Recently my wife and I shared our 9th wedding anniversary and our little boy asked if he could see our wedding pictures. He was quite surprised when we brought him our album to take a look at, he is really only used to seeing family photos on the iPad or computer. As we looked at the pictures together it made me think about the importance of printing images and creating albums. At present many people chose to receive their wedding images in an electronic format, such as a disc of images or a USB flash drive. Electronic storage of images is great for allowing pictures to be shared instantly with family and friends and can be accessed on any number of devices such as phones and laptops that form an integral part of our lives. Given the convenience of electronic storage for images why invest in an album or prints? Digital media such as USB drives and DVDs are great for transferring information, however given the rapid changes in technology will they still be the right solution in 5 or 10 years? The images that formed our wedding album were taken on film as digital photography was still gathering momentum, the printed album we have still looks fabulous and was instantly at hand for our son to look through 9 years later. Computers are now being produced without DVD drives as standard, in the future will a DVD of images be easily accessible? In addition the National Archives advise that a DVD-R will degrade over time, however they should last for at least 2-5 years (although in practice may be 10 years or more). USB drives may be a more robust storage solution, however as technology develops will they still be in use in 10 years time? Printed images have a feeling of permanence that digital images just cannot match, a marriage is forever, and so should the images be. A wedding album provides you with a beautiful object to remind you of your special day and the emotions and moments you shared. It forms a timeless memento that will be available for generations to come whatever the future holds.