Sometimes weddings are the only time that your whole family can get together for a nice dressed up picture. But for most people, family photos probably aren’t what you’re really excited about when it comes to your wedding day. It can seem really overwhelming to get everyone together, smiling, and focused during a wedding day with a strict timeline. However, we’ve got good news for you: family photos on your wedding day do not have to be that thing that you dread! In fact, they can be a total breeze.

Here are a few tips for making the most out of your wedding day family photos, and making sure everything goes smoothly:

Choose a location with great light and a clean background.

As your photographers and videographers, we’ll probably be giving you some guidance on where exactly we recommend your family photos to be. We’ll want some place with natural and even light—we prefer shaded areas with non-distracting backgrounds. We also really love when we can get photos in front of old brick walls or tons of greenery. Feel free to have a place in mind, but also understand that we will be giving some guidance as well.

Have your timeline in mind.

Remember, we only have a limited amount of time to get through all these family groups, so it’s important that we make sure we have a timeline and a plan. For your family photos, you can estimate that every group will take approximately three minutes to photograph (when you consider the time it takes to gather each group, arrange them, and fluff your dress). Read more about our recommended wedding day timeline here.

Try to keep it small.

With your timeline in mind, we recommend that you consider limiting these family photos to only ones that you know you are going to print and frame. It can be hard when you feel the pressure of every family member ever wanting pictures with you in that moment, but consider selecting only immediate family members to be involved. And remember, you can always grab some more pictures during the reception with other extended family members, too! Check out this blog post about our recommended family photo shot list.

Communicate with your family members beforehand.

A good tip is to think ahead—make sure everyone who is in the photo knows where to be and when. There is nothing worse then waiting for your dad who ran off for cocktail hour while we are still trying to get through these photos (we’ve seen it a time or two). If your family members know that they’re going to get pictures right after the ceremony then they’re more likely to stick around.

Let your photographer know of any family matters.

We hate to say it, but sometimes there’s drama in the family. While we hope that everyone can come together and put their differences aside for your big day, it’s just better to be prepared anyways. Communication is key, so be sure to let your photographers and videographers know of any family tensions or special circumstances beforehand so that we can avoid any unplanned issues.

Brides… don’t move!

This is a funny one, but honestly such a big help. Brides—when we fluff your dress, position you just perfectly, and have you set where we want you, don’t move! It takes time to fluff your dress again, fix your veil, and do all of the things if you’re moving in between every family shot. You can just stand there while family members move about around you.