Family Focused Wedding

This family focused inspirational shoot describes what every wedding should be – focused on loved ones who’ve come from near and far to share in the celebrations of the day. From the simple but oh so stylish white table to the gorgeous dresses for both bride and bridesmaids, this wedding shines!

We love how the guests’ clothing is all coordinated too, for family wedding photos that will serve as keepsakes of the day for generations to come. And the chosen desserts like peach pie, what could be more appropriate?

What to Look for in a Venue for a Family Focused Wedding

Family weddings are always incredible. The best part? You already know how many family members will be going out of their way to make your big day special. Having a family-themed wedding also means that you and your partner must ensure you have enough space and accommodation for all your guests. When searching for wedding venues, it is crucial to think about the area you would want. It is best to opt for something that has special meaning for both your families.

Some good examples would be a vacation spot or resort that your families have frequented at different times over the past, destinations that the family has been waiting to see, or places that are on everyone's bucket list! Adding a bit of longing and fulfilling everyone's dream is a sure-fire way to ensure there's a lot of hype about the wedding venue!

Food for a Family Focused Wedding

Are you having a family focused wedding? You better have fabulous food! Include all the favourites from over the years. If you both have a list of dishes close to your heart, you should speak to the caterer in advance about having these included in the wedding menu. While many may not get the taste exact, at least a close replica on your wedding day will suffice.

If there are any caterers in either of your families, contacting them and asking them to include unique dishes that are family favourites would also be a great idea! Some couples also ask family members if they would like to cater the wedding. Don’t forget to include the peach pie!

Table Setting Style for a Family Focused Wedding

There is a lot of scope to make the family feel unique with the table setting. To start, you should have special seating and comfortable cushions for your grandparents and any of their siblings attending. Doing this makes them the focus of your special day and ensures that they are all looked after during the reception.

Having unique, customised placemats for each of your family members with their names or a caricature of them could be a fantastic way to make them feel included. Having the placemats with their names also removes the need for name holders at each table, and you can have table numbers with family photos.

Wedding Invitations for a Family Focused Wedding

When considering wedding invitations for family focused weddings, you could take inspiration from the classics. Since there would be plenty of elderly relatives, senior citizens, and loved ones attending, a beige background with graceful gold script never fails. However, if you want something young and trendy, yet family-oriented, you should take some tips from your parents' wedding invitations.

Many couples store their invites and usually show them to young children or grandchildren. Including your parents, grandparents, and siblings in the wedding invitation design and adding elements that they feel will add value will be an excellent way to make them feel a part of your wedding and get them excited. If you want to go paperless, most of these invitations can also be digitised with design elements and wedding colours.

Wedding Dresses & Accessories for a Family Focused Wedding

Most brides opt for a meaningful wedding dress. For example, some little girls have dreamed of wearing their mother's or grandmother's wedding gowns. That trend evolved with pinned dresses, fashion tweets, and more. If this sounds like you, and you have always fantasised about wearing a vintage wedding dress, then you should reach out to senior family members about resizing their gowns.

Many brides also prefer starting their dress from scratch. However, doing that means you must plan everything, including the accessories, well in advance. For wedding accessories, you could ask an elderly aunt for a blue hairpin so that it adds beauty to the dress and acts as the 'Something Borrowed and Something Blue.'

Groom Style for a Family Focused Wedding

Groom style for a family focused wedding should be centred around vintage fashion and grace. Borrowing inspiration from the cupboards of your father and grandfather would be a great start. Senior family members are usually happy to help with the cut and fabric selection and would love to come with you for the fittings.

Having a family focused wedding doesn't only mean having family members present for the wedding day and reception. It means making all your loved ones feel included and making them feel like they are a valuable part of your big day. Also, asking elderly family members for advice and guidance is a great way to receive blessings, ensure everything is authentic, and keep them happy!

Wedding Cake Ideas for a Family Focused Wedding

Wedding cake inspiration should be from old photos, favourite styles, flavors, and more. Recreating a wedding cake from your grandparents' wedding will be highly nostalgic for everyone attending. If you don't want such a vintage design, you could opt for the same flavor combinations or add a few gourmet touches to the entire cake to make it look fantastic and taste heavenly!

Another great idea would be to ask friends and aunts to contribute a pie or a small cake! Imagine cutting into your great aunt Magda's world-famous pie at your wedding! How nice would that be? Getting everyone to contribute a small cake or pie and cutting into it at the wedding will make the family laugh, smile, and come together to eat.

Wedding Photo Shoot Ideas for a Family Focused Wedding

Wedding photoshoots should always be about the bride and groom. With family focused weddings, you have plenty of scope for some gorgeous portrait shots with various family members. If you have your grandparents visiting, ensure you click the best portrait shots with them so you can treasure these memories for years to come.

If possible, you could also have some instant photos or a flash photobooth so everyone could sign their pictures, write some wedding advice, and hand it to you. These things will make the photoshoot interactive, fun, extremely inclusive, yet significant and precious to you. Setting up a hashtag, and spreading the word to cousins and friends will also help get some fabulous photos for the long term.

Wedding Reception Music and Entertainment for a Family Focused Wedding

Most families are known to dance to a few sets of favourite songs. Think Christmas, family gatherings, childhood barbecues with cousins, aunts, and uncles, and you are sure to remember some of the music. It would be great to include numbers from the weddings of your parents, grandparents, and favourite aunts and uncles when it comes to wedding music.

Including music that everyone loves is a great way to ensure they have special memories of your big day. Adding some fabulous feet-thumping tunes to get your grandfather and grandmother off their chairs will also be a hit! Remember to have a professional photographer click as many family photos of laughter, crazy dancing, and of course, family portraits.

Favours and Gifts for a Family Focused Wedding

Wedding gifts on arrival for all family members and loved ones should ideally include something that you and your partner enjoy, yet know that the family will love too! For instance, most families are very particular about their tastes. Each guest can receive a cocktail voucher or drinks and starters welcome bag at check-in to ensure everyone gets in the celebratory mood.

The wedding gift bag could include some gourmet popcorn, a small bottle of wine, chocolate and sea salt crackers, wasabi-dipped peas, and the schedule of events for the wedding, reception, and brunch the day after. Wedding favours for family weddings should be focused on mementos of love like keychains with family names, a small bottle of perfume reminiscent of a senior loved one, and more.

Family Focused Wedding Inspiration

This family focused wedding inspiration shoot from the talented Byron Loves Fawn Photography duo is probably the longest feature I’ve ever shared here on Burnett’s Boards and with good reason! This Australian dream team of vendors created one of the most heartwarming, loving, and inspirational celebrations ever.

Whether you have a big family, a small one, or if you consider your closest friends, your family – joyous get-togethers are always a blast. Having a family centred wedding that focuses on the culture of your family is the perfect way to celebrate your wedding with those you love most.

For a family themed wedding choose a venue that has special meaning to you all like where your parents got married or a home that you have your yearly celebrations at. Include members of your family wherever you can and ask your photographer to take portraits of everyone, but especially parents and grandparents that you can treasure forever.

One fabulous detail that is coming up is a unique take on a family tree. The family tree you’re about to see was created using string wrapped around a tree and photos from all the generations of the family were placed around it.

Instead of a traditional wedding cake, ask your aunts and friends to each contribute a pie! I love this idea so much. It adds character to this styled shoot and who wouldn’t want to have Nanna’s famous peach pie at their wedding?!

Family style tables at your reception are a must and the paper placemats with each family member’s name on them are a fabulous way to stay chic while keeping a relaxed and intimate atmosphere.

Wasn’t this shoot great? Don’t you miss your family now? (I do!) I’d like to give a big Mahalo to Jennifer Gifford Designs and Byron Loves Fawn for sending these images my way.

If you love what this team of vendors did here, then be sure to check out another shoot of theirs I’ve had the honour to feature here!

Credits: Photography: Byron Loves Fawn // Fashion Styling: Jennifer Gifford Designs // Styling & Hostess Gift: Imbue Weddings // Floral Design: Cotton Blossom // Furniture & Prop Rentals: One Day House // Venue: Mt Gravatt Showgrounds // Jam Favors: Old Harvest Jam // Paper Goods: Wolley // Officiant: Chiquita Mitchell // Desserts & Pies: Brown Betty’s Bakery // Bridal Attire: Jennifer Gifford Designs // Hair: Clare Adams Artistry // Makeup: Jacqueline L Smith Makeup // Groom’s Attire: Wil Valor // Groomsmen Ties: Marcello Neckwear // Car: Woody’s Surf Car Hire // Bride & Groom: Julia Rigby & Steve Mylne // Other Models: Vicki Vaughan, Glenn Hare, Bill Orr, Barbara Orr, Clare Adams, Miguel Shaw, Michael Mientses, Taylor West-Taylor, Nikolas Taylo, Melita Taylor, Jocelyn Neuendorf, Laura Maskell, Tarik Orr-Shields, Dakota Lowe, Maeve Gifford, Eden Gravenall, Abigail Newdick..