Why You NEED a Wedding Album! (and engagement guest book too!)

Below is a post from 2011, so some things have changed – specifically that I now have wedding albums back in my packages as an optional, a la carte item. But when I recently came across this post, I felt that it was still relevant and that I could even add some information to it. In the three years since I typed this little sales pitch up, I’ve seen even more decline in printed photographs – both the quality of the actual prints (think drugstores, Costco etc) as well as the frequency in which people choose to make prints. I feel strongly about allowing my clients to have digital files, to share online with their family and friends. That is certainly something I would look for in a photographer, as well. But one thing I do know – coming across an old photograph and holding it in your hands, has a much higher impact that scrolling through an online gallery. A printed wedding album is designed to tell the story of your day, it does not include every single photograph – they are carefully selected to give just enough of a feeling of how everything turned out. The ultimate goal for me, as a photographer, is for the client to be able to hand their wedding album to someone who did not attend their wedding and by the last page, feel like they were there. This is not possible when you JUST hang a portrait on a wall (although I highly encourage that, as well!) or share a gallery of your photos on Facebook (will your kids have Facebook in 30 years? will CD drives and USB ports even exist anymore?) Viewing something on a computer or phone just doesn’t have the same impact as feeling in your hands. In the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never had anyone regret ordering one. The ones who say they’ll do so down the line – well, things come up: honeymoons, new houses, babies and the excitement in sitting down to design one fades. They are not cheap but in the end, I promise you that they are priceless!

Original Post

Why do you need a wedding album? (because I said SO!) Well, I don’t know if you really need one BUT I will start this post by saying that I didn’t used to offer wedding albums in my packages. I used to be under the impression that people would prefer to build their own packages, and if they really wanted an album, they would order one… guess how many people did? ZERO. Since I have started offering them, many people choose a package that includes one. I am a DIY-er, I like to design and create albums (well, of course I do, it’s part of my job) but I think even if I wasn’t a photographer, I’d say “Oh, I can do my own album” The thing about that is, you may procrastinate and never get around to it (something I’d also likely do) and even if you did, they’re not going to ROCK as much as my albums do! My main album company is Leather Craftsmen and you cannot order from them, or any other reputable album company, without a legit photo business. These albums are WAY higher quality and so much prettier than even the best options on such common sites as Blurb, Snapfish, Shutterfly etc. Sorry, those companies don’t even compare. Below are some examples of my wedding albums and my engagement guest book. I actually enjoy designing them and that makes less work for you, so you can enjoy being a newlywed and opening all your gifts, instead 🙂

I’ll start with the engagement guest book. If you’re ever wondering what to do with your engagement session photos, this is probably the best and cutest way to put them to good use. I doubt many people actually look at their traditional guest book more than a couple times. This style lets you show off your engagement pics AND reminisce about your wedding day and the people you shared it with. I did not come up with this idea, but if I did, I’d feel brilliant! 🙂 I also have another more Classic and Clean design, if this one isn’t your style. These come in 8×8 or 10×10 size. I’d say if you have a wedding smaller than 75 guests, the 8×8 will probably be fine but larger weddings should order the 10×10 size.

Each page has white space for your guests to sign their names and say congrats.

Some pages have questions on them, but this is completely optional, you may choose to just have blank, white pages and that won’t hurt my feelings one bit. For this sample I included them:

Alright, now the wedding albums. Most of the albums I design are 10×10, although I do offer 12×12, as well. The first type is called a Flush Mount Album. Each page is printed directly on the thick page, is unique, and designed to fit your needs.

Some pages only have a few photos on them:

While others have many photos:

Hopefully you’re not yawning and still with me… Finally, there is the Matted Parent Album. This is a more traditional style, where the photos are printed on photo paper, then mounted in mattes onto thick pages. I chose to print this style as a 7×7 size album, where each page has one 5×7, mounted into thick pages. I will say that the Flush Mount albums have a lot more flexibility with design and the ability to fit more photos, per album, than the matted style but it’s all up to you and your personal taste.