Huge wedding party!

[Maui Kim]

Well I know this has been discussed before but I went to a rehearsal last night for my saturday wedding and they had 9 groomsmsn and 9 bridesmaids plus bride and groom makes a bridal party of 20...now I can see this in a huge church or outside but we will be in a tiny church..they have to curve around the sides of the alter to even fit! I'm not sure how this will look for photos but I plan to focus on the b&g anyway...any ideas or samples for group shots? Any advice on posing? I'm a bit intimidated..it will be so hard to round them all up for photos!

[picturecrazy]

With a group that big, I'd do a random grouping. Put B+G in middle, and have everyone just kind of huddle around them, and shoot high from a balcony or something. Man, I've seen 15 bridesmaids and 12 groomsmen, 4 flower girls, and a ring bearer. That's crazy, I don't even have that many friends!! :)

For the rest I'd separate them to a more manageable number. I'm sure toogiepoo would be able to find some kind of crazy wild arrangement for that many people.

[Toogy]

oh now Lloyd not you!! you're calling me toogiepoo? but you are right I could come up with something for that many people :)

[ToddziLLa]

I like Lloyd's balcony suggestion. It gives you more room to work with in addition to a "cooler" angle for the photos.

[Maui Kim]

Thanks guys..I will take a ladder as I have no balcony..come on "toggiepoo' lol...you have any examples? Pretty please..:)

[picturecrazy]

oh now Lloyd not you!! you're calling me toogiepoo? but you are right I could come up with something for that many people :)

hahaha, yeah, it's a funny name, so why not?

[Toogy]

I don't have any examples with that many people, but my wedding a couple of weeks ago had a fairly large wedding party:

http://www.pbase.com/toogy/image/82291859.jpg

[Maui Kim]

Thank you toogy...great arrangement! Great pic:)

[tim]

Yeah I really like that pic Toogiepoo :p

[howzitboy]

20 people? yikes! nitemare wedding but what i would do is get a wide wide angle lens (to increase dof) and try get a few of them during ceremony. then get far back with regular lens to get shots not distorted.

Ladder would work great but have someone hold it for you. those things get shaky and scary. ive used before with big groups and it works fine.

If the church has steps, put couple at the top with girls in that row and guys below on second or lower steps. No steps might have guys kneel for one or two shots?

or have them each get into couples and arrange the couples all over the place(like toogy's shot).

good luck and post up shots u get!!

[Moments]

20, try 34+, I forgot the exact amount, but thats the largest BP I had. (BTW, I've had other groups thrown at be that were larger (80 - 90) and had to pull it off in a heart beat) I knew it was only possible to do the groups at another location we were going to, that had an area with steps which I could use. Just a thought here, maybe you might have found this out when you interviewed your clients. Just be glad you know it prior to the day. Have fun.

[Maui Kim]

20, try 34+, I forgot the exact amount, but thats the largest BP I had. (BTW, I've had other groups thrown at be that were larger (80 - 90) and had to pull it off in a heart beat) I knew it was only possible to do the groups at another location we were going to, that had an area with steps which I could use. Just a thought here, maybe you might have found this out when you interviewed your clients. Just be glad you know it prior to the day. Have fun.

Thanks for the advice. I did ask prior and they said they hadn't decided yet. So that's why I learned 2 days before. :)