Like many women, I love a great picture of me and my husband. That candid of him kissing my cheek at a friend’s wedding? Adorable! The one of us tan and laughing on the beach in Barcelona? Like a friggin’ magazine ad or something! I also take a lot of pictures, which means I’ve got an arsenal of perfectly arranged compositions anchored by me and Husband. (Plus a hard drive’s worth of imperfectly arranged scenes of Husband looking exasperated while I stabilize my tripod.)
Like many women, I also enjoying having those coupley photos on display in my home. I mean, what are they for if not for framing and sharing, right? But how many relationship photos are too many? We’ve got the rings. We invited 75 of our closest friends and family to watch us promise to be obnoxiously in love with each other forever. And when Husband boasts to friends about his chicken wing eating record, I still cop to being married to him. Is it really necessary for us to prove our mutual love any more?
When it comes to displaying couples pictures in her home, each urban housewife gets to make her own rules. So if you’re one of those ladies who’s got to have each room overwhelmed by pictures of you and your man gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes, I’m not going to stop you. I’m not even going to tell you I think it’s a bit ridiculous. (Ok, I am.)
But I will tell you a cold hard truth your husband’s probably hinted at at some point – all those pictures kind of make guests want to slap you. Not hard or anything, because they’re your friends, but a bit. Because having countless relationship pictures plastered all over your walls is pretty obnoxious.
Here’s the thing. You want your home – however cozy (cramped), however shabby chic (or just shabby) – to feel full of love, not be full of lovey dovey photos. The warmest, most lovely homes are those that translate the affection shared by a couple through laughter and throw blankets and the smell of a secret recipe wafting out from the kitchen.
Those sensory experiences invite a couple’s guests into their home and into the love that fills it, making them feel like a part of the joy. A few carefully chosen couples photos can back those sentiments up and serve as momentos from special occasions or memorable trips. Or why not choose one amazing photo and blow it up onto a canvas print for a nice admirable artwork display.
But a house or apartment that’s overwhelmed by multiple relationship photos in every room starts to feel like it’s compensating. Or worse for your guests, showing off. It’s like that dreaded Facebook status update from a plucky girlfriend about the “just because” flowers her boyfriend sent her. And why is it always replete with photos? We know what flowers look like, girl. You know what that makes your friends feel like? Junk, that’s what! (And for the record, Husband is no slacker when it comes to “just because” moments, but I prefer to treat them as “just for us” moments as well.)
If you’ve got too many fantastic couple photos to settle on just a couple around the house, then put them up in the bedroom. It’s the one place in the house you’ve got free rein to go crazy on the romance. Otherwise, let the love between you and your honey speak for itself, and invite your house guests to appreciate, not envy, it.