Are you excited to have your online wedding, engagement, or family photographs? You’re probably wondering how you can best show them off. Of course you’ll want to share them on social media, and you’ll probably e-mail them to friends and family. I love it when you do, because in a sense, I get to show off, too!

But digital sharing isn’t the best way to really get the best mileage out of your professional photos, and hard drives aren’t the most reliable way to preserve them. That’s why I always encourage my clients to invest in custom-crafted wedding albums and archival-quality prints.

1. The Unreliability of Digital File Storage

Why should you order a wedding album or custom prints? Digital files, whether stored on a hard drive, cloud server, or DVD, may degrade over time. Are you willing to transfer your digital photographs to high-quality discs or drives as your current ones age? What technology advances will cause your current files to become obsolete or unreadable? What if your storage method fails? The latter is rare, but we’ve all experienced a crashed drive at least once in our lives. If you have all your eggs that technological basket, you might be heartbroken if they can’t be recovered.

Physical copies of your important images, printed on archival paper and organized in a custom album, collection box, or wall prints ensure you have tangible and timeless reminders of your wedding, event, or portrait session. Plus, you get to see them in all their intended glory!

2. Wall Prints as Home Decor

I love creating lifestyle-editorial images that are perfectly suited for prominent display in my clients’ homes. Wall prints are a fantastic way to enjoy your wedding, engagement, or family photos every day, and they fit in with any home decor. When they’re framed with acid-free matting and UV-resistant glazing, they last for many years, and can be passed down to your kids.

3. The Timelessness of Custom Albums

As you’ll see on my Heirloom Wedding Album page, I work with professional album crafters to bring you designs that won’t ever appear dated, and products created to preserve the integrity of the images themselves. Think about it for a moment: When you want to revisit your day, would you and your loved ones rather flip through an album together, or huddle around and squint at your phone or computer screen? (More on that in a few!) There’s nothing like the feel and weight of a hand-crafted album that adds to your experience as you experience your wedding story from start to finish.

4. Gifts for Family Members, Bridesmaids, and Groomsmen

As you browse your online images, you’ll probably say—at least once—”Oh, so-and-so would love to have a copy of this…” Perhaps it’s those candid shots of your parents laughing and enjoying themselves on your wedding day. Or that feeling that your grandmother, who couldn’t make it to your wedding (and who never quite mastered the internet), would love a set of prints handpicked especially for her.

Then there are the photos of you with your bridesmaids, and your new husband with “the guys”. You’ve probably thanked them with token gifts on your wedding day, but wouldn’t they love a few prints of their own?

Many of my clients choose custom wedding prints, family portrait prints, and photo albums as gifts for parents, friends, and special loved ones. After all, most of us never download our smartphone pics to our computers, let alone print them, and some of the best people in our lives are missing out on the memories. Prints are special, and they make others feel special when they’re given as gifts.

5. Guest Books and Artwork For Your Wedding or Event

Engagement sessions aren’t just for newspaper announcements, Facebook posts, and invitations! Custom guest books and framed prints are the perfect touch for wedding celebrations, engagement parties, and anniversaries.

Make The Most of Your Photography Investment

Last, but certainly not least, I want to mention something about do-it-yourself digital printing and album creation. Most direct-to-consumer album companies and photo printing services use lightweight paper stock and inks that fade over time, even out of direct sunlight. That’s why you should print your photos with the assistance of a professional.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of proper post-production for print-quality digital files. While your delivered digital images are edited and painstakingly managed for contrast and color balance, most computer, phone, and tablet screens aren’t calibrated to match print-ready image standards. Only through professional custom print and album products can you truly experience the rich tones and colors you’ve hired us to create for you. Your online gallery is connected to a professional print lab that we trust!

If you’re still asking yourself if you should you order a wedding album, think of it this way:

You wouldn’t put your beautiful, valuable engagement gemstone on a plastic ring. Nor would you purchase a luxury sports car only to drive it to Starbucks and back. Why wouldn’t you want to put your most important memories in an heirloom album, or printed on archival quality photography paper?

I’m always here for you if you have any questions about ordering custom albums and prints, and I’m happy to guide you through the process!

Up Next: How To Choose the Right Wedding Photographer