How to Have Family Formals Run Smoothly on Your Wedding Day.

You may be feeling a bit stressed when trying to plan your family formals for your wedding day but remember they are super important! Your whole family is gathered together to celebrate YOU and it's not every day you will get to see everyone in one place.

1. KEEP IT SMALL

I send all of my wedding couples a form to fill out that I use to help streamline the formals portion of your day. There is room to add anything you feel I've missed or any special photos you'd like to request. When you're planning family formals think about having the following people included

• Bride and groom

• Parents (and/or stepparents) of the bride and groom

• Siblings (and/or stepsiblings) of the bride and groom

• Spouses of siblings

• Children of siblings

• Grandparents of the bride and groom

As I mentioned previously I will send my couples a very detailed form to fill out that will cover your family's formal shot list. I will reference this list on your wedding day to make sure no one is left out and we get all of those important images. Limiting the number of people in your family formals will help your day run smoothly and we can always get that big photo of everyone later in the day!

Tip: If you want a group photo of your friends from college it would be a good time during the reception to have your DJ call them out so people can gather easily.

2. Communicate & Delegate

It is important to let your family know that they will be needed for this part of your wedding. I would suggest sending them an email in advance to make sure they know the location and time you want them to meet for family formals. I also suggest that you have your officiant request that your family sticks around after the ceremony for family formals. If you plan on having family formals before your ceremony I would suggest having someone from your bridal party round up everyone needed for these photos.

In my pre-wedding questionnaire, I have all my couples fill out information about their family and if there is anything I should know ahead of time. If you are feeling embarrassed for any reason just know that I have seen it all and having family drama is totally normal! It's better that I know about your brothers who hate each other ahead of time so I can properly plan around this so a fight doesn't break out on your big day.

3. Location

Do you want to have your family formals take place at your church/ ceremony space, venue, inside or outside? Having a location predetermined will help everyone stay organized and informed on where to meet you. It is always a good idea to have a backup plan in case of emergency (if you wanted to take photos outside your venue but it begins to rain do you have another location in mind)?