Formals (family portraits) can seem too plain for wedding party and a photographer, but this type of photos has a long history and several years later you will enjoy seeing them and explaining to your children all interesting moments of the wedding. Here are some tips that will help to deal with the often straining but ever necessary formal shots.

   Designate an organizer
Choose somebody of your family who knows everyone on both sides, or two people that know both sides. Photographers are ready to take pictures of whoever is in front of them. But they can not remembering every aunt and uncle. So, this person will help a photographer to organize people to take photos, ask them to stand and sit in one or another way.

   To meet before the ceremony or not...
There is a question whether the bride and groom are allowed to meet before the ceremony. It’s an important question, as a photographer can use this time to take portraits and save time. If you want to keep the tradition or just for surprise, make sure that you make time to take all the photos you need, but also make sure your guests are taken care of. Two hours for taking photos will go by fast and the guests can be bored waiting for the bridal party's entrance.

   Make a prioritized shot list
A shot list will help to take photos relatively quickly. Firstly, the most valuable shots, then less valuable. If time runs short (it always does), you now have a fallback to cut out the less important shots.

   Informal Formals
"Informal formals" are family and bridal party portraits that look non-traditional. These photos may look artistic, spontaneous, funny, crazy, or dramatic. They can be extremely fun to do and they make great, original pictures. Seeing them later and showing to friends and relatives brings a lot of joy. This type of photos requires imagination and extra time.