14Aug

Stress-Free Family Wedding Portraits

By, August 14, 2020

During your wedding planning, you may likely wonder how to successfully prepare for family photos. With the right formula, family photos can be a smooth process, no matter how big your family is!

Here are the steps we take on our end to ensure your family portraits are a success:

  1. Your photographer sets up a call, typically a month before your wedding day to learn more about your family. We understand that every family is different, so your lead photographer will do their best to understand all of the dynamics before the big day.
  2. On the wedding day itself, there is a systematic and organized process. The process often starts with taking a large group photo of one side of the family (typically the bride’s side first). The photographer will then say something like, “please raise your hand if you are cousins. :)” Once hands are raised the photographer will tell those folks to go enjoy cocktail hour and will ask everyone else to stay. Another picture will be taken. The next announcement may be “Aunts and Uncles, you’re all set and can head to cocktail hour.” What is left at this point is your immediate family, their spouses and any grandparents.  As the crowd is narrowed down, we are able to capture more intimate groupings, such as grandparents, parents and siblings. This method ensures that everyone is photographed.  This same process will be repeated with the groom’s side of the family.

Here are the steps you can take on your end to ensure success: VERY IMPORTANT!

  1. Please talk to your parents or your closest family members! They have often waited their entire lives for your big day and may have a very different agenda for which picture combinations they are after. It is important to make sure everyone is on the same page.  It ensures happiness for all :)
  2. Before your wedding day, the key is to make sure the family knows exactly when they are needed, and where they need to be after the ceremony. You can have a perfect list, but if we are trying to find Uncle Joe, this causes a delay. As long as everyone is ready to go, we will be very fast and efficient, and make sure everyone is captured looking great! The smoother the family photos, the more time you have for romantic couples photos, and fun memorable shots with your bridal party. 
  3. To be efficient, we suggest designating one family member on each side of the family that knows everyone in your family that is to be in the portraits. They should be at the end of the aisle after the ceremony to make sure all the family stays. During the portrait shoot, the photographers will be focused on lighting, composition, backgrounds and giving direct for nice clean shots. If you can have one or two family members dedicated to checking off your photo list, that will ensure everything is captured for you. 
  4. Let your photographer know all of the unique combinations you want captured. Make sure to put that on a list for your dedicated family members to check off. Example: “I want a picture of my third cousin and my Aunt together in a picture with me.” These are shots we wouldn’t know to capture unless specified.
Both the groom and bride's side of the family come together for a full family photo
A groom and his bride pose with the groom's family.
Parents and siblings of the bride pose with the groom.
Mother and father take a photo with their daughter and her groom.
A young bride poses with her mom.
A bride's sisters play her bridesmaids for a day
 
Here is a very general list of potential family portrait combos:
 
○ Bride & Groom All family (both sides)
○ Bride & Groom, Bride’s immediate family :
○ Bride and immediate family :
○ Bride & Groom with Grandparents :
○ Bride with siblings :
○ Bride with Parents :
○ Bride & Groom with Bride’s Parents
○ Bride & Groom with both of their parents :
○ Bride & Groom, Groom’s immediate family :
○ Groom and immediate family :
○ Bride & Groom with Groom’s Grandparents :
○ Groom with siblings :
○ Groom with Parents :
○ Bride & Groom, with Groom’s Parents :
 
*Please let us know about any special family dynamics, including any step parents or siblings that should be accounted for, or people that may not be present
*Please feel free to add in any cousins, aunts, uncles or any other guests of importance that you’d like a formal portrait with, keeping in mind that each group typically takes 2-3 minutes to photograph

Here is a link to check out more family wedding portraits photographed by our studio!
Check this out : Portrait Photography San Diego

13Jul

Have you worked with my coordinator or videographer before?

By, July 13, 2017

Most likely we have worked together, especially if your coordinator and/or videographer has a well-established reputation within the community. The advantage of being around for 17 years is we have worked with so many excellent vendors! Regardless of whether we have worked together, we work well with everyone. So no matter what, you will be just fine ;) We know how most of the pros work, and they know how we work at this point. We’re able to rely on each other’s experience to make sure the day is stress free for our wedding couple. We also communicate with the coordinator or videographer before the wedding to ensure the process is smooth. There’s definitely less to figure out as the years have gone by!  

For example, Christine of Lavish Weddings is one of the coordinators we work with frequently, having done 28 weddings together to date. She shared her take on working with our company: “I love working with photographers from True because I know they get there early and they’re prepared. They communicate with me ahead of time so we’re always on the same page, and they’re very reliable.  I don’t always have that same experience with new photographers.”

Our goal for our wedding couple is to document the day with amazing photographs. By having great relationships with coordinators like Lavish Weddings, and knowing their approach, it enables us to stay ahead throughout the day. And when working with a videographer outside our studio, sharing the same objective helps us to work together, so you end up with the best of both worlds. Check out some highlights made possible by wonderful vendors we work with, and even some of them in action.

Wedding Coordinators help arrange a beautiful cermony
An overall perspective of a wedding ceremony
The videographer and photographers communicate ahead of time so they are strategically placed to capture the moment perfectly as pictured above right.
Beautiful flower girls
Capturing the moment from every angle
Candle and sand ceremony details
The wedding coordinator ensures the details are set up properly so the day runs the way it was meant to be as we were able to capture the sand and candle ceremony shown above.
Wedding Communion during a ceremony
Ceremony by the water against the sunset
Guest with ribbons during a ceremony exit
The wedding coordinator handed out ribbons to all the guests, in time for the bride and groom's exit, which resulted in a beautiful photo (above right).
Sword Exit after ceremony
Luggage tags as wedding favors
Details for table arrangements
An old dresser transformed into a dessert table
This wedding coordinator set up this beautiful teal console table to feature the cake and desserts, surrounded by the bride and groom's engagement photos.
Place settings on wine corks
Bride and groom give out hot sauce for favors
Cake table set up with dessert
Message in a bottle as place settings
Wedding coordinators are vital to executing the details of a wedding. For example, check out this expertly crafted tray of place settings.
Polaroid photos of guest
Overall shot of a brightly lit purple reception room.
Feature wall at a wedding reception
Dessert Options for guest
Beautiful table setting with individual pillows
Grand entrance on a grand staircase
Bride with a marching band
Cocktail hour at Scripps Forum
Guest enjoying their dinner at the reception
Bride and groom enjoy dinner with their guest
Guest enjoy dinner under the stars
Cheers to the bride and groom
Photographer and videographer relationship
Guest dance as the band plays on
Guest singing along to a favorite song
Groom dances with his bride at their reception
Getting down on the dance floor
Videographers can capture the funky dance moves, guests singing out loud, and all the fun motion that goes on at a reception.
Guest hold up their sparklers for the bride and groom's final exit
Bride and groom enjoy fireworks

Check out more wedding professionals we work with frequently, and some of our favorite San Diego wedding vendors

San Diego Wedding Photographer

Wedding Photography San Diego

For over twenty years, True Photography has set the standard among San Diego wedding photographers for innovative, stylish, and timeless imagery. As well, when you are seeking a San Diego corporate event photographer, True Photography leads the way with creative and powerful event photography. Each photographer is hand selected for their creativity, technical knowledge, and charismatic personality. We invite you to view each portfolio, and select the photographer who will best capture your vision for your big event. Your San Diego Wedding Photographer – your San Diego Event Photographer – True Photography. Whether it’s San Diego Wedding Photography or San Diego headshots, or San Diego Events, True Photography will deliver. Check availability: [email protected]

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