Wedding memories
Published: June 20, 2005
Sure, you can buy the love-struck couple a mixing bowl or place setting from the wedding registry, but if you have a digital camera and a computer, you can make personalized wedding gifts that will help the newlyweds remember their special day.
Getting the right pictures
Many people take photos at a wedding, but you'll want to use out-of-the-ordinary pictures to create your gift. So shoot the photos of their wedding day—and the days leading up to it—that nobody else will take. This might mean that you use unique angles and subjects to give the bride and groom a special look at their special day. Follow these tips, and you'll have all the photos you need to get started:
| • | If you're a member of the wedding party, bring your camera with you when the bride or groom is preparing for the big day: trying on dresses or tuxedos, tasting cakes, and even attending the bachelor or bachelorette party. |
| • | On the day of the wedding, take pictures while the bride and groom prepare. Don't go for the classically posed pictures; snap the candid moments and those filled with the emotion of the day.  |
| • | Before the ceremony, make a list of things you want to photograph so you don't miss any important moments. Make sure the cake-related photos, the first dance, and the departing couple are on your list.  |
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Follow the children. Not only are they highly photogenic, but they'll notice the little things that you might miss, such as a frog in the lily pond outside of the reception.  |
| • | Look for the unexpected situations and capture these scenes during the course of the day. These are the images that the newlyweds seldom get to see. |
Making your gift
Once you've got the pictures, it's time to decide what form your gift will take. A few ideas to get things going include:
1. | A USB flash drive filled with your pictures. USB flash drives make a great gift-especially if they're pre-loaded with the wedding photos you took.  |
2. | A Photo Story slideshow. Instead of just filling a USB flash drive or CD with still pictures, why not use Photo Story 3 for Windows to create a digital slideshow with the couple's favorite music and your own narration? You can also save your photo story as a video CD that the couple can play on their DVD player. Here's a sample of a wedding photo story to get your creative juices flowing.  |
3. | Create a wedding collage. Use an image-editing tool, such as Microsoft Digital Image Pro, to combine multiple photos into a single image that you can frame for the happy couple.  |
4. | Frame a special print. Take your favorite shot of the couple, print it, and put it in a nice frame. Better yet, give the bride and the groom each a print so they can have something for their desks. You might want to use a
shadow box
frame and add a special memento from the wedding day-for example, an invitation or a pressed flower from the bouquet-to really make the framed picture a special one.  |
5. | Create a wedding photo book. Create a picture book of the photos you've taken; this special book will undoubtedly find a place of honor on the newlyweds' coffee table. |
6. | A digital camera. If your budget allows, a digital camera is a great gift for a new couple, because it gives them a way to record the memories they'll make together. Add a memory card and load it with the wedding photos you took to add a sentimental touch. |
If several of these projects appeal to you, then make gifts for the bride's and groom's parents, too. Late with your present? These projects also make excellent anniversary gifts.
 | Tony Northrup is a writer, Internet engineer, and digital photography enthusiast. Tony has a decade of experience making networks and servers connected to the Internet run smoothly. He has authored and co-authored eight books about using Windows and has written dozens of articles about Internet technologies. When he's not on his deck writing, he toys with home-automation technologies and takes pictures for display in a Web photo album. He lives in the Boston area with his wife Erica and cat Sammy. You can learn more about Tony by visiting his Web site at http://www.northrup.org.
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