How to Share Your Wedding Photos with Friends and Family

Whether you’re eloping first and getting married later, or walking down the aisle with pomp and circumstance, you’ll want to photograph every moment for keepsakes and wedding memories. And once they do come out, you’ll also want to share the beautiful images with the people closest to you. Many of them, who were there cheering you and your partner on, would love to relive the memories. And sharing the photos with those who couldn’t make it lets them know they were in your thoughts.

That’s all very good, but have you thought about how to make it happen? We’re talking pictures you get from the professional photographer and the ones your guests took. Will you be emailing the high resolution images one by one? How will you track down every guest who took a picture on your wedding day? Doesn’t all that sound like too much work? 

How to Share Wedding Photos

We thought we’d prevent you from that headache by listing down the best and easiest ways you can use to share your wedding photos. What’s more, you’ll also find the pros and cons for each option below: 

1. A Wedding Website

Many couples go with this option because they get a personalized space where they–and their guests–can add photos and videos from the wedding. Once you’ve uploaded everything, most such sites will let you organize it into different wedding photo albums.

Pros

These sites may also have a space where you can display information like wedding date, venue, map to the venue, and so on. So, if your guests have a link to the site, they’ll be able to see those details too.

Cons

• If you’re already sending out wedding invitations, you don’t need the site to provide guests with that info. Some websites can be pricey! 
• Others won’t let you upload without creating an account and logging in or downloading an app and following complicated instructions. 
• Cluttered websites, user support issues, and frequent promotional emails are other disadvantages of using a wedding website.

2. Instant Cameras

If a website doesn’t answer your how to share your wedding photos needs, then you might want to think about polaroid cameras. The FujiFilm Instax series, for instance, comes in almost every pastel shade, so they can even be a part of the wedding decor. The cameras are also easy to use–even for great grandmas! 

Pros

You point the machine at a touching moment and snap a picture. The camera spits it out in under a minute. What more could you ask for?

Cons

• If you’re considering adding a polaroid camera to every table, you may rack up a lengthy bill! 
• Additionally, you may have to constantly remind guests to leave the pics behind.
• Scanning each image physically to upload it online will take oodles of time!

3. Online Storage Links

You can simply opt for the method most commonly used to collect and share photos, i.e., provide a Google Photos or DropBox link to your guests. They can then keep uploading the pictures they take during the wedding ceremony. 

Pros

• An online photo storage option like Google Photos is easily available to almost everybody
• Doesn’t cost anything if you don’t exceed the free storage space limits.

Cons

• Uploads can be an issue for non-techie relatives and friends. 
• Also, you may have to spend hours and hours sorting the photo dump to get the gems that you actually want to keep.
• Every relative of yours may not have–or want–a Google Photos account.

4. Facebook

Millions of people use the site everyday and many of them consider it a good wedding photos share option. You can too! Once you’ve uploaded the wedding pictures to your profile, ask your fam to add theirs. Grouping them into albums and favoriting the ones you like best are also possible. 

Pros

• It’s free! 
• Facebook creates a link you can email to family members who don’t have an account on the website.

Cons

• The image resolution takes a beating when you use Facebook for your wedding photos. 
• Even though you can set up your desired privacy level, it’s still possible for strangers to view and save pictures! 

5. Instagram

Instagram is the photo sharing platform. You can begin by creating a hashtag for your wedding and your guests can find the photos when they click on it.  

Pros

Not only is Instagram free to use, it also has other useful features. For instance, you can go live and upload reels to share footage with guests who failed to make it to the ceremony.

Cons

Using IG to share wedding photos online does have some drawbacks too. For instance:

• The site reduces photo quality via compression. 
• You may have to guide the older attendees on how to download the app or put up pictures.
• Privacy issues similar to Facebook

6. Pinterest

Another interesting wedding photo upload platform, Pinterest, is useful for much more. You can also create your own board and pin creative and inspiring images on it as you plan your wedding. Later on, you can also share the board and wedding photos with other brides-to-be to help them out.

Pros

Free to use and will upload your photos directly to your blog or other websites.

Cons

A major problem with this site is how easy it is for anyone to change the caption on an image and pin it on their own board! So:

• You may see your wedding photos on strangers’ boards. 
• Others may even try to pass them off as their own. 

7. DropEvent

If you’re looking for a solution that lets you and your guests upload wedding photos to one site and doesn’t come with the cons associated with the options above, it’s time to check out DropEvent! 

Pros

• Collecting wedding photos from guests is easy and instantaneous via a convenient QR code. 
• Your guests can view and even submit images without having to download and install any app. 
• The pictures don’t lose their captivating beauty or resolution after the upload. 
• You can sort them into galleries and dedicate a separate one for different events, such as bridal showers, engagement parties, etc. 

Cons

You get 45 days of storage, after which DropEvent will email all your photographs to you.

Find out all about how to share wedding photos and how you can use it to collect wedding photos from guests here!

FAQs

1. How do you ask guests to share wedding photos? 

You can begin the wedding photo sharing by asking your guests to share them via their social media profiles or uploading them to an online storage site via a link. However, both options have drawbacks. If you don’t remind them to use the unique hashtag you created before your guests upload wedding photos, you will have a difficult time finding the images on a social media website! Online storage sites aren’t easy to use but DropEvent is–try it out! 

2. How do you present wedding photos?

Printing your wedding portrait–enlarged or standard sized–is a great way of preserving wedding memories ideas. Once you have the print, you can pick a frame of your choice and hang it where you and your partner can gaze at it on the daily.  

3. When should guests share wedding photos?

If they don’t see a hashtag dedicated to the event, guests should realize the photos are more than just pictures to a newly wedded couple. They are wedding remembrances, which means the guests should wait until they receive the couple’s go-ahead before sharing them on social media. In fact, it’s only polite to wait for the couple to post the first batch and then follow. 

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