Top 15 Wedding Party Photos That You Must Have For Keep Sake!

Wedding Party Photos You will Not Want to Miss!

When it comes to wedding party photos, many couples are at a loss for what to expect. What exactly are wedding party photos, and should we have them? These are fair questions for couples when they are planning their wedding. After all, they will only get married once, and the wedding world that so many of us vendors take for granted can be daunting to the soon-to-be weds. But rest assured, I’m going to set you straight!

Hello! I am Antonio, an award-winning wedding photographer and owner of White House Wedding Photography. In this post, I will offer some clarity on the definition of “wedding party photos” and the top 15 wedding party photos that are absolute must-haves. So, let’s get on with it – shall we?

What Are Wedding Party Photos?

Well, this may seem like a no-brainer to some of you. But nevertheless, wedding party photos are photos taken of your wedding party. These photos are usually done before or after your ceremony. A wedding party consists of all the individuals you selected to help you plan and execute your wedding.

Here is a quick list of people who make up the wedding party:

1. Maid/Matron of Honor or Honor Attendant
2. Groomsmen & Bridesmaids or Attendants
3. Best Man or Honor attendant
4. Flower Girl or Flower Child
5. Ring Bearer or Junior Attendant
6. Mother/Father of the Bride/Groom or Parents
7. Officiant
8. Ushers

Of course, this is not an exclusive list of the wedding party members! Your wedding party will consist of as many or fewer personnel of your choice. For example, you may opt out of having a ring bearer, or you may want to add a candle lighter to your wedding party. 

However large are small your wedding party is, you will want to make sure that you are allowed some time to get photos of yourself with them on the day of your wedding. This is an essential part of telling your wedding day story. 

15 Wedding Party Photos You Must Have

As a wedding photographer that loves what I do, I can easily get lost in capturing your wedding party on your wedding day. But truth be told, there are only so many hours on your wedding day and the time given for your wedding party is hardly enough. So what are you and your photographer supposed to do? 

You have to prioritize the pictures you want of your wedding party. Generally, your photographer will have a specific workflow for capturing your wedding party. If there are particular pictures you would like of your wedding party, make sure you let your photographer know ahead of time. 

Here at White House Wedding Photography, we always have a pre-wedding day consultation with the couple approximately 45 

to 30 days out from the day of the wedding. This consultation gathers all the essential information about the day of the wedding and the couple’s photography wants and needs. The final consult is a perfect time to let us know about your wedding party photo needs. 

Dang! I can be long-winded at times. So without further ado, here are my 15 must-have wedding party photos.

1. Best Man or Honor Attendant Helping The Groom or Marrier Photos. Your honor attendant is usually a close friend or family member tasked with having your back. It is a huge responsibility! A good honor attendant can make a tremendous difference between the groom having a fabulous wedding day experience and a miserable one. Therefore, you should get a couple shots of your attendant attending to you. Candid pictures of the best man helping you into your jacket or bowtie are classic and shouldn’t be missed.  
2. Individual Formal and Fun Portraits of The Honor Attendant. Get photos of the honor attendant by themselves and with the groom. 
3. Attendants or Groomsmen Photos. Attendants play a unique role in supporting the groom throughout the wedding planning and on the wedding day. So, ensure that you get photos of them individually and as a group without and with the groom. 
4. Maid of Honor (MOH)or Honor Attendant and Bride or Marrier’s Photos. The maid of honor duties is similar to the best man’s duties. Honor attendants for the bride are the bride’s closest confidant responsible for helping to plan the wedding and advising and caring for the bride. A photo of the maid of honor buttoning up the back of the bride’s dress is a must-have. I typically like to start with an overall shot showing the honor attendant buttoning or lacing up the marrier’s dress in front of a mirror or a large window. Then I like to zoom in and get a close-up shot of the maid of honor’s hands on the buttons or lace. Another must-have is a formal full-length shot of the bride fully dressed. If time permits, by all means, get some fun shots.  
5. Candid and fun Attendants or Bridesmaids and Bride’s Getting Ready Photos. Get a couple of group photos of all the bridesmaids and the bride in their bridal robe. Be sure to include the maid of honor and flower girl in these pictures. 
6. Bride and Her Attendants Champagne Toast. This is a fun picture to have before everyone gets dressed. 
7. Formal and Fun Portraits of Bride and Bridesmaids. These sots are to be taken when everyone is dressed. 
8. Candid Pictures of The Groomsmen and Groom. Before the boys or girls get dressed, get a couple of fun pictures with them. Pictures of them doing shots are playing a round of pool is fun and helps to tell the wedding day story. 
9. Formal Individual and Group Shots of The Best Man, Groomsmen, And Groom. These formal shots should be done when everyone is fully dressed. If time permits, be sure to capture a couple of fun photos too. 
10. Candid and formal Flower Girl or Flower Child Photos. It is easy to miss the flower child during the getting-ready session. You will want to include the flower girl in the getting-ready pictures. I like to have the flower child in the group getting ready photos with the adults. I will also do a couple of images with just the flower child, and I make sure to catch the flower child walking down the aisle at the ceremony. 
11. Candid And Formal Ring Bearer or Junior Attendant’s Photos. Like the flower girl, the junior attendant is easy to miss during the getting ready session. Try to include the junior attendant in the group shots. Also, get a couple of individual pictures of the junior attendant. And definitely get a photo of them walking down the aisle at the ceremony.
12. Mother of The Bride or Groom Photos. Often times the mother of the bride will help her daughter get ready. You don’t want to miss getting some candid shots of mother buttoning up the bride’s dress or helping her get into her shoes. You will also want to get a couple of formal pictures of just mom by herself and mom and daughter, mom and son, etc. 
13. Father of the Groom or Bride Photos. Fathers are essential members of the wedding party. Include them in all the candid getting-ready photos, the fun pictures, and the formal portraits. Don’t forget to get a couple of formal individual shots with father and shots of father and son or daughter. 
14. Officiant’s Photos. Yes, you will have plenty of images of the officiant officiating the wedding. However, after the ceremony, you will want to get a couple of shots with the officiant, the marriers, and the witnesses signing the marriage license. Also, get some pictures of the newlywed and the officiant. The officiant and newlywed will appreciate it. 
15. Wedding Party Group Photos. I always get a couple of formal and fun group photos of the entire wedding party.

As you can see, a lot of foresight goes into preparing to photograph and tell your wedding day story. Therefore, good communication between you and your photographer is paramount. In addition, understand that the wedding party photos are equally important in telling your love story as the ceremony, reception, and couple’s photos. 

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