It always tears my photographer heart out to think about all of your pretty images just sitting on your computer screen, but at the same time I know sometimes it’s like “Whoa, I’m obsessed with my photos, but what do I do with them now?!” Trust me, hundreds to thousands of photos is a lot more than you realize, and sometimes it’s hard to know where to start, but I want you to get those photos offline and into your home so you can actually ENJOY them, relive the memories of your day, and appreciate your love over and over!

First things first, I’m giving you permission to stop feeling like nobody wants to see more pictures or that no one cares once you’ve posted them once. That couldn’t be further from the truth (or they’re just not YOUR people!) Getting engaged and married is a big deal, and you should feel pumped to show that off! Trust me, your people LOVE cheering you on and want to see more from the biggest day of your lives!

 Now that you’re ready to share more of your amazing images, here are a bunch of practical and fun ways to use them!

 

1. Download your FULL gallery & back it up! 

There are SO many couples who keep their photos in their online gallery and never actually download them. As convenient as it is to have easy access to the photos online, to ensure the safety of your images for years to come, you should save them to multiple secure locations (external hard drive, USB, cloud storage, etc.)

2. Upload a Facebook Album 

Most people NEVER do this, which is so surprising to me! Posting to Facebook is the easiest way to share a TON of pictures! Don’t forget, you’re not the only ones who are super excited to see your photos – your guests are, too! These are also their memories, so make sure you tag them! It’s so nice for them to be able to look back on your wedding day just like you do!

3. Create your Heirloom Album

Whether you decide to order your album through me or DIY it, it’s so special to finally have something that can sit on your coffee table that displays your best day ever! If you’re working with me, I will help make the process as quick, seamless, and stress-free as possible! Trust me, DIYing it seems like a good idea, until you have to narrow down 1000+ images into 100 faves. On top of that, you’ll have to design it in a way that tells the story of your wedding day. Sounds like a heck ton of work to me and, usually, couples never get it done if they’re left to do it themselves. By working with me on your album, we can get that heirloom album into your home in just a few weeks! I’ve got you!

If you do want to DIY your album, but you love WAY too many pictures, a really unique option would be to create your wedding album into sets! A full album dedicated to each part of the day – getting ready, first look & portraits, wedding party & family portraits, ceremony, reception! It would be like you have volumes of albums that can tell the full story of each part of the day!

4.Order Prints or Canvases Through Your Online Gallery 

You have the quick and easy option to order prints, cards, and canvases directly through your online gallery! They are great quality and will get sent directly to your home if you choose to purchase anything! Trust me, I’ve had plenty of couples text me that the prints they got from Walgreens, Target, etc. came out looking terrible 🙁 Professional printing is in a league of its own!

5. Send Gifts

My fave! It’s SO special getting a hand-written card especially when you’re feeling distant from your family and friends or can’t see them all the time! How sweet would it be to order a print of you and each of your bridesmaids with a ‘love ya’ note. A framed print for your grandparents or a duplicate of your wedding album for your parents to keep on their coffee table would also be such AMAZING gifts! It’s always a good time to send something unexpected!

6.Create a Guide

No need to become a full-time wedding blogger now that you’re married, but you do have a wealth of knowledge after going through the wedding planning process! Maybe you could create a PDF guide in Canva or Word with some fun tips, helpful resources, guidance and insight for other future brides! Some quick ideas would be: 

-What I would do differently now that I’ve planned my wedding

-Tips for choosing your florist

-A few things to remember on your wedding day

-Stress-free planning tips

-How to use your engagement session photos on your wedding day

Then you could share them in all of the wedding Facebook groups you’re in! Remember to pop in some of your fave wedding day photos to inspire other couples who are going through all of this for the first time, too!

7. Share Inspiration in Facebook Groups

There are TONS of wedding planning groups on Facebook and what better way to inspire other brides than by giving them new ideas for their big day! Share your favorite photos to show how you made it happen or share the blog post from your day!

 

8. Share Your Images on Instagram by Category

Start an Instagram challenge for yourself and share your top 10 favorite pictures from each part of the day! This will give you an excuse to share more than just a few fave portraits on your spouse’s birthday or your anniversary! Get your married friends involved and tag them to share their faves from each part of their wedding day, too!

9. Change/Update Your Profile Pictures

This one is easy! Spruce up your social media profiles from Facebook to LinkedIn!  Tip: Recommend your wedding party to do the same – the groomsmen’s individual portraits specifically are always great for LinkedIn!

 

10. Submit Your Photos to be Featured on a Blog

Although I will oftentimes submit weddings to blogs myself, I don’t always have the time to submit to multiple for each wedding! If you have a favorite wedding blog in mind or think that your wedding would be a perfect fit for a certain one, submit it for a chance to be featured online or in print!!

11. Change Your Desktop or TV Screensavers/Slideshows

This one is just a fun way to brighten your day! On our TV at home, we are able to upload pictures through Amazon to play as a screensaver when we’re not watching, so we actually uploaded all pictures of our dog! It cracks us up, but you can totally make it pictures from your engagement session and wedding day so you always have a changing slideshow of your love! Oh, and you can update your phone background with your photos, too!

12. Get Crafty

This one excites the heck out of me! Hop on Pinterest or YouTube for DIY home decor inspiration and make a little date night out of it! I love the idea of a pressed glass floating frames where you press your invitation, dried florals from your bouquet, photos from your day, extra lace from your gown, etc. into it to create a collage!

Another crafty option is getting custom made items like stamps or stickers! For custom stamps, instead of choosing a very wedding-related photo that would only be good for wedding thank you cards, maybe look for some fun detail shots or nature moments and make pretty stamps for all your future mail! Do you love putting stickers on your laptop or notebooks? You can actually upload your images to a website like Stickerapp and order custom stickers from your wedding!

One more really fun option is getting an image made into a paint-by-number kit! How fun would it be to paint one of your wedding photos? This would be one paint-by-numbers you’ll actually WANT to complete!

I hope that these ideas give you some motivation for what to do with your photos aside from scrolling through them in your gallery! I never want you to realize a year later that the only place your wedding photos are displayed is online, so I’m here if you need any help or suggestions on how to get started with your images! But the main thing is to just PRINT them in some way! Even a few photos for the house and your office is such a beautiful way to remember your day! <3