No wedding is complete without lots of gorgeous wedding photos; but does there come a point when enough is enough?

I recently attended the wedding of one of my close friends; and as soon as I saw her walk down the aisle in her gorgeous mermaid dress I burst into tears. Not only is she the first of my close friends to get married, but I couldn’t believe how stunning and happy she looked. All I wanted to do was give her a big hug and congratulate her. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a minute alone with her for hours following the ceremony because she was busy taking pictures.

I understand the importance of capturing every moment at a wedding on film. There is so much going on throughout a couple’s wedding day that sometimes it’s hard to remember it all. You would think that you would recall every millisecond of your big day, but couples often do not. In the moment, your mind is in so many places at once and you are overtaken by emotions. You could imagine that, more often than not, you’re disconnected. When you think back to your wedding day, everything can be a big blur. That’s where the photos come in. All you have to do is look back at your wedding photo album and all the memories of the day will come flooding back.

All photos are used to trigger memories, but wedding photos are unique because they capture your big day moments and make them look perfect. When a photo is perfect, the memory associated with it follows suit. You won’t remember that pimple on your chin once it’s airbrushed out of your photos.

Hundreds of perfect weddings photos generate hundreds of beautiful memories, but there can come a point where you have more photos than memories.

Every time my friend went to speak to one of her guests or walked onto the dance floor at her wedding, the photographer would come in and position her for a new photo. With a photographer telling you where to put your arms and directing you around the venue for hours you may not be able to enjoy your wedding—all you’re doing is taking photos that look like you’re enjoying your wedding.

Can you have too many wedding photos? I think so. The more time you spend with your photographer away from your guests, the less fun you’ll have, and the less authentic all those smiling photos will be. You have to find the right balance between enjoying your wedding, interacting with guests, and taking photographs.

A simple solution is to have lots of candid photographs. The photographer can take pictures of the couple dancing or enjoying themselves and they still get hundreds of beautiful photographs after the wedding. As long as there’s the right balance between photos and fun, everyone will be happy, and the bride and groom will have created and captured hundreds of precious memories from their wedding day.

Jillian Zacchia is a contributing writer for The Bridal Guide.