Recover the wedding gallery you delivered, with final exports, a sequence record and a restore check that catches missing or outdated files.
The handoff breaks when a couple opens a recovered folder and cannot identify the wedding gallery they received. Preserve the delivered exports, their intended sequence and a delivery record, then check a separate restore against that record before calling the gallery recoverable.
A wedding gallery backup should restore the finished photographs in a form the recipient can open, identify and arrange as delivered.
RAW files, working edits and final exports serve different purposes. A recovered camera original gives you material for editing. A recovered delivered export preserves the finished photograph, including its crop, color treatment and any delivery-specific changes.
I use the delivered gallery as the baseline for the recovery check. The question is whether the recovered package contains the files that belonged to that handoff, with enough information to distinguish them from earlier versions and later replacements.
That distinction matters when an export gets corrected after delivery. An earlier image and its replacement may show the same moment and have similar filenames. An album selection may contain a subset of the full gallery. A folder of recognizable wedding photographs can still leave the couple uncertain about which files to keep.
Define the recovery target while the handoff is clear: the delivered export set, its identity and its intended presentation.
The 3-2-1 backup rule calls for 3 copies of important files, stored on 2 different media types, with 1 copy kept offsite.
Those figures come from CISA's guidance on backing up information. They describe a storage arrangement you can audit: count the copies, identify the media and locate the offsite copy.
For wedding delivery, apply that arrangement to the finished export package as well as any working archive you need. A backup of your editing catalog may have a different scope from a backup of the files the couple downloaded. Write down what each copy contains.
The 3-2-1 rule also gives the delivery record somewhere to live. Keep it with the export set in each backup copy so that recovering the photographs also recovers the information needed to interpret them.
Copy counts cannot establish that the correct gallery will return. A backup can faithfully preserve an outdated folder. Follow the storage check with an actual restore, and compare the result with the delivery baseline.
Save a delivery record that identifies the exact export set and explains how its files belong together.
A plain text file or spreadsheet can hold this record. Choose a format you can open independently of the original gallery service. The purpose is to let someone understand the recovered folder after the delivery page has become unavailable.
Include:
Take the file count directly from the delivered set. Do the same for filenames. Memory and labels such as “final final” introduce uncertainty at the exact point where the recovery check needs a clear reference.
If your delivery workflow includes Atlas Photo, record the gallery's name alongside the location of its preserved export folder. Then check whether you can identify that folder and reconstruct its sequence using only the delivery record, with the original service closed.
Keep account passwords and private access credentials in your secure account-management process. The delivery record needs to identify the files and their relationships.
Yes, a photo library backup can leave out originals when those files are stored outside the library being backed up.
Apple states that referenced files stored outside a Photos library are excluded when you back up that library. Its guidance says those files need a separate backup.
Trace the delivered exports with the same care. If they live in a folder outside the library, identify which backup includes that folder. Seeing a photograph inside an application does not establish that your selected backup contains the full file needed for recovery.
Make a short location map: where the source photographs reside, where the editing information resides and where the delivered exports reside. Then identify the backup covering each location.
A working archive and a delivered gallery have different recovery requirements. Future editing may depend on source files and editing data. The couple's recovery depends on identifiable finished photographs. Document both when both are part of your responsibility.
Restore the delivery package to a separate location, then compare its contents with the saved delivery record and retained reference files.
A separate folder keeps the recovered material easy to inspect. It also reveals how much reconstruction the recovery requires. If you must remember which version was current, add that information to the record.
Follow this sequence:
Each check answers a different question. Matching counts establish quantity. Matching filenames help establish membership. Visual inspection checks the visible result. A checksum comparison checks file contents against the reference you selected.
The reference must have a known identity. Comparing a recovered folder with another uncertain copy leaves the delivery question unresolved. Preserve the baseline when you deliver the gallery.
Preserve the intended gallery order explicitly in the delivery record, then check how the recipient's viewer sorts the recovered files.
Filename order, capture time and filesystem modification time are different sorting inputs. An editorial sequence may also move between preparations, ceremony details and guest reactions in an order that differs from capture time.
A filename list in the intended sequence gives the recipient a reference when a viewer presents the folder differently. If separate selections have their own order, label those selections in the record. Make replacement exports easy to locate within that sequence.
For the next wedding handoff, save the final exports with their filename list, actual file count and intended sequence. Restore that package into a separate folder, compare it with the saved delivery baseline and resolve discrepancies before marking the gallery recoverable.
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