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“I just got my wedding photos back from my photographer, now what?”

Here are my top tips for what to do after you get your wedding photos. Overall it's important to take your time, share your wedding story, backup and print.

First, I strongly encourage you to think about how you're looking at your photos when you first get them. Think about the size of the screen, your mood, who you're with and how much time you have. If you can find a time when you and your spouse can look at your wedding photos for the first time together, that is the best!

Think of your photos like a romantic movie and the best part, you're the star! Grab a beverage of choice, maybe some wine or beer, get comfortable, and prepare to smile, laugh and get emotional. Memories are going to rush back and you're going to see parts of your wedding day that you never knew even happened. Overall, make it special if you can, rather than scrolling on your phone during your lunch break, right? Your wedding story is special, friend.

After you've looked through your photos, contact your photographer. Let your photographer know you got them and how you feel about them. Also, if you have any questions, it's always better to ask questions about your photos earlier than later.

Now that you've gushed over your photos, it's time to share your wedding story! Most likely, you received a digital online gallery with all your wedding photos. Please please, share that link. Your family and friends are just as excited and would love to see your wedding photos too. Many online galleries have an option to make certain photos private, if there are any photos you don’t feel comfortable with sharing, hide those, and share the rest.

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After you've shared your photos, it's time to make some backups. Even if your wedding photographer provides you with a hard copy (usb, cd, dvd, hard drive) of your digital photos, I strongly suggest creating your own hard copy digital backups in addition. Buy a few USBs or external hard drives and copy those precious photo files on there. If you have cloud storage, that's also another great additional backup option. In general, the more backups, the better, and the more unique locations, the better. If you can make a USB backup and store it at your mom's house, for example, that would be an excellent unique location.

Once you've looked at them all, shared them and backed them up, it's time to print. This is the best part! In our digital age, it's so easy to forget how much joy printed memories on the walls can bring. If you can print with your photographer, you’re going to get the best quality prints. They will use a professional lab, and they will guarantee your satisfaction. You took the time to hire a great photographer and made a great investment. Don’t put off the last step, of seeing your photos every day to remember your wedding day.

Bonus tip: Your wedding photos will make great gifts and thank you cards.