Photos from 1st (or 2nd) marriage.

[-]

Photobuff42@reddit

My mom made my first wedding gown. I love the picture of us together.

[-]

Agitated_Raspberry_7@reddit

Don't want to be reminded of failed past.

[-]

MariaInconnu@reddit

Give it to the kids. Tell them they're welcome to keep it for telheir own sake or throw it out if they don't care.

[-]

DeeLite04@reddit

I knew my ex from college so I do have past photos that he’s in.

But our wedding album? I threw out that entire thing. I think I have 1 pic from the wedding.

Also remarried but I threw out the album during our divorce and before remarriage.

No regrets.

[-]

Lopsided_Panic_1148@reddit

I haven't kept pictures of my exes. I got some Glamour Shots with my first husband. My mom still has the picture, except she cut out his face so now it's only me in the pic.

[-]

Tbagts@reddit

My friend calls his wife

"my first wife"

(He has only been married once)

[-]

MissMurderpants@reddit

I kept the memories I loved from my first marriage.

[-]

I've got mine. Ex handed me the box full of all our photos like she was never a part of them. Gotta tell ya, it hurt. Was on the side that didn't want the marriage to end, but it was too late and she was just done. There is a lot of pain in looking at them, but I try to block that out and remember the good times associated with them.

[-]

nadandocomgolfinhos@reddit

Curated and in a box. It’s family history and the wedding has a lot of people who’ve been gone a long time. The divorce was a long time ago and I don’t want to deny my kids access to their history.

Along with birth/ death/ marriage certificates I got while I was researching our genealogy. Everyone is labeled with the relationships detailed, including fun tidbits that make them more real.

[-]

sickiesusan@reddit

I was ready to get rid of the photos and asked my children to pick out which ones they wanted to keep. My son has held onto them all, but my daughter wasn’t interested. They made the decision for me really - but the divorce was a long time ago AND they are 23 and 25 now.

[-]

ajn3323@reddit

She kept all of it but I don’t know what she has done with the stuff. We’ve been split for about five years. I just recently thought about the photo albums as a memory popped up on my feed. I’m thinking about asking her the status of the memorabilia.

[-]

Status-Effort-9380@reddit

For the longest time, I didn’t want to see the photos from marriage 1. But as people age, it’s nice to remember the friends and family that attended. I love my dress. It was a vintage 1960’s dress. Even though the marriage didn’t last, it’s nice to have the memories of the day.

[-]

EmbarrassedAge7612@reddit

When my kids were older and ready to move out I let them each go through pictures that I set back. Most had their mom or her family members in them. If they wanted them, they could take them. If not they went in the trash.

[-]

MikeyRidesABikey@reddit

First marriage was 20 years. I have a TON of photos in boxes in the basement. It ended in 2013, so a lot of the photos from the last half were digital, and they are tucked away in some folder on my NAS.

[-]

Turbulent-Leg3678@reddit

I kept the emotional scars and trust issues and pitched the rest. One and done.

[-]

elliepelly1@reddit

Same!

[-]

elizajaneredux@reddit

Kept the album in a box with some other mementos from that marriage and plan to give it to my kids when they’re older, along with some other family history photos and objects.

[-]

BreadMaker_42@reddit

Scan/digitize them. Keep the memories, not the bulk…

[-]

KrasnyRed5@reddit

I have a couple of old school photo albums from my first marriage. I always vaguely thought I would give them to my son, but I don't know that he would want them.

[-]

good_life_choices@reddit

Well, I know around here we have a couple of archery ranges and there's nothing like a nice target, or face to launch an arrow at. Just saying, you might have options.

[-]

alegna12@reddit

One of my kids took the photo album of the wedding with her dad.

[-]

Kestrel_Iolani@reddit

My first marriage was a "starter marriage." Ended after three years and we separated with no property and no kids.

To answer your question: I have an X-Box. I don't mean the game system, it's one box where i put all the ephemera from previous relationships that I'm not ready to get rid of.

[-]

Life_of1103@reddit

Purged all materiel associated with my marriage immediately. Gave her the wedding album, because why would I want it. It's probably on a shelf with her other five.

[-]

Ennuiology@reddit

My marriage lasted 4 long, painful, miserable years and I threw away everything associated with it. Man, did that mother fucker change.

[-]

emryldmyst@reddit

I threw everything that lying sack of shit gave me in the dumpster and stuffed all the photos in a folder for the kids.

[-]

MaximumJones@reddit

If you have children from previous marriages then I would give the photos to them.

Otherwise why keep them at all?

[-]

Inkblots2000@reddit

I burned everything. Had a legit bonfire with my dad handing me the lighter.

I have one single photo of me in my wedding dress, only because my mom made my dress.

I melted down my engagement ring and wedding band into a diamond pendant necklace that was something unique I wanted.

Other than that? I torched everything else.

[-]

This-Assumption4123@reddit

First marriage, gave to police to help track him down. Second husband (married 20 years) he died when I was 45 heart attack and the kids took some and I have some. I recently remarried and I married younger so I don’t have to hopefully outlive another to make that choice again.

[-]

Disastrous-Duty-8020@reddit

I gave them to x

[-]

eastbaypluviophile@reddit

I kept one small book of photos from my 1st wedding in 1996. Trashed everything else including the super cool vintage silk wedding dress, which I gave to a friend for a “trash the dress” photo shoot.

Second marriage in 2005 was all digital, I have those on an old thumb drive somewhere.

I keep telling myself I will eventually sort and organize the hundreds of photos I have stuffed in a storage bin in the garage. Or maybe I’ll just dump them all. Who knows.

[-]

limi2018@reddit

My first marriage - he died from heart issues before we had kids. The wedding album is in a storage bin and the digital pics are online. I also have a few things - T-shirts, gifts to me, photos.

My second marriage - he cheated. I’ve got the wedding photos and others photos digitally. The photo display in the kitchen does not show the cheating ex but they’re all backed up for our shared child. She might want them but I’d rather never see his cheating ass again.

[-]

AppropriateAmoeba406@reddit

I’d really love it if my first husband would send them back to me. I’ve asked multiple times now. No luck.

[-]

LostTiredWanderer@reddit

My husband and I are the last in our families. We just started tossing them. Honestly I cant imagine anyone wanting any of our stuff.

[-]

StopCallingMeGeorge@reddit

I've tossed them. 43 years ago, I left my current wife (then girlfriend) for my future ex-wife.

I love my wife more than I love holding onto pictures that bring her bad memories. I was an idiot in 1983. No need to continue being that idiot today.

[-]

MintyPinkDreams@reddit

I threw all mine out when we decided to divorce,cards,trinkets,guestbook. It all went straight away , I had no need to keep Hold of them

[-]

rharper38@reddit

My husband tossed them. At this point, the only mementos we have of her are half her ashes (her family has those--they were divorcing when she died) and some Christmas decorations. We just got rid of the furniture they bought together because we are a new chapter and I have different taste

[-]

Reader47b@reddit

He cheated on me and then left me, taking only what he wanted from the house and leaving lots of his crap behind, with little warning, after 25 years of marriage - I threw them all away except for one small album which I kept in case the kids want it one day. I kind of regret throwing them all away now. I should have kept more and boxed them up and just not had them visible for a few years. I might be able to look at them again someday. Not now, but someday.

[-]

Born-Winner-5598@reddit

He cheated on me (it was pretty messy) and I walked away. Left it all behind. House (had him take over the mortgage), dress, photos, furniture....all of it. He could keep it all as far as I was concerned. Divorced him, and started fresh. Best decision I could have made.

[-]

sarah-vdb@reddit

Mine are in a manila envelope in a filing cabinet. I haven't looked at them in probably 15 years, but a couple of people in them have passed (including the groom, 20 years after our divorce) and the pictures are full of family and friends. No kids, so they'll get tossed eventually.

[-]

Leading-Summer-4724@reddit

Got rid of the pics of him; kept the pics of me looking pretty. All digital so I don’t have to worry about shelf space.

[-]

Sallydog24@reddit

I kept most of it, it's in a bin in the basement. The marrage ended and we are still frends

[-]

medigapguy@reddit

Go to a service and have them digitized if you don't want to scan them in yourself.

Clutter gone but pictures saved if someone wants them later

[-]

filtersweep@reddit

I went through a divorce a few years ago- was married 25 years. Funny how the brain erases the happy memories to protect us from our losses.

[-]

Magerimoje@reddit

My parents got married in 72, had me in 75, and got divorced in 76.

My mom saved their wedding album and gave it to me when I was an adult. It's in my closet, next to the album from my first marriage. Both are being passed to my kids.

[-]

LuceLeakey@reddit

I got rid of most of the pics from my first wedding and later regretted it. It's nice to look back and see my younger self.

I still have all the digital pics, and a book I made, from my second wedding and I'm keeping those too because I'll never be that young and beautiful again.

The thing I have yet to declutter, even 5 years after the divorce, is the box of handmade decorations, invitations, menus and other ephemera. I have no kids, so there's no one to leave this to, but I worked so hard on it all that I hate to throw it away.

[-]

nrith@reddit

When going through my late father’s things, my brothers didn’t want anything at all. The things that were most important to me were his papers and photos, not his clothes, books, furniture, work equipment, etc. Stuff that we call ephemera is often anything but—it’s the most complete record you can have of someone’s life.

[-]

bored2death2@reddit

Do you have the negatives? Sure having a paper copy is good for some meaningful images. Part of my decluttering was to scan all the negatives we had and tossing the paper copies. The images are backed up redundantly. The negatives were put in a acid-free storage sheets, placed in a binder, and finally placed in a cardboard box that I've sealed.

[-]

SaltyBlackBroad@reddit

If you have kids, give them to the kids.

[-]

ONROSREPUS@reddit

Am I odd that I wouldn't want anything from a previous marriage? I would have tossed that stuff about a day after the divorce announcement.

[-]

mudshark698@reddit

Not odd. I sold my wedding ring within 48 hours of moving out.

[-]

Comedywriter1@reddit

Same. The only picture I’ve kept of my first wife is one with my dog in it. (It’s actually a great picture of the dog.) 😂

[-]

mazerbrown@reddit

Pick two or three photos that you like of yourself or are meaningful, scan or photograph them and then shred the rest and toss the book. Any kids from the marriage might want to look through it first but my bet is on them giving you their blessing to toss the whole thing.

[-]

Pais08@reddit

I have my parents wedding album and rings. They divorced when I was 3, I was their only child. If you had children together they might like to have them.

[-]

TripMaster478@reddit

With the caveat that it depends how old they are. I'd wait until they're in their mid 20's at least. Before that they might not recognize the significance.

[-]

StudyObjective4286@reddit

Pick out the best ones and get rid of the rest.

[-]

worstpartyever@reddit

If you feel the need to declutter it a bit without making a huge decision, take the photos out of the frames and put them aside in a big manila envelope (marked clearly). Then donate/throw away the frames.

[-]

changelingcd@reddit

Photo albums would be my very last stop in a 'decluttering' process. If you have kids from that marriage, leave the photos for them.

[-]

PepsiOfWrath@reddit

If there are kids from the marriage, offer it otherwise trash.

[-]

Cookiecakes71@reddit

gif

[-]

Mudlark-000@reddit

I don’t have any pictures of my ex on my phone or where I have to see them frequently, but all my photos (ex included) are backed up where my kids have access to them.

[-]

caryn1477@reddit

I kept my first wedding album. I'm pretty sure I got rid of everything else, but the album I kept. Even though the marriage didn't last, it's nice to see pictures of the family members and friends.

[-]

teenbean12@reddit

I kept all my pictures. My kids may want them someday.

[-]

Normal-Philosopher-8@reddit

Please arrange for them to be digitized, and then give them to someone in the family to keep them. Most families have someone who is into genealogy and family history, although that person may not be one of the family you are close to.

It’s completely understandable that you, and quite possibly your children, would find the photos difficult to look at, or upsetting. So I don’t ask that you even look at them. If you could, simply labeling the people, place and date would be great.

There are plenty of divorced families in my own family tree (the idea that divorce was rare often baffles me - I had family getting divorces going back into the 1800’s) and I would love to have any photo record of them. Weddings often mean photos of extended family, which can be even more special, as our stories are joined with all of the family stories before us.

[-]

Flaky-Debate-833@reddit (OP)

Hadn't considered this. Thanks for pointing it out. Appreciate it.

[-]