So, What To Do With All Of Those Wedding Photos?

So, your photographer has just sent you all the proof for your four hundred plus wedding pictures (I have heard numbers as high as four thousand). Of course, just like I did, you will spend plenty of time squealing over each and every one of them, perhaps making fun of your guests or giggling at the wedding party's goofy expressions.

You will be proud of how beautiful you looked and sigh that it's all over (the wedding, not the marriage). But now, what to do with all of these pictures?! I think I have a few ideas, and maybe you will get a few of your own as you read.

For me, coming from a creative and crafty family, my first instinct is to create your own scrapbook. If you and your spouse undertake the project together, it could be even more fun. You can take turns decorating pages or you can do each of them as a team. Be sure that you get quality albums and supplies that will preserve your pictures through the years.

If you aren't sure that you are "crafty," enough to undertake the project, talk to your photographer and see if he or she included a scrapbook or album in their professional package. Again, you will want to ensure that your photographer uses quality materials that will hold up after being extensively handled through the years.

Whichever route you choose--and it doesn't have to be one or the other (you can do both!)--keep it on display for guests to see. Simply setting it on the coffee table makes it accessible.

If you haven't mailed out your thank you notes just yet, you might consider printing or creating your own customized notes which include images from the big day. I'm at that stage of life where many of my peers are getting married, so when I receive thank you notes, I have a difficult time remembering who they're from. A photograph of the day would be an instant reminder.

Don't forget your parents, grandparents, siblings, and other loved ones. They will want to have their own framed mementos from the day. You might want to give them portraits which include the individual to whom the picture is gifted, but it isn't entirely necessary. But, just like you, they will want to cherish the memories.

Finally, don't leave out the possibility of unique photo art that you display in your home. Your photographer did a great job, especially with the photo editing, giving the pictures that popular "glowing," look, but you can take a step beyond that if you so desire to change the tinting or even give the photos a watercolor look to them. Make each photograph something truly special!

Wedding photos are meant to be an easily accessible reminder of the commitment you made to your spouse on that special day. They can also reflect your own special taste and style--after all, those are part of what brought you two together in the first place!