Group photo time calculator

How it works

Each group gets a few minutes: 2 for a small group, 3 for a medium one and 5 for a large one. A photo of everyone takes 10 minutes for up to 80 guests, 15 for up to 150, and 20 beyond that, because a crowd has to be moved, arranged and checked for closed eyes.

Two things slow everything down. With nobody but the photographer finding people, the total goes up by 30%. Without a written list in order, agreed before the day, it goes up by another 25%, because each group has to be decided on the spot. Five minutes are added at the start for getting the first people in place, and the total is rounded up to the next five minutes. The range shown runs 20% either side.

These are working rules of thumb, not survey data, and published estimates differ. Boho Weddings suggests around five minutes for a group of two to eight people, and says most photographers can finish the group shots in 25 to 30 minutes given a sensible list. Zola allows about 30 minutes for close-family portraits and suggests keeping to about 15 groupings. The per-group figures here are lower because they assume the next group is already waiting at the side; if yours won’t be, raise them in the assumptions.

Assumptions

• Small group 2 minutes, medium 3, large 5.
• Photo of everyone: 10 minutes up to 80 guests, 15 up to 150, 20 above that.
• No helper: times 1.3. No written list: times 1.25.
• 5 minutes of gathering at the start; total rounded up to the next 5 minutes.
• Over 45 minutes, the tool works out how many small groups to cut to get back to 30.

Questions

How many groups should we plan?

As few as will cover the people who matter to you. Each extra small group adds two minutes or more, and a long list is the usual reason the drinks reception runs out before the photos do.

Why does a helper make such a difference?

A photographer who has to find each person stops taking photographs. Someone who knows the families, an usher or a cousin, can have the next group ready while the current one is being shot.

What counts as a large group?

Sixteen people or more, such as both families together or the whole wedding party. Large groups take longer to arrange so that every face can be seen.

Can I change the minutes per group?

Yes. Open the Assumptions panel and set your own figures, or ask your photographer what they allow.