Brides, grooms, and their families work hard for months to create a perfect wedding day.
When the dancing is over, the guests are gone, and some of the memories have faded, the one thing that lasts for generations are the wedding photos. A few short weeks after the wedding, everyone who was part of the day is excited to view the photos!
It’s no wonder that WeddingWire.com’s survey of 18,000 newlyweds in 2018 showed 90 percent of them hired a photographer for the big day.
Whether you want to display your own wedding photos, or give a gift to newly married children or grandchildren, we’d love to help you turn those treasured photos into something beautiful to that will last for generations.
Start to finish, here’s how we can create your premium, keepsake wedding album for you.
We Narrow Down the Best Photos that Tell the Story of Your Day
With thousands of images to choose from, it can be overwhelming to narrow down the number to the right photos for your keepsake album. We can help with that!
You’re going to have thousands of photos — everything from shots of the wedding party to getting ready to pictures of the celebratory moments at the reception.
Wedding photographers often include all their photos on an external drive as part of their wedding packages. Some photographers even make a large selection of edited photos available on a private photo website.
Because we design so many keepsake albums, we have a feel for the number of images needed in each spread and which photos fit the basic design template.
We begin by consulting with you to make sure your album contains photos of all the people and events you want to remember from the day. Aaron Jones, one of our Photo Technicians and an experienced wedding photographer, has created hundreds of wedding albums. He has a keen eye for great photos and what will translate best on the printed page.
Aaron starts with an initial selection of photos. Then our clients can approve those choices, or suggest changes if they don’t see their favorites.
We are careful to only include photos of people looking their best. Sometimes that means we have to crop people out if they are blurry, and we’ll include only the best photos of guests dancing at the reception.
We Handle Album Design and Creation
Once we have selected the initial photos, we begin the design phase. Starting with the size, we’ll want to know if you prefer a 12 x 12, or 10 x 10 album.
When it comes to pages, we let our clients know to plan on a BIG wedding album. They often contain up to 50 spreads, which equals 100 pages.
We usually limit the number of photos per spread to a maximum of eight or nine. But some page themes look better with a few more added in. Certain photos fit the look of a full spread, featuring just one large photo, or one large and one small photo. The average wedding album may contain anywhere from 100 to 400 photos.
Design Elements
Rather than using a template, we create the album based on how the day chronologically unfolded. Then we combine your preferences with contemporary design elements.
For example, how much white space do you like? Most people prefer a combination of photos that stretch to the edges of the pages (full bleed) and pages with plenty of white space.
Overall, we keep the design theme similar from spread to spread.
We try to group similar shots together (e.g. the bride getting ready with her bridesmaids, the mother helping the bride with her dress, group portraits, etc.). Other pages will focus on a “moment” from the day (e.g. the “first look” photos, for example, when the bride and groom see each other for the first time).
We limit the number of photos to just a few on pages that feature still shots of items like the dress, jewelry, or shoes. We may also feature the reception including table decor, any special signage, or personal touches in the room.
Because most photographer’s collections include a selection of black and white photos, we may use both styles in a spread, providing a vintage or artistic effect.
Unless you have a preference for adding written story to your album, we don’t usually include much text or captioning. Let the photos tell the story.
Here are some pages from Ben and Amberlee’s wedding album:
Dozens of Beautiful Album Cover Choices
The cover provides the eye-catching finishing touch to your wedding album. And not just any cover will do!
We use Miller’s Lab for most of our premium album printing. They have a large selection of cover materials. You can choose from:
- Standard, distressed, metallic, or pearlescent leather.
- Linen.
- Nubuck suede.
- Velvet.
- Custom acrylic, metal, or wood.
Other custom cover options include a single, full-wrapped photo, cameo photo inset, or your own illustration.
Many clients like to have their names and wedding date foil stamped or embossed on the cover too.
We Finalize Your Album with Proofing, Ordering, and Delivery
Once we have your final approval on your album’s design, it’s ready to go to print. We finalize your order and arrange delivery.
Every step of the way, we want to give you confidence in your investment in such a priceless keepsake of your or your loved one’s wedding day.
Contact us today if you’re looking for help to create a long-lasting, beautiful wedding album you’ll love looking at again and again.