I have no idea how long I’ve been writing about weddings, but it has been a long time. I’m sure throughout the years I’ve talked about how certain things are important. I’m sure I’ve even claimed before that one thing or another is the most important thing. Anyway, things change and there still are lots of things that are important, but today, we are talking about the #1 thing you must do after your wedding.
The #1 Thing You Must Do After Your Wedding
Imagine your wedding is over, and you’ve come back from your honeymoon. Your memories of the wedding day are still pretty vivid, but some things are already starting to fade. Your photos are going to be the thing that helps you remember your big day for the rest of your life and be passed down to your children.
Digital Disaster
Here’s the thing, how will you share those memories and enjoy them yourself? Do you really think people want to go through 100 images on Facebook or do you really think you’ll look at them that often on your phone? Are you going to be able to access digital files 30 years from now?
The Glorious Prints
The #1 thing you must do after your wedding is get your photos printed! You need something physical, that you can touch and see on a regular basis. When you have something physical there, you will see it as you go about your day. You’ll see the album sitting on your table and the large canvases on the wall when you sit in your living room. You’ll see the prints on your nightstand right before you go to sleep. Every time you see one of those photos, no matter how briefly, your brain will jump back to that memory.
Physical prints are also much easier to share. When you have guests over, they will automatically go and look at your photos on the walls. If they want to see your entire wedding day, you simply hand them an album instead of crowding around a phone or computer screen.
The Ever-Changing Format
The same is true for preserving these memories. High-quality prints and albums are much easier to store and keep up with throughout the years than digital files. Just in my lifetime (36 years at this point), I’ve seen digital formats change from floppy discs, VHS, to CDs, to DVDs, to Blu-rays, to USB drives. My computer doesn’t even have a disc drive now, so it’s difficult to see anything from the past 10 years. Think about how often Apple changes their cords. In the future, you could easily find yourself without a way to access your digital files.
DIY Printing
Now, how should you go about getting these prints made? Yes, you could do it yourself if your photographer allows it, but honestly, will that really happen? How many projects have been sitting around your house for the past few years? Life gets busy and things get pushed aside. The same will probably happen with your photos.
The Better Option
The best option is to have your photographer take care of it. It’s part of their job, so it will definitely not be forgotten, and they will do a better job as well. With that said, I want to briefly show you some software I have and what it’s capable of.
Creating Albums and Prints Quickly
I use Fundy to create slideshows, albums, wall art, and cards for my couples. The best part about it is how quickly and easily I can do it. What would probably take you 3 hours, I can do in 30 minutes. For example, to create an album, I simply pick the photos, the number of pages, and hit Auto-Design. From there, I can move photos around and resize them with a click of the mouse.
The same goes for wall art. I can either use a sample wall or actually use my couples’ wall if they send me a photo. This way, I can quickly make collages, and we will know exactly how the size looks on their wall.
Need to get those thank you cards out quickly? I can choose from tons of templates, and pop in a photo and text in under 5 minutes. Boom! Done!
I wouldn’t be spending all this time and effort writing this if I didn’t believe it. I want what’s best for my couples, and I truly believe that prints are the way to go. You spend all this money on your wedding (and your photographer), don’t you want to get the most out of it? I believe the best way to do that is to have physical prints and products, so you can enjoy your wedding day all the time, not just when Facebook reminds you!
