The Power of Photographs: Why should you absolutely print your wedding photos?

Imagine it’s your 10th wedding anniversary. You’ve poured a couple of glasses of wine and want to revisit the day it all began. Are you going to huddle around a tiny phone screen, endlessly scrolling through a digital folder? Or will you settle into the couch and pull a beautiful, weighty album into your lap, the cover cool and smooth beneath your fingertips as you turn the thick, archival pages?

In a world of fleeting digital files and forgotten hard drives, the tangible act of holding a memory has become more precious than ever. As a wedding photographer, I’ve seen firsthand that printing your photos is more than just a task to check off a list—it’s a foundational act in building a family’s legacy and strengthening its bond.

Let’s see all that!

The Surprising Science of a Photograph: More Than Just Decoration

While it may seem like a simple design choice, placing printed photographs and family albums in your home does something profound. It’s not just about remembering; it’s about reinforcing your family’s identity and strengthening its bonds every single day.

Psychologists have studied this for decades. What they’ve found is that you can’t get the same effect from a photo sitting on a hard drive.

For Your Relationship:

A wedding portrait on your wall isn’t just a picture. It’s a daily, non-verbal affirmation of your commitment. In busy or stressful times, that visual cue acts as an anchor, reminding you both of the foundation you built and the joy you share. It’s a silent testament to “us.”
A study, “The Effects of Viewing Photographs of One’s Romantic Partner on Implicit and Explicit Relationship Satisfaction,” published in 2014 by M. Lynne Cooper and David L. Rusbult, explains that viewing photographs of a romantic partner can increase feelings of intimacy and commitment.

Four Yourself: It makes you happier.

The 2011 study “Happy Memories: How Increasing the Number of Positive Memories Can Increase Well-Being,” by Kristin Layous, Sonja Lyubomirsky, Shannon Dickerhoof, and Renee Boehm, explains how being exposed to those happy moments makes you happier. Make sure to celebrate your love with printed images of your wedding, but also your engagement session!

For Your Future Children:

This is where the science gets truly compelling. Experts in child psychology have found that seeing family photos displayed in the home is critical for development.

• Boosting Self-Esteem: A landmark 1975 study—and decades of work by therapists since—found a direct link between displaying family portraits and a child’s self-esteem. One Tulane University study showed that children who worked with printed images of themselves demonstrated a 37% increase in self-esteem behaviors. As psychologist Dr. David Krauss explains, “I think it is really important to show a family as a family unit. It is so helpful for children to see themselves as a valued and important part of that family unit.”
• Building a Sense of Belonging: To a child, seeing themselves in a frame on the wall communicates one of life’s most important messages: “I belong here. I am safe. I am a cherished part of this story.” It helps children answer the fundamental questions of “Who am I?” and “Where do I fit in?”
  The 2013 study “Viewing Family Photographs: Mediating Roles of Perceived Family Bonding, Identity, and Communication” by Jaehee Jung and Yongsung Lee, shows how photos and albums create a special feeling of belonging.
  Photos are a perfect support for communication for kids and parents who share their experience.
• Creating a Family Narrative: Professor Geoff Beattie, a Dean of Psychological Sciences, notes that photos help a child understand their history. They see the faces of relatives, witness the day their parents became a family, and feel a tangible connection to their own history.
  In a study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, researchers (John P. Caughlin and Mark A. King) found that displaying photographs of the household in the home can serve as a visual reminder of the clan unit and help promote a sense of tribe identity.

A digital file on a phone can’t do this. The power lies in the physical presence—the print on the wall, the album on the coffee table. It’s always there, reinforcing these positive messages without ever needing to be turned on.

Wedding photographer = Wedding Album, an equation as old as photography itself

This simple equation is as old as photography.
If photography was created by the French Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826, or the French Daguerre in 1839, it wasn’t until 1854, when the process needed less time of exposure, that the first wedding photography was taken at the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Thanks to those photographs, we can see today what they looked like and who was present.

In other words, as soon as photography was invented, we used it to immortalize people, siblings, parents, clan, and weddings. And that’s in the same way that we are still using it 150 years after (with a couple more approaches).

The job of a professional wedding photographer is to create a strong, solid wedding album for the future.
So, to the question, “Should you print your wedding album?” the answer is “hire your photographer to build a high-quality wedding album.” The cost is slightly more expensive than the price of an average photo book, but you will have something solid! Photographers know quality and durability; they choose the best papers, covers, and binding that will resist time, manipulation, scratches, and dirty fingers of your grandkids!

Internet and Social Media Don’t Last Forever

Let’s assume you have downloaded all your files and shared them on social media. After a couple of days or weeks of warm congratulations and thumbs up, those images would get buried by fresher news. They are, in a way, disposable. That’s the nature of social media.

It allows you to personalize your Home’s Decoration

Printing your wedding prints, framing them, and hanging them in your living room will allow you to personalize and enhance your living room.

There is a variety of options to print an amazing piece of art to hang on your wall:

• Metallic
• Dibond prints with an American box frame
• Wood
• Plexiglass (Acrylic)
• Traditional frame
• Fine art inkjet

From “We Should” to “We Did”: Overcoming the Printing Paralysis

If printing your photos is so important, why do so many of us put it off? I got it, Life gets busy, and legitimate concerns get in the way.
For me, a wedding photographer with a printer, it took me 4 years to print and hang photos on my walls. All that for bad reasons.
Let’s tackle them head-on.

Concern: “It’s Too Expensive.”

For prints, the solution is to think “curate,” not “collect.” You don’t need to print all 800 images. The goal is quality over quantity. A strategic selection of 20-30 meaningful prints often costs less than other wedding-day expenses that only last for a few hours. Start small and watch for lab promotions.
For a wedding album, it’s relatively expensive, so the solution might be to wait for your one-year anniversary.

Frames can quickly become very expensive, especially tailor-made ones, or in your local decorative store. Pick big, such as Ikea, that offer decent frame for a cheap price.

Concern: “We Have SO MANY Photos. We’re Overwhelmed!”

Analysis paralysis is real. The solution is to divide and conquer. First, pick just 5-10 “iconic” photos that are undeniable must-prints. Then, go through the rest and tag them for different purposes (“Album,” “Prints for Parents”). If you’re stuck, ask me! I can always help you select the images that best tell the story of your day.

In this article, I explain how to select your wedding photos

Concern: “We Can’t Agree on Which Ones to Print!”

This is common! The solution is a “His, Hers, and Ours” system. Each of you gets to pick 5 “non-negotiable” favorites to print. Then, choose another 10-15 together. This ensures both of your perspectives are honored in the final collection.

Concern: “It’s Too Much Effort / We’ll Do It Later.”

“Later” has a bad habit of becoming “never.” Research and experience show that if a couple doesn’t print photos within the first six months, the odds are high that they never will. The solution is to treat printing as the final, rewarding part of your wedding process. Schedule one evening in your calendar, put on some music, and do it together.

Quick Actionable Plan: How to Print Your Photos, Made Simple

Ready to create your first family heirloom? Here’s a simple, non-overwhelming way to start.

Step 1: Pick Your Purpose

Are you making a wedding album, framing a statement piece, or creating a small gallery wall? Knowing the goal makes choosing photos easier.

Step 2: Select the Right Size

• For Desks & Gifts: 5×7 inches: This size is versatile, affordable, and perfect for sharing with family and friends.
• For Key Portraits: 8×10 inches This is the classic, can’t-go-wrong choice for your most important moments and family portraits.
• For a “Wow” Factor: 11×14 inches or Larger. Reserve this for one or two of your absolute favorite images to serve as a stunning art piece in your home.

Step 3: Choose a Quality Finish

For wedding photos, you can’t go wrong with a Lustre or Pearl finish. It offers rich, vibrant color with minimal glare and is resistant to fingerprints, making it perfect for both albums and framed prints.

Step 4: Use a Reputable Lab

Avoid drugstore printers for your most important memories. The color and quality are inconsistent. I recommend professional consumer labs like French Touch Photography that can print all the way up to 11×17 inches.
For a bigger project, I recommend a lab in Minnesota, such as WhiteWall and ProdDpi.

Conclusion: Don’t Let Your Memories Fade on a Hard Drive

Your wedding day was not a single, disposable event. It was the beginning of a legacy. Every day you wait to print your photos is another day those powerful, love-affirming memories remain locked away in digital limbo.

Investing in prints and albums is an investment in your joy, your connection, and your family’s future story. I believe in this so strongly that I offer a curated collection of beautiful, hand-crafted albums and fine art prints for all my clients.

Let’s turn your beautiful memories into the art that builds your home.
The only question you’d better be asking yourself now is, “When will my professional photographer capture your next photo session?”

Sources & Further Reading

The claims and data in this article are not just convenient information taken out of a magic hat. But they are based on decades of psychological research and industry knowledge. For those who wish to learn more, here are the primary and secondary sources for the information presented.

• Source 1: The Link Between Photographs and Child Self-Esteem
  • Link: Design Aglow – The Psychology of Printed Photographs
  • Context: This article is one of the most comprehensive secondary sources available, bringing together the key experts on the topic. It directly quotes psychologist Dr. David Krauss on the importance of wall portraits and references the foundational work on phototherapy and self-esteem enhancement. It serves as an excellent summary of the core psychological arguments.
• Source 2: The Foundational “Phototherapy” Study
  • Link: ERIC Archives – Photographic Self-Concept Enhancement of Children’s Self-Esteem
  • Context: This is the entry for the original 1975 paper by Ammerman and Fryrear, presented at the Southwestern Psychological Association. It is the academic source for the claim that photographic activities can significantly boost a child’s self-concept and is likely the origin of the “37% increase in self-esteem behaviors” figure cited by Tulane University.
• Source 3: Expert Commentary from Professor Geoff Beattie
  • Link: The Telegraph – “Why you must display family photos”
  • Context: This article from The Telegraph features an interview with Professor Geoff Beattie, where he discusses the socializing process for children and how viewing family photos helps them establish their identity and place within the family narrative.
• Source 4: The “85% of Couples” Industry Statistic
  • Link: Professional Photographers of America (PPA) – “The Importance of Printing Your Photos”
  • Context: The Professional Photographers of America (PPA), one of the largest industry organizations, consistently advocates for printing. While the “85%” figure is a widely cited industry statistic rather than a formal study, the PPA’s resources explain the professional consensus behind why so many couples delay printing indefinitely if they don’t do it soon after the wedding. This link provides the authoritative industry perspective on the matter.