Every couple’s wedding is unique, but they all have one thing in common: they’re guaranteed to generate more photos than you can shake a bag of biodegradable confetti at. That’s because every single minute of the most important day of your life needs to be remembered, treasured and re-lived for ever and ever.
Maybe you got hitched ages ago, or perhaps you’re just about to take the plunge. Whatever stage you’re at, you probably don’t need us to tell you that the snaps are The Most Important Thing Of All on this momentous occasion. So we’ve got lots of wedding photo ideas to inspire you to have fun and be creative with your precious pics. From making a proposal with a romantic photo book to giving a teddy with a photo T-shirt as a thank-you gift, here are just a few things you can do with your wedding photos – before, during and after your Big Day…
Trying to think of a unique and romantic way to pop the question? If hot air balloons in the Serengeti sunset aren’t quite your style (or budget), you could pop the question in a memorable fashion with a mini photo book fill it with pictures telling your love story, or daft selfies to make him or her smile.
Then dedicate the last few pages to writing your proposal, with a blank page at the end to add some images once they’ve said “yes”! Not only have you created a thoughtful way to propose, you’ve also made a wonderful keepsake of your years together before you were married.
Now you’ve decided to tie the knot, it’s time to let the world know… so why not do it in pictures? No, we don’t mean put it on Instagram – we mean by using real, physical snaps.
For example, you could announce your engagement to your mum and dad by presenting them with a shuffle print with some of your favourite couple shots. It’s a novel way of surprising your relatives and announcing your news in style.
Once you’ve named the date, the fun can really begin. Why not create bespoke wedding invitations to make your guests laugh/cry/cringe/all of the above? Selecting images can be great fun, from that romantic image of the pair of you loved-up on a Greek island, to a snap of you both a little worse for wear on a Saturday night cocktail frenzy.
For a small wedding, you could even individually tailor the invitations using photos of yourselves with each guest. While you’re at it, why not create matching place mats for the wedding table?
OK, so you decided not hire out the Eiffel Tower a la Kim Kardashian’s bachelorette party, but the chances are your hen or stag do will be full of fun moments worth remembering.
Capture the highlights in a mini photo book and order extra prints to send to everyone who was there. An actual printed picture or two says so much more than a tag on Facebook.
So you were dazzled by the royal welcome Harry and Meghan gave their guests (just their nearest and dearest, obvs), but hiring Windsor Castle is slightly out of your price range. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give your guests a dramatic welcome to your reception.
Do it with style by creating an inviting entrance using a beautiful photo canvas as a welcome board. Or blow the budget and decorate the whole venue with loads of them…
Did you know that photos come in extremely handy for making unique table decorations?
Use pics of you and your partner to give a personal touch to each table, or select some childhood photos of yourselves at different ages to correspond to the table numbers – personal photos are always a great ice breaker to get guests talking.
A memory book is a must at any wedding. Encourage your guests to take a quick snap of themselves with a Polaroid camera, and write a few thoughts or wishes for the happy couple (that’s you!) to go alongside it. This is a sweet idea and will make a great scrapbook-style memory book of your big day.
You don’t want to lose any memories of your big day (although Uncle Cyril doing dad-dancing at 1am may be something you’d rather forget for a while) so your photos are your best friends – and the last place you want to store them is on your Insta feed or in USB stick in a drawer.
Printing out as many of your photos as possible in a beautiful wedding book (or several!) will create priceless mementoes you’ll treasure forever. Don’t forget to order copies for your family, too.
Thanking your guests for their gifts and presence on your Big Day is one of the true pleasures of the post-wedding phase. You could thank special guests such as bridesmaids with an individual photo gift, such as a teddy wearing a t-shirt printed with a photo of them in their wedding outfit or a fridge magnet featuring them. Personalised wedding thank-you cards are also great.
Not only will your guests love remembering those special moments, but you’ll be sure your images are seen and appreciated, not just posted on social media or stuck in a file-sharing space on the web.
Your home was created with walls so you could hang photos of the happiest day of your life on them!
Never underestimate the impact of a canvas or framed print or two (or six, or eight) on a blank wall, a windowsill, a mantelpiece, above the loo… you get the picture.
If you really can’t get enough of your wedding photos, you can go crazy and adorn pretty much every surfaces you can think of with a loved-up snap. Wouldn’t you two look gorgeous on a cooking apron? Or a cushion? Or a towel, perhaps… or a mug, or a wash bag, or a chopping board.
The world is your oyster when it comes to displaying pictures from your Big Day. So get cracking and make sure you enjoy the moment for many years to come!
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