Now that your wedding photos have arrived, it’s time to think about how to organize and display them. Use these tips to create a home gallery of your favorite memories from your Big Day.
The first step in creating your wedding photo gallery is to choose a space for your design -- clear a side table or take a blank wall and make it your canvas. Next, choose the pictures you want to showcase and make any necessary adjustments, such as enlargements or color enhancements. Insert then into various sized frames, which you can hang on the wall, as well as on ledges, shelves, and side tables. When it comes to framing, you have a variety of options:
Single-Opening Frame
Choose the wedding picture with the most emotional impact and emphasize it by placing it in a frame of its own. Enlarge it in an 8 x 10 frame and mount it over your mantel or prop it up on a side table for a striking focal point. You can also create a grid of single opening wall frames and vary the mat styles. Mixing horizontal, portrait, and landscape shapes make for an eclectic collection that will show off your best shots in style.
Multiple-Opening Frames
A wall covered with oversized wedding portraits can sometimes come off as overly showy. Keep things understated by enhancing a couple of large portraits with smaller duo, trio, or quartet gallery frames. For example, a triple-opening frame filled with artistic candids is the perfect accessory for any entranceway.
Engravable frames
Add a sentimental touch to your photos with classic silver frames engraved with your wedding date, monogram, or memorable line from your vows. Set them on your coffee table, bookshelves, or entrance table for an elegant décor element.
An alternative to mounting your frames directly on the wall is to lean them against shelves or ledges. These individual pieces are versatile, easy to mount, and take up as much or as little space as you wish. They also come in different finishes and styles that will match any part of your home. One classic look is the crown molding ledge, which adds elegant detail to your walls. Or opt for a simple, smooth finish for a more modern feel.
Shelves
Use shelves to customize mixed media displays by placing framed portraits in between other décor elements, such as candles, vases, and keepsakes. You can also feature mementos of your wedding and honeymoon, and have the coordinating pictures help tell the story behind the décor. Feature them in your living room so guests can enjoy the presentation as much as you do.
Ledges
Put the focus on the photos themselves by installing ledges, which take up less space than shelves due to their reduced depth. Vary the heights of the ledges by setting one at eye level and surrounding it by others in a diagonal pattern. Group black-and-white wedding shots on one shelf and color pictures on another; or save an entire display for your honeymoon memories.
With a few pieces of hardware, a stack of frames, and some creativity, assembling your own wedding photo gallery doesn’t have to be a daunting task. When you’re done, you’ll be rewarded with wall hangings and photo ledges that will serve as constant reminders of the day you said “I do.”