Family formals shot list template
The twenty minutes of your wedding day most likely to go wrong. This one's grouped in shooting order, with a name table at the top and a section on divorced and blended families. Free, no email.
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Three rules that keep it to twenty minutes
Use real names, not roles
“Aunt Susan” means nothing to a photographer shouting into a crowd. Write “Susan Delaney.” The name table at the top of the template exists for this.
Appoint a wrangler
Someone loud and organized who knows every face — and who isn't in the photos themselves. Give them the sheet. This single decision is the difference between twenty minutes and fifty.
Order the groups so people can leave
Start with the largest group and shed people as you go. Nobody should have to be found twice.
Divorced and blended families
List divorced parents in separate groups and never assume they'll stand together. If a step-parent is being photographed, shoot the biological-parent group first and then swap. Decide in advance whether there's a photo with both households together, and tell everyone the answer before the wedding rather than on the day. Brief your wrangler on which pairings not to call next to each other.
When the printable stops being enough
Family formals break for one reason: the list changes and not everyone gets the new version. A grandparent can't stand for long. An uncle didn't come. You added a stepmother's group two days out. By then the wrangler is holding a printout from six weeks ago. Shot List Planner gives your photographer, your wrangler and your coordinator the same live list, with real names attached to each group.
More templates: all four, the complete list, and getting ready.
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