For all the planning that goes into a wedding, you would think that every moment of your big day would be forever seared into your memory. After all, you spent weeks (months) picking out the colors, the flowers, the details that adorned both the ceremony and reception sites. You worked so hard meticulously putting the pieces of this day together; surely it will be one of the most memorable events of your life.
Right?
I wish I could tell you that were the case. Really, I do. But the truth is, most couples who have been there and done that will tell you the reality of that day is so chaotic, the details are often pretty blurred together by the time everything is said and done.
Think about it. You’ve spent so much time planning for this big day (for some brides, they’ve spent their entire lives planning for it), that when it finally arrives, the build-up of emotions (stress, joy, excitement, panic) surrounding it kind of takes over everything else. No matter how hard you tried to get your beauty sleep the night before, you probably tossed and turned a bit in anticipation. So now you’re tired. Anxious. Wanting to savor every moment, but also itching to get down that aisle.
Then when you finally do, when you are holding hands and reciting your vows in front of everyone you love, the weight of that moment is… intense. So much so, that it goes by in a flash. And before you know it, you’re walking back down that aisle, together this time. Smiling at so many well-wishers that their faces begin to become one.
At the reception, you’re focused on mingling, drinking, attempting to eat, dancing, and celebrating. You’re pulled in a hundred different directions, and while all of it is joyous and exciting, there are very few opportunities to sit back, breathe, and take your surroundings in.
By the time you and your new spouse finally find yourselves alone at the end of the night, you’ll both agree the entire day swept by in a blink.
And now, here you are, married to the love your life.
I can’t tell you how many couples have looked through their wedding photo gallery and exclaimed to me, “I didn’t even know that was happening!” as they’ve pointed to a picture they were front and center in. Even just weeks after the fact, most couples have forgotten some of the special moments—moments the photos are thankfully there to remind them of.
But what if those photos didn’t exist? What would you really remember from your big day 5, 10, 25 years down the line?
The truth is, not much. Certainly not enough to satiate your thirst for those memories.
As those years slip by, your photos will be the one and only tangible thread that leads you back to them; the one thing reminding you of one of the most special days of your life.
What you remember from that big day often correlates quite clearly to the images you have to look back upon.
Of course, those photos aren’t just for your memories. Your children will one day want to look back on them too. The latest wedding trend has couples displaying photos from their parent’s weddings at their reception sites. But if you don’t have your images printed and displayed, it stands to reason your own children may never have that same opportunity.
So much of that day will be forgotten much sooner than you realize now. You won’t remember what you served your guests for dinner, or how the food turned out. You’ll have only vague recollections of the music. And the last minute details you found yourself scrambling to put into place will no longer seem worthy of the frenzy they inspired.
But your pictures? They’ll remind you of who was there, of the love that was shared, and of the moments you don’t want to forget.