After all the matrimonial dust has settled and you’re basking in the afterglow of an epic wedding for the ages, you still have another goal to accomplish before you can be worshipped at the Temple of Groom. You need to lock down a foolproof strategy for sharing your wedding photos. It might sound obvious, but memories fade—photographs don’t. They actually do, but now the internet preserves everything we do forever. This is your opportunity to bury your late-nights-from-sophomore-year photos in your feed with some top-knotch beautiful photos from your wedding. Boy, have you grown up.
Go With A Pro
If you had a professional photographer at your wedding, it’s a safe bet that she or he has a boatload of photo packages to offer you. The question is: How much are you willing to cough up? If you’re not paying attention, this option can kick you square in the budget. Be sure to price out all the packages carefully. On the plus side, it’s incredibly convenient. Simply select your favorite photos and the type of album you want. You’ll be able to choose from a wide variety of professional-grade materials and designs for your personal album, plus beautiful parent albums and as many extra prints as you’d like to pay for. This is some seriously timeless and classy stuff, so it justifies the extra cabbage—if you have it.
Try DIY – It’s more personal (Read: Affordable)
Once you have the digital files back from your photographer, you can choose to design your own awesome physical photo books. It takes a bit of time but it’s worth it. You and your bride can reminisce and get creative, while you design a truly personalized keepsake for yourself and your families. There are dozens of sites and apps that are affordable and intuitive, featuring everything from simple drag-and-drop templates to completely customizable layouts. Of course, pricing will be determined by paper quality, cover options and the sizes you select. Some of our favorite DIY photo book sites include Blurb, MILK Photo Books and Artifact Uprising.
The Digital Age
Physical photo albums are important momentos for you and your family but what about the rest of us? We want to go online and peep for free like we do every night. But what’s the best peep place for your precious pics? For creating simple online photo albums, you’ve got a lot of great options to choose from. It’s a snap with popular sites and services, such as Flickr, Shutterfly and Facebook Moments.
Call In Social Services
Even if you have a professional photographer, it’s always fun to experience the emotions and excitement from your guests’ perspective. The best way to do this is to ask everyone to use the same app for sharing photos and videos in one place. How does that work? Ain’t no thing—just include the app details on your invite or send out an email with info on how to use it. We’ve all tapped enough apps to figure these things out. Here are some cool options: WedPics, WedSocial and Eversnap. Or you can just keep it super-simple and ask all the Instagramers in the house to use the same hashtag, like #SamAndDiane2018.
—Danny Gallagher
When it comes to you, your parents and the in-laws, big budget physical albums are always a first-class option but don’t be afraid to save a few bucks and design your own. Everyone else will love reliving the magic online. Regardless how much money you spend, your wedding memories are truly priceless—so have your photo strategy developed early.
