If you want to ensure that all of your guests are photographed at your wedding, taking table photos is a good way to do it! There are a different ways to accomplish this, and pros and cons to each. 

The traditional way of taking table photos is to have the couple make their way around the venue, stopping at each table for a group shot of everyone at that table with the couple. Depending on how many guests are at the wedding, this could take up a lot of time during dinner. If you as the couple feel like you have too many guests to make a stop at each table but still want everyone photographed, you could still have the photographer go around the room and take a photo of each table without the couple in it. 

Although table photos are a popular way to have everyone photographed, there are some downfalls as well.

• If you as the couple want to be in the photos, everyone will want to congratulate and talk to you while you’re at it, which is great, but it takes up time from your own dinner.
• Tall centerpieces and big decor items on the tables may need to be moved to capture everybody, and sometimes that can be dangerous if they are heavy or glass.
• Since these are taken during dinner, the photos will likely have half eaten plates in them on the table, which doesn’t make for the best photo. 

The three images below were all taken at the same wedding. Notice the difference in lighting, half eaten plates, and table shape! Compare these to the images below and you’ll see the difference the next tip makes!

The easiest way to take group wedding table photos

In my opinion, the best way to take table photos is to take all of them in one location, either at the sweetheart table or a specific spot in the venue like a cute corner or decorated wall. The pros to this are:

• The guests come to you instead of you going around the entire venue to each table.
• You can have the DJ announce each table one by one to come up to you so every table gets a turn to be photographed with the couple.
• The lighting will look the same for each photo so they only have to set up the flash in one place. This really helps us photographers save time!
• You, as the couple, are actually able to eat in between tables coming up to them and the photos are cleaner and look nicer without dirty plates on the tables. And I mean, you don’t want to be hangry on your wedding day!

Just LOOK at the difference that made!! All the images are exactly the same! Well lit (since I didn’t have to move my flashes or worry about window or the over head lighting being diffrent as I move around the venue) AND now the focus of the image is about the people. We’re not getting distracted by dirty plates or un even lighting and we can just focus on your people (also your guests will LOVE these images as well since they get a good shot of their wedding outfits captured without the table cutting it off!)

The Table Dash

Another fun way to get guests involved AND get the table photos done in under 5 minutes is called the table dash! Its when the DJ/Band plays a song and the couple and photographer have to run form table to table taking a group photo trying to make it to the last table before the song ends!! Guests LOVE this and they get so creative with their ideas! Make sure your wedding DJ/Band & MC do this immediately following your entrance into the reception to make sure the tables are still clean for the photos and no one is sunning around with a full tummy (YUCK!)

Other fun ways to capture your guests

If you don’t want your photographer spending so much time of the night taking posed photos, a fun way to ensure most if not everyone is photographed is to give out disposable or instant cameras to the guests so they can take their own photos throughout the night and you can save some for a photo album and your guests can have physical copies of photos to take home with them that night. Instant cameras can be pricey and these days it can be hard to get disposables developed, but they turn out so cute and that way you have access to the photos your guests take! 

My favorite add is a photo booth, like the one I offer with my wedding photography services! Victoria Saint Martin Photography offers a high-end virtual photo booth that takes photos, gifs, videos, and boomerangs, and you, as the couple, get a virtual copy of all the images taken throughout the night! Visit my contact page for more information on photo booth options! Having a photo booth the best way to let your guests who really want photos of themselves have sun and take a keepsake home! I’m my opinion, its the cheapest and most memorable party favor you can gift them!