family
- Bride and Groom with Groom’s Family
- Bride and Groom with Wedding Party
The family photos may be just immediate family and/or extended family. Each family and each wedding is different, so feel free to make a portrait list that is unique to your wedding. Some weddings don’t have a wedding party, etc. Just be sure to schedule enough time for the portraits that you’ll want — about 3 minutes per photo is usually good, but more for the bride and groom, and more if there are big groups. Here are some examples of the five key formals at one wedding:
Other Possible Formals and How They Affect the Schedule
Of course, many other formals are possible. If you would like more than the five key formals, be sure to schedule more time, and make sure the needed people will be present. With everything happening at a wedding, staying on schedule is often the biggest challenge. Keep in mind that more portraits may mean less time for other activities, and subjects tend to get tired if they have be in many posed photos. A list of five key formals may take just 15 minutes to complete, while a list of 30 formals may realistically take 90 minutes! If you have more time, here are just some of the many possible variations:
Examples of Wedding Formals from Various Weddings
The above examples are all from one wedding. Let’s look at some examples of formals from other weddings:
Of course, formals sometimes have fun “in-between” moments:
Wedding Formals Indoors
The above examples are all outdoors and in daylight. Outdoors is generally preferable, but wedding formals can also be done indoors. Sometimes the weather is a factor, or the sunset is early, or indoors is just more practical. Here are some examples of indoor wedding formals:
Wedding Formals in Black and White
Wedding formals are usually in color but can also be in black and white:
Wedding Portraits Without Looking at the Camera
Wedding formals are generally of people looking toward the camera, but posed photos sometimes have the subjects looking at each other:
Or looking away:
Casual Portraits
Of course, weddings offer opportunities for many casual portraits or unplanned portraits that are not part of the formals (click any photo below for a larger view):