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It’s a special moment when a newly married couple receive the beautiful photos from their wedding so that they can relive the memories of their special day. But, there is still work to be done, if you want to transform your favourite moments into a beautiful album. A wedding album is kind of like a wedding dress — it’s meant to be enjoyed and meant to be looked at and just as there’s an art to capturing the wedding, there’s an art to assembling the perfect wedding album.
Your photographer will be able to guide you through this and put the album together for you if you have ordered one through them but as it will be your forever album, you need to consider the following 10 points:
1. Pick your absolute favourites.
Choose the photos you can’t live without & remind you instantly of how you felt on your day, not necessarily the pictures you think should be included.
2. Let the photos speak for themselves.
When creating the format of your album, don’t be afraid to let a good photograph stand on its own. This avoids the pages looking cluttered and adds impact to a single picture. You can add extra pages at little cost so don’t let the number of spreads restrict your layout. One horizontal photo can even go across two pages (a spread) if it captured a favourite moment.
3. Think chronologically.
In general, the photos should follow the timeline of your day. However, there is nothing to say that you can’t start with an amazing image from later in your day. Let your photographer know if this one is for the front page.
4. Lay out one spread at a time.
It’s all about the synergy of your album and more important that the order is the flow of the images. Just like a magazine, your album will be made up of spreads, think of each spread (or two pages) as a whole. The images need to be related to each other by content or style.
5. Don’t be afraid of mixing colour photos with black & whites.
Some photos are more powerful in black & white, focusing the eye on what the photo is saying. But sometimes, a dark room or a gloomy sky leaves the photographer with no option but to turn the images black & white. Mixing colour with black & white photos adds to the interest of your album or you may choose to have a spread of only black & whites.
6. Have photos that represent the big ceremony moments.
The expression on the face of the groom as he turns to see his bride as she walks down the aisle, the first kiss, the ‘we’ve just got married’ walk back down the aisle – these are all key moments in your day and great reminders of the emotions of your wedding.
7. Don’t procrastinate
Months or years later it won’t feel as special and it’s a great follow up to your day to share with your family & friends. Also, if you decide that you want your photographer to create your album months after your wedding but it’s in the midst of the wedding season, you may have to wait longer than you would like.
8. Decisions about your actual album.
There are some fantastic quality wedding albums available on the market today, which means you can end up with something much more than a photo album. It will become a treasured family heirloom, bringing pleasure for years to come. There is a wide range of sizes, designs, colours, finishes for the interior and exterior, outer boxes, USB sticks, and even a choice of linen, leatherette or velvet for your album & box. We have a range of albums at our studio that show some of the different styles/colours/sizes etc and we can talk you through the process from choosing which photos you want, through choosing the album finish and keeping you up to date with the production process.
9. Consider creating a beautiful piece of wall art.
The special day you created, the way you looked and felt, why not pick
from your favourite shots of the day, the ones you connect with most to have on the walls of your home? These can be acrylic, canvas or even metallic finishes and a great way to remember your day every time you walk into the room.
10. Enjoy your album.
Display your album where it can be enjoyed. Leaving your album out on a coffee table is fine, since people understand there’s a “certain sacredness” to wedding albums so it won’t be treated as a coaster. You maybe want to go for a wipeable finish to avoid sticky little fingerprints and always keep away from direct sunlight.