While it's perfectly understandable why someone might want to toss wedding photos and everything else that represents an ex-relationship, I would like to invite you to consider all of the other amazing sentimental moments that only occur on a wedding day and should be preserved even if you don't have children to pass wedding images onto...
Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Dance:
For many people, their wedding day is the only time in their lives that they dance with one of their parents. This is often an incredibly meaningful moment between a parent and child, and it may never happen again, so definitely save and print these for archival purposes.
Elders & Extended Relatives:
Weddings may be the only time that we get to connect with distant parts of our family, and if they're older than we never know when or if we'll see them again, so it's best to preserve these images in the event that one day it's the only tangible memory you have of them.
Siblings, Cousins, & Friends Looking Amazing:
You probably have a few family members or friends who ONLY get dressed up for a wedding day, and the images from your wedding may be the only proof that they've ever worn something nicer than jeans in their lifetime. Why not give them a copy to help them see how good they look when they put some effort into it?
Social Proof:
That your dad can dance, that your cousin really can crack a smile and laugh, that your aunt can make a killer floral arrangement, that your best friend has lost so much weight, or that little Sam made it through an entire day without a total meltdown. There are subtle clues in your wedding images that can help people remember who they are or how far they've come, and can provide a great pick-me-up when they're feeling down.
Memorials:
Another way that wedding images are also used fairly often is for funerals. When no other great photo of a person exists, there may be an awesome image of them from the wedding, looking their best and enjoying themselves, which is how so many people like to remember their loved ones.
When you consider how many meaningful and joyful moments unfold on a wedding day outside of the ceremony itself, it makes the images that much more important to invest in and hold onto like any other significant investment you make in your lifetime. Please print what's important to you because technology changes and fails quickly, but archival photographs survive many generations. If you know of someone who's dealing with a divorce or separation right now, please share this list to help them appreciate the investment they made in the event that brought their closest friends and family together in celebration.
*Sincere thanks to my sisters who have held onto their weddings photos and allowed me to share some here. ;-)
Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Dance:
For many people, their wedding day is the only time in their lives that they dance with one of their parents. This is often an incredibly meaningful moment between a parent and child, and it may never happen again, so definitely save and print these for archival purposes.
Elders & Extended Relatives:
Weddings may be the only time that we get to connect with distant parts of our family, and if they're older than we never know when or if we'll see them again, so it's best to preserve these images in the event that one day it's the only tangible memory you have of them.
Siblings, Cousins, & Friends Looking Amazing:
You probably have a few family members or friends who ONLY get dressed up for a wedding day, and the images from your wedding may be the only proof that they've ever worn something nicer than jeans in their lifetime. Why not give them a copy to help them see how good they look when they put some effort into it?
Social Proof:
That your dad can dance, that your cousin really can crack a smile and laugh, that your aunt can make a killer floral arrangement, that your best friend has lost so much weight, or that little Sam made it through an entire day without a total meltdown. There are subtle clues in your wedding images that can help people remember who they are or how far they've come, and can provide a great pick-me-up when they're feeling down.
Memorials:
Another way that wedding images are also used fairly often is for funerals. When no other great photo of a person exists, there may be an awesome image of them from the wedding, looking their best and enjoying themselves, which is how so many people like to remember their loved ones.
When you consider how many meaningful and joyful moments unfold on a wedding day outside of the ceremony itself, it makes the images that much more important to invest in and hold onto like any other significant investment you make in your lifetime. Please print what's important to you because technology changes and fails quickly, but archival photographs survive many generations. If you know of someone who's dealing with a divorce or separation right now, please share this list to help them appreciate the investment they made in the event that brought their closest friends and family together in celebration.
*Sincere thanks to my sisters who have held onto their weddings photos and allowed me to share some here. ;-)
You forgot my number one reason! Save them for your children!!! It may be the ONLY time a child sees their parents happy together (depending on how old they are when you divorce). I am so hyper aware of this, that I often tell people I am shooting these photos for their kids.
ReplyDeleteIf there are no kids, I agree that your list is full of important good reasons!
The number of times my photos have been used for funerals is now higher than I can remember.
Agreed. I just assume most people who have children already take steps to save wedding photos for the children's benefit, but I figured the childless marriages are the ones who are more likely to get rid of the images completely.
Delete...and try to close your album into a box and watch it after years... it's your life even if the marriage went bad
ReplyDelete