Receiving All Your Wedding Photos

So you just got all of your wedding photos back from your photographer. You quickly looked through them and you are thrilled! They recreate the full story of your wedding day and you really feel like you’ve been transported back to that special day. Your final gallery is BEAUTIFUL, but now you’re sitting there and you realize you have NO IDEA what to do with all the pictures…

Well no worries my friend, I’ve got you covered! Below I have all the answers for those of you looking for more insight on what to do with all of your session, elopement, or wedding photos!

Step One: Take a Breath

First, take a deep breath. I know that you are probably receiving hundreds of wedding photos. And I know it can be so overwhelming despite how excited you are to look through everything! That said, when you get your final gallery back, make sure to take a breath and ENJOY all your wedding photos. Take some time to sit down with your partner to look through them together.

Make it a date! Order some of your favorite takeout food and put your wedding photos on the tv. Enjoy a complete slideshow of your wedding day. Allow yourself to celebrate and relive the best day of your life. Share a few laughs and reminisce on your favorite moments from the day.

Step Two: Backup & Download The Wedding Photos

Second, download all of your wedding photos to your computer and back them up to a safe place. I always recommend using an online storage location such as Dropbox, google drive etc. I also encourage couples to store them on an external hard drive as well (maybe two). Unfortunately, I have had external hard drives fail in the past which is why I save all raw and final wedding photos in multiple locations (including 2 external hard drives). Here is a link to one of my favorite hard drives if you need a high quality hard drive: Lacie.

Once your session, elopement, or wedding photos have been uploaded to the hard drive, put that hard drive in a safe place. I recommend a fireproof safe if possible! These are your wedding photos, gotta keep those babies safe (even if it means a small fireproof safe)!!

Step Three: Print and Share Your Wedding Photos

This part is probably the most exciting part of this process! This step is where you get to bring your wedding photos into your home for everyone to enjoy. In order to begin ordering prints or albums, I recommend sitting down with your significant other for a second time and pair down your wedding photos to your favorite 20 or so. Make sure you have allowed yourself time to look through all the photos before sitting down to select ones to print. Revisiting the final gallery allows you to really select your all time FAVORITE images from the wedding day.

Once you’ve compiled a selection of your favorite pictures, now its time to prepare for printing!! Deciding what type of prints and where to get your prints done at is a very personal choice (feel free to contact me for printing recommendations and questions). That said, I typically direct my couples to their final gallery where they have access to an automated print store. Here, they are able to select desired images from their galleries for print! After answering a few questions regarding size and style, the order is sent off for processing. in just a few weeks, your order arrives at your door! It really is as simple as that!! Once your order arrives, unpack those beauties and get them hung up and ENJOY!!

Step Four: Think Outside The Box

There are so many other ways to share and use your wedding photos. Here is just a list of some other ways to spam all your friends and family with all your favorite images!

• Share them on Social Media
• Create a Wedding Album
• Print some to create a scrapbook from your wedding or elopement day
• Feature them on holiday cards
• Create “Thank You” note for all your wedding guests
• Guest book (especially using engagement photos)
• Create unique gifts using Etsy or Shutterfly
• Submit to have your wedding published (ask me how)

Step Five: Touch Base With Your Photographer

The final step in this process is not necessary, but highly recommended. If you had a positive relationship with your wedding photographer or if you absolutely loved your wedding photos, reach out to them. Send them a text or an email saying your loved the photos and have them printed out and hung up in your home. It may feel like you are bothering us, but I can honestly say that I LOVE it when couples reach out. I get so excited when you tell me which photos you printed for your home! Trust me, I am so exciting to see you share your wedding memories with your family and friends!!