Group photos can be an important part of your wedding photographs, but nobody wants to spend ages standing around while different combinations of people are organised.

For many couples, these photographs might be one of the few times they have parents, grandparents, siblings, close friends and other important people together in the same place. So if they matter to you, they are worth making a little time for.

The key is having a plan before the wedding.

I will help organise everything on the day, but there are a few things we can do beforehand to make the whole process easier and get you back to enjoying the wedding with your guests.

MAKE A GROUP PHOTO LIST

Before your wedding, I will ask you for a list of the group photographs you would like so I know exactly which combinations are important to you.

There is no standard list you have to follow. Every family is different, so think about the people you genuinely want photographs with rather than trying to include every possible combination.

That might include parents, grandparents, siblings, immediate family, your wedding party or anybody else particularly important to you.

Keeping the list manageable also means we can get through the photographs without taking too much time away from the rest of your wedding. If the list starts getting particularly long, we can go through it together and work out the best way to organise everything.

Giving me the list beforehand also means I can plan the order of the photographs and know about anything that might affect them. There might be family circumstances I should be aware of or a particular photograph that is especially important to you.

That way, when it is time for the group photos, we already know what we need and can concentrate on getting everyone together and keeping things moving.

ASK SOMEONE TO HELP GATHER PEOPLE

This is one of the simplest things you can do to make group photos easier.

Choose somebody who knows your families and guests and ask them to help gather people when we need them.

I might have everyone's names on a list, but that does not mean I know who everybody is. Somebody who can immediately spot Uncle Dave across the room and bring him over is much more useful than me trying to work out which guest I am looking for.

While I am photographing one group, they can also start finding the people we need next.

It keeps everything moving and means you do not have to spend your time rounding everybody up yourself.

LET PEOPLE KNOW THEY ARE NEEDED

If somebody is going to be needed for your group photographs, it can help to let them know beforehand.

You do not need to give everyone a detailed photography schedule. Simply letting close family and friends know that you would like them for photographs after the ceremony means they know to stay nearby.

Once the ceremony finishes, people naturally start finding drinks, catching up with other guests or heading in different directions. Knowing who needs to stick around can save quite a bit of searching.

This is particularly helpful for anyone who will appear in several of the photographs.

START WITH THE BIGGER GROUPS

When it makes sense, I like to organise the photographs so we are not constantly calling the same people backwards and forwards.

We might start with a larger family group and then gradually move through the smaller combinations, allowing people to leave as we finish the photographs they are needed for.

This can be particularly useful for grandparents, young children or anybody who might not want to stand around waiting for a long time.

Exactly how we organise things will depend on your group list, but having it beforehand means I can work out an order that keeps things moving.

THINK ABOUT WHERE THE GROUP PHOTOS WILL HAPPEN

Where we take your group photographs can make a big difference to how smoothly everything runs.

We need enough space for the groups on your list and somewhere your guests can get to easily while we work through the photographs.

Accessibility matters too. If grandparents, young children or anyone with limited mobility is involved, I will take that into account when deciding where it makes sense to photograph everyone.

We also need to be flexible with the weather. If we cannot use the area we originally planned, I will look at the other options available and adapt where needed.

If you would like a photograph with every guest together, let me know beforehand. Larger groups need more space, and some venues may have plenty of room outside but fewer options indoors if the weather changes.

You do not need to work all of this out yourself. I will help decide what works best once I know the groups you would like and how your wedding day is planned.

GROUP PHOTOS ARE NOT JUST THE ORGANISED ONES

Your planned group list makes sure we photograph the people who are particularly important to you, but those will not be the only photographs you have with your guests.

Throughout the wedding, I will also be looking for people spending time together naturally. That might be friends laughing during the drinks reception, family members catching up, reactions during the speeches or everyone enjoying themselves later in the evening.

There is room for both. The organised photographs give you those important pictures of everyone together, while the rest of the day gives me the chance to capture your guests as they actually are.