A Guest Post by PBA Anton & Natalie Photography
It's a couple of months after your wedding day. The honeymoon is over, the cake has been eaten, and you have made unforgettable memories with your loved ones. One day, your wedding photographer sends you your wedding gallery, which beautifully documents the entire day.
When you sit down to look at the gallery with your partner that evening after work, you're both bursting out into laughter, tearing up at the best moments of the day and smiling ear to ear as if you are living your wedding day all over again.
It's euphoric, and you can't stop staring at the photos in a digital gallery. You identify some of your favorites, then close your laptop for the night. Remember to download your gallery and write to your photographer to tell them how much you loved your photos! What comes next?
With modern digital photography and digital gallery delivery, some photographers still include some print products or physical wedding albums in your wedding photography package. However, most include a print release and a complete digital gallery, which is great! It allows couples to choose where, when, and how they want their photos printed. This also leads to many couples forgetting to create a physical product and make their wedding a more tangible memory.
Don't just download your gallery onto your computers and leave it. That euphoria you felt looking at your favorite photos can happen every time you walk by that framed fine art print in your front hallway. It can be the heirloom album left on your coffee table to share with family and friends over the years. There are other reasons why printing your wedding photos is so important as well:
1. Not everyone important to you will see your photos online. Whether you post on social media or email your gallery to family, some of the most important people in our lives may not have access to a computer or any social media if you don't send them your gallery link. Many gallery links eventually expire, too, which means those people will only have a limited time with your wedding gallery. Printing photos for wall art or an album to display in your home will always allow those special people in your lives to revisit your wedding day.
2. Technology isn't a guarantee. While I always recommend backing up your digital gallery on two devices and cloud storage as a photographer, technology can fail. When you print a photo, it is real and tangible. It will never go away.
3. They make a home feel even more like home. Having photos of important moments of your life with loved ones will always give you a sense of love and familiarity within a space. No matter where life takes you, a photo of you with the one you love most will make your space feel complete.
4. Someday, the people you loved most at your wedding might not be around anymore. As someone who has experienced the passing of a loved one after a wedding, I can confidently say how grateful I am to have printed photos of that loved one. It helps me remember that person for all of the good memories we shared during our time together. Pictures of people from a day so important as your wedding will be treasured forever, especially if one of those people in your life passes away.
5. They tell a story—your story. These photos will be passed down for generations. I know because my family still has photos from my grandparents' and great-grandparents' weddings. These are heirlooms.
There are many print products to choose from; where do you start? The best place to start is by identifying anywhere from 50-120 photos to put in a physical wedding album. I recommend an Album 99 from Nations Photo Lab. There are endless customizable options, from color to fabric to the cover layout.
Once your album arrives, it becomes easier to identify your absolute favorite photos to have printed as wall art for your home. You could use the classic Premium Canvas Prints in large format or a series of smaller prints to create a gallery wall. I am also a big fan of the beautifully mounted Framed Prints from Nations Photo Lab for an elegant and timeless design in your home.
Of course we must also send thank you cards! Nations Photo Lab has so many options for beautiful photo cards to send to your guests!
