How to deliver wedding photos and films without WeTransfer or Google Drive

Why a transfer link is not a wedding delivery

WeTransfer and Google Drive are good at what they were built for: moving and storing files. Wedding delivery asks for more, and the gaps tend to show up after you press send.

• Links run out. Transfer links expire, sometimes before the couple has downloaded everything, and long before the aunt abroad gets round to opening it.
• A folder is not a gallery. A shared drive shows file names and thumbnails. Your work deserves a cover, an order and a slideshow.
• Photos get squeezed. When the couple forwards photos to guests through messaging apps, they are usually compressed, so your work circulates at a fraction of its quality.
• You can't see what happened. Did they open it? Did they download the originals, or only the three photos someone forwarded?
• Films need a player. A video file in a folder has to be downloaded before anyone can watch it on a phone.

What a good wedding delivery looks like

Before choosing a tool, write down what the couple should experience. For most weddings the list looks like this:

• One link that opens on any phone, with no account and no app.
• The day told in order: getting ready, ceremony, portraits, reception.
• Films that play in the browser, next to the photos.
• Full-resolution files for the couple, lighter files for sharing.
• Your studio's name on it, not a file-sharing brand.
• Control for you: a password, an expiry date, a way to switch it off.

Here is how to build that in Aurant.

Step 1: upload once, at full resolution

Upload your exported photos and films. Aurant keeps them exactly as you exported them and never recompresses them. If the connection drops, uploads retry on their own, wait while you are offline and carry on when the network is back; parts already sent are not sent again. Each file is checked when it lands, so you know every byte arrived intact.

The Free plan includes 5 GB of storage, unlimited galleries and no limit on the number of files per gallery. A full wedding at full resolution can pass 5 GB quickly, so compare the storage of each plan on the pricing page.

Step 2: build the gallery in chapters

Create a gallery from the folder you uploaded. If your export is already split into folders, group the gallery into sets by folder in one click, then rename, reorder or hide sets: Getting ready, Ceremony, Portraits, Reception.

Then choose how it opens. Pick a template (you can open every one as a sample gallery on the templates page; premium templates come with paid plans), a cover photo or a film as the cover, a colour theme, a typeface, a grid style and, if you like, music that plays when the couple starts the slideshow.

Step 3: decide who can download what

This is where most delivery headaches are solved. In the gallery's download options you can set:

• Sizes: high resolution only, web size only (a 2048 px JPEG, right for phones and social media), or both, with the visitor choosing at each download.
• Scope: the whole gallery, one photo at a time, or favourites only.
• A download PIN: a 4-digit code, separate from the gallery password. Family can view with the password; only the couple, who has the PIN, can download.
• Sets that can't be downloaded: photos in those sets can be viewed but never downloaded.
• A download limit, if you want one. Leave it at 0 for unlimited.

If you turn on a watermark, it is applied to the images visitors see and to web-size downloads. High-resolution originals never carry it.

Step 4: protect the link without making it awkward

• Password: send it separately from the link, in a message or on a call.
• Expiry date: optional. You might leave the couple's gallery open and put an expiry on a gallery meant for guests.
• On or off: switch the link off at any time, and back on later.
• Link previews: when the link is pasted into WhatsApp or iMessage, the preview shows your cover. On a password-protected gallery you decide whether the cover shows or stays private until the password is entered.
• Visitor details: ask visitors for their name and email (off, optional or required). Nobody has to create an account.

Step 5: send it, then see what happens

Send the gallery by email from Aurant: the couple receives your cover photo, your note and the link, under your studio's name. Nothing goes out until you press send. You can also copy the link, or download a QR code for a thank-you card or the album box.

Once it is out, the gallery's client activity page shows views, unique visitors, downloads, and the most viewed and most favourited photos. Aurant measures this itself, with no third-party trackers or cookies on your client's gallery.

Favourites are where album conversations start. The couple hearts photos, sorts them into lists such as Album picks or Prints, adds notes and sends a list to you. On your side, copy the file names straight into a Lightroom filter or download them as a CSV.

When you still need a plain transfer

Some files don't belong in the couple's gallery: rushes for an editor, a folder for a second shooter, a master film file for the venue. For those, Aurant Transfers works like a transfer link with more control:

• each recipient gets a personal download link, so you can see who opened and downloaded what;
• an optional password, a download limit and a public link if you need one;
• an expiry you can extend, and links you can revoke in one go;
• everything downloads as one ZIP file that the browser can resume if the connection drops.

If the film is still being edited, don't deliver it yet: share it for review, so the couple can comment at exact moments. The guide to sending a client gallery explains review links.

A wedding delivery checklist

1. Export, then upload photos and films at full resolution.
2. Create the gallery and group it into sets.
3. Choose the template, cover, colours and slideshow music.
4. Set download sizes and scope, and give the couple a PIN.
5. Add a password and decide whether the gallery expires.
6. Open it on your phone, the way a guest will see it.
7. Send it by email with a personal note, and keep the QR code for the album.
8. Check client activity a few days later and answer any favourites lists.