Print the Pictures

I feel like I have the upper hand sometimes when it comes to being a wedding planner. I don’t mean because I get to be “the person” the bride goes to or because I get to be “in the know” of everything. How I really view this job is an opportunity to meet couples, form relationships, give my personal advice, which I guess could just be seen as an opinion and most importantly make the brides dream come true.

I have some advice for brides today, but of course I’m sure you’ve heard it before. My couples pick the photographer they use on their wedding day for a reason. The photographer captures the story of the two of them in every image. He or she matches the style the couple is looking for and as far I have seen, they choose this person because they can connect with each other. A photographer is such an important aspect of a wedding day and I constantly encourage brides to choose the photographer that they love. I remind them of the memories the photographer captures, the relationship that can be built through every session together and the lasting visual they will have forever.

Now here’s where the advice comes in. Print your photos. Having the images from the most important day of your life thus far easily accessible on the computer is amazing. Everyone wants to see your pictures on Instagram and Facebook, as your phone background and even your computer desktop. I know unlocking your phone and seeing you and your sweetheart makes you smile and seeing them when you get home makes you smile even harder but what about everyone else that was there? What about when you have children of your own or nieces and nephews you could flip through a wedding album or see family, friends and you and your husband up on the wall in the hallway?

I used to flip through my parents wedding album because it was sitting on the side table in our living room. I loved to look at it and see all of the family in the pictures, the different styles from when they got married in the 90’s and everyone being together. My mom’s bridal portrait is in our dining room and I’ve always loved it! My parents have been married for 28 years so photos on a flash drive or through a portal weren’t really an option, so I get it, it’s easier to just upload them but I promise printing at least a few will bring so much joy to you and others. 

I got to look through my grandparents and great grandparents wedding albums a couple of weeks ago. It was the coolest thing I have seen. Not only were they filled with pictures, but there were all of the guests names as well as what gift they brought hand written on pages upon pages in the book. Their wedding invitation was on the front page and ya’ll, it looked like it was printed yesterday. These books haven’t been “preserved”, they’ve been taken care of but no special care to keep them in tact. I got to look through them and see news articles, pictures of people from the 20’s, the t-length dress my great grandma wore and the coolest part? I found out my great grandparents were married on my birthday in 1922. 4 generations later and these pictures and important pieces from a wedding day almost 100 years ago are still bring joy.

You don’t have to get them printed on a giant canvas and display is in your family room (although you can, and I’d probably gush over it if I were invited over), you can simply frame a few, put them in an album or sting them up over your kitchen window. I’m not a photographer and it takes me a good 15 minutes to make an iPhone picture look good but I definitely value the images I have, whether they are of family, friends, pets or things. Memories flood back when you look at them. My best friend moved to Japan just over a week ago and she’ll be there for two years with her new (amazing) husband. I don’t get to see her every week like I used to and the time difference makes steady, normal conversations quite difficult. I had a blank wall in my room that is slowly being covered in my version of a gallery wall. You can guarantee she’s in at least half the pictures as well as other friends, family and Huck. I’m grateful that my phone has the capabilities of taking awesome photos, Snapfish for delivering 21 pictures for less than $10 and clearance frames. It’s that simple and now that wall in my room is one of my favorite things to look at. When is the last time you looked at pictures from your wedding or an event that happened? If it was more than 2 days ago, print some pictures, then you’ll see them every day!