(Closed) Skip recieiving line and have a photo line instead?

• Ladybug16
• 6 years ago

• Wedding: May 2016

SaraJeanQ:  Not to derail the convo, but I’m personally interested what else happened to make it the worst wedding you’ve been To! :/ So none of us make the same mistakes…

• Ladybug16
• 6 years ago

• Wedding: May 2016

MissHockey:  I like this idea! But it does sound impractical. What if you cut down the amount of pictures to take by putting everyone in larger groups? For instance, during the reception, the DJ can call up sorority sisters, or church friends, or coworkers, or such and such extended family. Hopefully you’d only have to take like a dozen pictures that way?

• Keroppi
• 6 years ago

• Wedding: January 2015

MissHockey:  I don’t remember how big the wedding was, maybe between 75-100 people. (I’m guessing – it was about 10 years ago). I don’t remember it being a really long wait. The photographer was pretty efficient and quick. I think she had it down to about 30 secs per photo. I still actually have that photo somewhere. 

They printed them out with the frame around the photo (the kind actually on the photo paper) with the bride and groom’s name and date on it. It’s one of the few wedding favours I’ve ever actually kept.

If you were going to do something like this, I would suggest a people wrangler. Someone who knows what’s going on and who can put groups together to keep the line moving as quick as possible.

ETA: My husband and I went from table to table and had photos with each group. We had a small wedding (60 ppl) but it was great to be able to mingle. So, that way, we had photos with all of our guests.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by  Keroppi.

• Keroppi
• 6 years ago

• Wedding: January 2015

MissHockey:  No problem. Like I said, the wedding was around 10 years ago, but they had so many personal touches that made it really memorable!

• starfish0116
• 6 years ago

• Wedding: September 2012

MissHockey:  I’m a wedding photographer, and I go out of my way to do what my cilents want (within reason..lol) and I would totally advise against this. The ONLY way it would work, is if you did a first look and did ALL your formals (bride/groom, bridal party, family) prior to the wedding. With that many families, it would take well over an hour. It’s not realistic to allocate 1 min per family because each family is not going to come up and jump right into a photo. They’re going to come up, give hugs, say hello, and THEN get into position. I can promise your guests will not be happy. I’m normally only given an hour after the ceremony for formals, and on the rare even we’re going a bit over (which usually is something out of my control, like family members dissapearing during formals) guests get super irritated when they are made to wait too long.

• Daisy_Mae
• 6 years ago

MissHockey: 

I would just like to get a photo with each of my guests sometime throughout the night. This seems to be the best way possible! — The best way for you maybe, but the worst way for your guests. Nobody wants to stand around for an hour watching other people get pictures taken, waiting for their turn.

Photos are very important to me, as are all of my guests who are coming to the wedding. — If the guests are important, consider their time and comfort and take pictures during your table visits. That really is the best way to do it. People will be relaxed rather than annoyed.

• pinkdaisy12
• 6 years ago

• Wedding: May 2015

MissHockey:  It sounds like a good idea in theory but I think it would take way too long!!!

• SaraJeanQ
• 6 years ago

Ladybug16:  Haha, okay I’ll share.  🙂  Worst wedding ever, here we go:

It started with me rushing to get there, only to have the bride walk down the aisle 45 minutes LATE.  Awful sitting in those wooden pews not wanting to go to the bathroom because I might run into the bridal party, then waiting so long!  Then it was lovely for a bit, until they were doing their personal vows and because of the large crowd and no microphones, we couldn’t hear a word they were saying.  Really disappointing since you could see the wedding party getting emotional, and I was straining!!  Lastly someone played “Signed, Sealed Delivered” on the piano as they walked out, but kept messing up!!  🙁

Reception is where it really hit home though.  As I said, they made everyone sign a guest book as well as a huuuuge piece of wood with their names engraved on it (??) and then pose for a picture  with them.  When you arrive at a reception, you want to walk in and get a drink!!  Not wait in line outside in the WIND for 25 minutes.  We took a picture in front of a cheesy backdrop then we’re in.  They had a “honeyfund” tip jar type thing.  So… now we have to fund the honeymoon?

No DJ (iPod only) = full, boring songs being played.  No alcohol provided, but you could go downstairs to an overpriced bar.  My fiance and his buddy left and went down the street to by liquor and save money/trips to the bar downstairs.  Guests were squashed around the tables.  No buffet or plated dinner – just appetizers brought to the center of the tables.  AWFUL, HATE HATE HATE.  So every time they brought a new one, we awkwardly tried to just take a bit and then they were gone!!  It was like sharing rice on Survivor.  

Speeches from everyone in the family – dad, uncle, mom, cousin, friend, friend, friend, yawn, yawn, yawn.  I enjoyed the first few and then became bad student and talked to my neighbor to save my sanity.

Because of the bland music and lack of alcohol, after socializing, we left pretty early.  Still haven’t received a thank-you card for our gifts!  Fitting end for the worst ever.

 

 

• SaraJeanQ
• 6 years ago

MissHockey:  It wasn’t just that (as you can read above), but it gave it a really negative start.

Trust me, it will not go quickly.  You have to say something – not JUST take the picture, that would be so awkward – and then you have to get positioned, take this fake posed picture where obviously no one is truly having fun in the moment, and send them off?  It’s so ingenuine.  

You obviously seem to have made up your mind, but know that the guests will not like it.  

• Missbliss
• 6 years ago

I think if you do a quick hug and the photographer snaps a photo, that would work, but I also think that’s basically way a receiving line is, a quick moment for each guest to meet the other side of the new family unit and to hug the bride and groom.  I think if you want photos of all your guests, you should get them snapped as you do table rounds to see the individual tables at the reception.  I go to a ton of weddings, and the photo booth thing seems like a neat idea, but I haven’t found it to actually be fun as a guest, even when I have been with a fun group.  Normally it is set up to step out of the celebration and into a random photo shoot.  I think guests would much rather gather round the happy couple and celebrate!  

 

• PacificABee04
• 6 years ago

• Wedding: June 2015

What about a receiving line at the buffet lines if you have one? People have to stand in line anyway. That’s what we decided on. We will obviously have someone get our food for us set aside.