Wedding Photos - Are you including long term girlfriends/boyfriends of siblings?

Thats a good question. I guess i planned on it. But my MIL on her wedding had her children with thier significant others in the pictures and most of her children are not with the same people so she doesn't display them. And when she did her kids would ask her to take it down. So if its either or i would vote without.

I don’t think we have this issue, but if we did what we would do is take some photos without the significant other(s) and then some with them. That way, if the SO ends up staying in the picture, they’re there in the photos but if not, you don’t have a “useless” picture.
Thats what my grandparents used to do with family photos when they were on vacation if one of their kids brought a SO.

I would only do it if you did some with/without. Things happen...you don't want someone who is not in your life forever to be in those photos. I had a serious bf (2.5+ years) when my brother got married...he was in no pro photos and is no longer in our lives lol.

My advice would be to grab them for some no-pro photos later and just only include people married or engaged in your family pics. They should understand...doesn't mean you think the relationship won't last.

I would just do family. You’re going to want to display these pictures, you don’t want to make it awkward in the future when your family comes over and you have pictures of exes on your wall! My FSIL just got married this weekend and I was in the family photos, but I’m sure only because I’m engaged to her brother. If I wasn’t engaged with a date set, things probably would have been different.

I’m also torn on this one. My brother has had an on/off girlfriend for years and we love her. They were off for a little bit after college bc everyone needs to sort things out around that part of their life but are now back together. Like I feel like I would like to do both, but I’m thinking back to my sisters weddings in the last 4 years and while she was in attendance at both, I don’t think she is in any of the pictures.

Whether siblings are married or not, their relationship could end. I would do some with SOs and some without.

I don't think it'd be a big waste of time to do one with and one without. One picture takes a few seconds. I think it'd be a good idea to do that, so it keeps them included but also gives you a safety net if anything were to happen in their relationship.

Just take some with and without them. I have a sister in law (Married to my brother) and I don’t assume she’s going anywhere but my photographer took some family photos with her and without her

I think one with and one without is perfect. You want to include them and you'll want them in the photos if they end up staying together... but it'll still be nice to have some photos that are just your family, especially if they end up splitting up

Do the family photos without, and then the sibling photos one with the SOs.

We did both, we had some family photos with just immediate family, but some we included partners. This worked out fine! My sister's boyfriend at the time is now her husband, so I'm super thrilled he was in our pictures. My BIL's long term girlfriend at the time was also in some, and they aren't together anymore, so most of the ones with her in them didn't make the albums. I'm still glad she attended and was in some of the pictures because that was an important relationship at the time and I was touched she wanted to travel to celebrate with us.

I'd take a variety and include the partners in a few group shots, and even some shots of just each couple, so they'll still be included in the photo session but you'll have plenty of options if the relationship ends poorly. I'd build up to it and start with just parents, then add siblings, and then add partners - just so no one has to awkwardly ask the partners to get out of the shots!

Great advice! I think we may go the without them then with them route, just so they feel included. Thank you everyone!

I probably will not do this. You never know if those people will still be in the picture 10 years from now. I don't want to look back at my wedding photos and go, "who the hell is that guy?"

Most of our wedding party members are married, so we will have some photos with them and their spouses and kids. But my cousin's flavor of the month? Nope. Sorry. I'll take a pass on that.

Yes. I’m doing photos with just my siblings but also including plenty of photos with their SOs. If they break up it is fine. Life is always changing.

I would only include a spouse and even then I'd take some pictures with just immediate family. Sadly relationship status' change day to day but family is always family. Hate to say it...but you don't want the pictures you've spent tons of money on to be a sore reminder of someone else down the line later.

We will be doing a picture with my siblings and their spouses/ significant others and one of just my siblings. Only one of my brothers is not married but I love his girlfriend so much that I'd want her in the pictures regardless. I second what another comment said, even married couples can break up so get a shot with and one without.

We’re including my FH’s brother’s partner. They’ve been together forever and the partner is basically brother-in-law. No one else has significant others so it makes things easy. I would be reluctant to include an SO unless they were very serious and even then we’d make sure to only have them in one or two of the family
photos.

We did it both ways! My photographer had us call out our parents and we took a few shots, then we added our siblings and a few more shots, and then the significant others and any children they have.

I would recommend nixing the boyfriends/girlfriends, unless the couple has already gotten engaged. It would be horrible if the BF-GF in the photo break up after the wedding picture--then you are stuck with an eternal reminder, and so are they.

When my niece got married in September, I had been engaged for only 4 days. There was some debate over whether to include my fiancé in the photo (and some of the other people complained because their SO was not allowed in the photo), but the photographer recommended that he be a part of the picture, because, as he was now engaged to me, he was going to be a part of the family.

Do both! My now FHs family did some pro photos about a year ago, myself and my FSIL who gets married next week (they weren't engaged at the time) were in some photos, and asked to step out of some photos, wasn't weird at all, nobody was upset. You'll be glad to have them in the photos if things work out, glad to have the photos without if things don't.