When and how to take pictures is sometimes a thorny issue for couples and parents, depending on their religious traditions. If you follow Jewish traidition, the bride and groom will not see each other for as long as seven days before the wedding. This is tradition, not Jewish law. Though in Judaism longheld traditions sometimes gain the standing and importance of law, many Jewish legal authorities allow the couple to see each other prior to the wedding.

If the bride and groom are not seeing each other on the day of the wedding before the ceremony, on the morning of the wedding the bride and groom will usually take pictures with their individual families. Group portraits with both families are taken after the chuppah and yichud. During this time, the guests usually have cocktails and hors d'oeurves before the actual reception.

The dilemma for some brides and grooms is that taking pictures after the ceremony prevents them from being with their guests during that time. In addition, some brides may worry that their makeup may not be as fresh, especially if the ceremony has been a moving one. Other considerations such as time of day may also come into play. If you want pictures outdoors but yours is a late afternoon wedding, the sun may be setting by the time the ceremony and yichud are over and it is time for pictures.

You might consider taking as many separate pictures as you can before the wedding and leave the photographer a list of what posed pictures you want taken while you are in yichud. The photographer can take as many photos as possible without you while you are in yichud. After you and your fiancé re-enter, he can take pictures with you for fifteen minutes or so. This means you still have some less formal time with your guests at the cocktail hour. You can also talk to your photographer about minimizing the number of posed photos and strategizing for more candid shots, using more than one photographer's assistant if need be.