I’ve conjured up this blog post today to talk about wedding albums! Are you getting married soon and in the beginning stages of planning a wedding? Overwhelming isn’t it?! One of the things you might consider when looking at wedding photographer packages, besides the price tag, is everything that price tag includes. One or two photographers? Video or only stills? Does this include prints and/or an album? Should we see if we can cut the costs by eliminating the album altogether?! Read on for why you should definitely invest in a wedding album by getting that package that includes the wedding album, rather than changing your mind afterward and having to pay significantly more for one as an add-on after the wedding.

First reason:
Can you imagine spending several thousands of dollars on your wedding and receiving a CD-ROM with your images? EW! Well, I shouldn’t say ew, because that was actually a thing a decade ago! It’s since then evolved into getting a personalized USB flash drive. Cute, right? They were! But here’s the thing: When is the last time you received a CD for anything? Or actually saw a laptop with a CD-ROM drive in it? Today, in 2020, USB’s are even becoming obsolete. Technology changes faster than you can say “Is there an app for that?” The new Apple MacBooks don’t even have the older USB ports anymore!!! After all the “moving with the times” and staying current with the best ways to deliver tangible items that contain and preserve your wedding images, the best way always boils down to having them printed out in an heirloom-quality wedding album.

Second reason:
Your wedding album should be your legacy; your story, something you hand down to your children and grandchildren. After all, despite whatever new device your wedding images are delivered on, they remain on a device, and not exactly displayed or tangibly held in your hands. Legacy wedding albums are hand-crafted, lay-flat beauties that sit out on your coffee table, waiting to be opened so the day can be relived! Their quality is remarkable and it’s literally a personalized piece of art.

Third reason:
Show off all the hard work you did to plan such a memorable day. Planning a wedding is no easy task and it’s all over in one day. No matter how big or small the wedding may be, you deserve to have it printed and presented beautifully. Don’t forget to use it to feature the grandparents and any other special guests!

Fourth Reason:
It tells your story! From the prep til the bride and groom exit the party (hopefully with sparklers?!), I layout the day as it progressed with the best of the best and most memorable images selected by you. I highlight the details, the best moments, the special guests, and everything else that played a special part in your day. Some really thoughtful photographers who love planning ahead and have an “album vision”, including myself, are also thinking while shoot with an album layout in mind as we’re capturing the day. Hint: Shooting a variety of verticals and horizontals make for several layout options during the design process.

Fifth reason:
Professional photographers have the design software, we know how the day went, in what order, and have access to the pro labs where the albums are created. There is a process to the “flow” of the photos in an album so it looks professional, rather than just a “collage” of wedding images. If you’re thinking of doing it yourself, it can be daunting, and overwhelming and probably even cost more than you think it will, which is why we work it into the total pricing.

FAQ:

What does “lay-flat” mean?
Lay-flat is a style of album-making where instead of a traditional “crease” in the centerfold like a common book, the album simply folds in half. While there may not be a crease, it is still important to make sure important elements like faces do not appear directly in the center. This is something I’m careful to look out for while doing the album design.


Who designs the album?
I do! Using premium industry-standard software specifically for designing books and albums of all sizes, I can create a layout that perfectly tells the story of your day. And yes, you get a say in what images you want in the album and how you want the layout to look before it’s finalized and heads to the lab for printing. All revisions are done easily online where you can make notes and comments on what images and spreads you’d like swapped or revised!


What sizes are the albums?
I currently offer a 10×10 and a 12×12 in the wedding packages. 10×10’s are perfect sizes. The pages are also thick and do not bend with a lustre finish so it looks elegant and high-end. An album with 25-30 spreads is about 3 or so inches thick and it’s heavy and well-built. It’s definitely a piece of art, designed to be shown off. There is an option to upgrade to a 12×12 if you feel going all out with it!


Where do you make the wedding albums?
I use Kiss Books for all wedding albums. They are THE best. You do have to be a photographer in the business with a sufficient looking website so they can verify you as a professional as their services aren’t available to consumers and clients directly.


Extra info:
I lightly retouch all images chosen for the album (ie: remove exit signs, any distracting elements in the images, etc.) at no additional charge! Why? Because your LEGACY album should be flawless!
I hope this was helpful in convincing you why you should definitely invest in a wedding album and go with the album-included package when booking your photographer! More investment info here.

“Gee, I wish we had saved a buck and not gotten this gorgeous wedding album!” -No bride ever