5 Fun Group Wedding Photo Ideas

5 Fun Group Wedding Photo Ideas
I don’t ordinarily spend a lot of time planning group photographs. Usually the environment and the group’s personality guide me on how to proceed. Group shots can be relatively formal, particularly when parents and grandparents are involved. This is not a bad thing, grandmothers really love those type of shots. While I’m always happy to pose groups this way – it can actually be fun – these are not the photographs you rush to put on Facebook.

I’m betting you’ll want to be more, shall we say, creative and personal with these special pictures. Particularly of your wedding party, who are probably some of your closest friends. Now “creative” isn’t necessarily something you’ve seen in a magazine. You know the ones, everyone jumping, everyone picking up the groom, everyone dancing in a line, etc. These are certainly fun and you probably want that same feeling. But how about making it a bit more expressive of you and your friends, not just a copy of some photographer’s typical group shot? If you are willing to think about it ahead of time, here’s some suggestions on creating your own unique choreography.

First: What do you and your good friends like to do when they are with you or all together? Go places? Do things? What things? TV, Clubs, Ballgames, etc.

Katie and Rob are live theater performers, as are most of their close friends. We were just doing one of those boring crowd shots when I remembered their mutual interest and shouted “Hit it!”. They all just knew what to do.

Second: Where do you hang out when you’re together? Like they say in real estate, location, location, location. If someplace is special to you, go there. If it’s not close by, go there a different day or go to something nearby that’s similar.

Lindsay & particularly Mark love coffee. On the way to the reception, they took their wedding party on a detour to the local Starbucks and it made for a wonderful shot.

Third: When your friends are together, what’s their “personality”? Cool? Theatrical? Zany? Irreverent?

These are guys’ guys. Athletic, outgoing and . . uh . . unrestrained. Without any encouragement from me, they decided they needed to do something outrageous. Now what you don’t see in their sans pants pyramid is that it was done just as all the guest were arriving, in front of them. Oh my.

Fourth: Props. Props can pretty much create their own fun. More importantly, naturally set you and your friends off on unrestrained action. So what rings a bell with you and your close friends? Bicycles? Dogs? Footballs? Balloons? Umbrellas? Pillows?

With Lindsay & Mark’s friends, someone would yell a suggestion and the group would hit the pose. It was like watching a synchronized swim team.

Finally: Attitude is everything. Be yourself but remember, this is supposed to be fun. Don’t be “deer in the headlights”. Strike a pose. Be a star. The camera loves a vamp. You will too.

Lindsay & Mark demonstrating that you don’t have to do anything more than to show a little attitude . . . or a lot.

Brit & Chris now really into the posing. I momentarily got them in a “classic” pose just before this shot but then they were off again. First the girls and then the guys. Oh, my.


About the Author:

Dan Derby, Wedding Photographer

The spirit of a wedding day lives in fleeting events, unfolding without direction. Wedding photojournalism is how the story of a wedding day can be captured artfully. Trained as a designer (BA & MFA) and skilled in visual story telling, Dan Derby works quietly throughout your wedding day making sure this happens. He is based in New England but travels where ever he’s needed.

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