Blog
5 Post-Wedding DIY Projects to Maximize Your Photos
After weeks or months of anxious anticipation, your photographer finally reveals your wedding pictures, and it’s time to share them with the world! The second most expensive detail in a bride’s budget is the photographer — and for good reason. Pictures are what you have to remember when memories fade. It’s easy to find inexpensive projects to share your pictures with style.
Send a Unique Photo Calendar
Before you get too wrapped up filling out change-of-name forms, send a unique “thank you” to your wedding party with a DIY wood photo calendar from Artifact Uprising. The clipboard displays a stylish 7×5 photo calendar combination, making your photos the focal point. No matter what time of year you create your calendar, you’ll always get 12 months of photo calendar goodness. It’s as easy as uploading 12 of your favorite photos, selecting which photo should represent each month and ordering. Calendars on wooden clipboards are $24.99. 
Photo by Flickr user tanakawho
Design and Print Holiday Cards
Establish one of your first traditions as a couple by sending a photo and warm wishes to everyone on your guest list on a holiday card. Design and print holiday cards from Minted.com’s varied selection. Minted has hundreds of artfully designed holiday cards to choose from available in multiple color schemes, sizes and styles (flat, folded, etc). After selecting the design you like, upload a photo and change the text (including color, size and placement). They’ll even send you a digital proof before it’s final. Prices start at $1.72 per card (envelopes included).
Hang a Dramatic Canvas Display
Canvas On Demand has 14 sizes for single canvas displays as well as several choices for groupings (collages, triptychs, etc). You choose your files to upload and select options you want, including thickness and wrapping choices, photo effects (black and white, sepia, painting and more), blemish/item retouching and hanging options. Single canvas prints start at $59 for an 8×10. Canvas On Demand is regularly featured on sites like Groupon where you can pick up discounts and free shipping.
Print a Photo Book
You can’t display every wedding photo on your wall, so put the rest in an elegant photo book. Artifact Uprising uses modern layouts and typography in their templates so it’s effortless to create a book your friends and family will drool over. The book “builder” allows you to scale, rotate, crop photos, and even has an “auto fill” feature to save you time. Before trying to tackle a photo book, narrow down your wedding photos to 100 to 120 of your favorites to make the project a little less daunting. Books start at $12.99 for 50 pages. 
Photo by Flickr user Suus Wansink
Create a Custom Case
With a custom case from Case-Mate.com you can have a picture from your wedding day on your favorite device. Go to their website to upload a favorite picture and add text (like your wedding date and new initials) in a few color and style options to create a one-of-a-kind case everyone will notice. Case-Mate offers custom cases for 13 of the most popular phone and tablets starting at $35 with free shipping on all U.S. orders. With projects like these, there’s no way your photos will sit on a file in your computer until your 10th wedding anniversary. Connie Gerald Connie is a writer and photographer who specializes in home and garden topics.