Weddings are expensive, no ifs or buts about it. Venues and catering make up the largest portion of this cost, but specialties like photography, videography, and flowers aren’t too far behind them. Obviously as a Washington, DC wedding photographer, I think our work more than justifies the cost; after all, at the end of the day when you leave your venue and have eaten all your food, what is left? Your pictures! I always joke with my brides that I spend more time with them on their wedding day than their future husband! It’s silly, but true — we are there pretty much from beginning to end to capture every moment. But this post is not about what you should spend on photography; it’s geared towards those who have already made the decision to invest in a professional photographer for their wedding day.

A major shift has occurred in the industry in past 10 years or so away from in person sales and towards offering the digital files with wedding packages. Meaning that, after your big day, you will receive a link (or CD, or USB…) to your images where you can  download all the high resolution images to your desktop to have at your disposal! This is personally what I offer to all my brides; after culling through what I photographed that day, every image that is worth having is edited, so why would I not want you to have them!?

The only problem with this method is that it’s now totally on my client to decide what to do next with their images. In a whirlwind of returning from the honeymoon and setting up a new house, those images can easily get forgotten about and fall by the wayside. Sure, you might update your Facebook profile picture and post a small album. But think about it — do you really just want a fancy (not to mention expensive!) Facebook album!? Absolutely not!

I truly encourage all brides out there to print your pictures! There are so many options of how to go about this, it doesn’t have to be just simple prints. Many vendors offer beautiful albums, canvases of all sizes, and other small goods; all of which are a beautiful way to display your images. And I can guarantee your wedding photographer would be more than happy to help secure these items from a reputable, professional printing lab — whether you want to do it yourself or have them do it for you. So when you and your husband are setting up that new house, save a special spot on the wall in the living room to hang you favorite memory from the first day of your married life together. Or if you’re someone who knows you’ll never do this, order one through your wedding photographer so they can do it for you!

Check back next week — I did a comparison of some of the most popular printing lab choices for consumers and I think you’ll want to see the results.