If you’re currently planning your wedding, no doubt you’ll be looking forward to all the photos. The dress has to be beautiful, the suits have to be tailored and the venue has to be magical, all for the sake of the photos.

That’s why it’s such a waste to limit yourself to only posting your photos on Instagram. There is so much more you can get out of a physical photo. Take a look at our guide to find out more.

Memories last longer

There are a lot of memories to be made at a wedding, and there is going to be a lot of guests taking pictures to make sure those memories are captured.

With everyone with a camera in their smartphone and their smartphones glued to their hands, there will be a lot of memories to capture. There is the romance of the ceremony and the fun of the reception, plus the traditions to all get in a camera roll.

And then they’re posted, and they gather some likes, and they are never seen again. Unless you were to go looking for them for some reason, your photos will simply be added to a database of billions of photos.

Printing off your photos will make them much more real. You can take them out and look at them whenever you want or store them in a safe place to take out decades down the line. Online your photos might always be there, barring a problem with your account, but who’s looking at them?

You can have a viewing party

Physical photos are also key to a communal experience. If you click here, you can create your own photo album made up of photos from your social media accounts, and get everyone together for a photo viewing.

Your family and friends will flip through your photo book and trigger a memory of your special day they want to share. Let’s face it, you were busy throwing bouquets and kissing brides to be everywhere, so the family can fill you in on the charming little moments you might have missed.

Plus, with the lifespan of physical photos, you can keep having viewing parties forever. Rediscover them when you are gutting out your loft, or when your little one gets engaged. Have everyone gathered around to see the wedding that you had.

You can decorate

A photo book also makes for a great coffee table book – one that’s personal you. You can print off your photos and leave them in a book somewhere for guests to browse while you are fixing tea or gin, depending on the guest.

That is the beauty of physical photos. Digital photos haven’t yet replicated the ability to decorate with them, and there are a lot of ways you can use them. A book is just the beginning. A photo can be a subtle framed moment by the bedside, or a massive canvas and the focal point of your interior accessories.

Polaroid photos are coming back into fashion, despite the fact that they are more temporary and expensive, because there are a lot of decorative options to them. Stack them in a corner like trading cards to look at, fill a scrapbook with them, or hang them from fairy lights and decorate your walls with them.