I think it’s safe to say many of us have flipped through the pages of our parent’s wedding album. Perhaps you laughed at the crazy fashion and couldn’t believe how young all your family members looked back then. If you’re really lucky, you have even seen your grandparent’s wedding album, filled with beautiful and very formal black and white images. If you have never looked through an old family wedding album, we encourage you to do so at your next family gathering. Just a few moments will take you back in time and gives a little glimpse into your family’s history. It’s truly remarkable.
In today’s highly digital era, the wedding album is sadly not prioritized in the same way it used to be. Wedding photographers provide links and USB drives with hundreds if not thousands of photos from your wedding. In almost an instant, they can be uploaded and shared with your family, friends and nearest and dearest social media followers. You might find yourself wondering, should I buy a wedding album? While there are many benefits to owning the digital copies of your images, it can never replace a traditional wedding album. As technology changes, you might struggle to transfer your digital files to the most current medium to ensure you always have access to your images.
In reality, there are so few tangible takeaways from your wedding. Having your best wedding moments captured and archived as a family heirloom is truly worth it. Keep reading to see why our answer is a huge YES when you ask, should I buy a wedding album.
Quality
A traditional wedding album, purchased from your photographer or a designer they work with will stand the test of time. The photos are printed on high quality photo paper and mounted on sturdy pages with precise binding techniques. After all, you mostly likely spent a decent portion of your wedding budget on a professional photographer so that you can have the highest quality images of your day. When it comes to displaying your wedding photos, it’s also best to leave it to the professionals. Those images should be showcased in an album that allows that quality to shine through.
Yes, you can certainly take your digital images and create a photo book on a popular website for a much lower cost, however the print and page quality is not made to last. These DIY options are, however, great to use for your engagement photos or a personalize guest book for your wedding.
Selection
Not only will a professional album be well made, you will have an overabundance of choices to personalize the book to your own style. The options for your wedding album can seem endless, from specialty paper and binding to custom covers. Some of the most popular choices are…
Flat lay: This options is a special binding that allows the book to lay flat when opened.
Flush mount: This popular choice means the entire two page spread is a single photographic print that runs from edge to edge seamlessly. It creates the option to showcase a large panoramic print from your day.
Custom covers: A vast selection of cover options are available such as leather, silk, crystal or metal. Your cover will often also include your names, wedding date and even your favorite wedding photo.
Process
You might receive a thousand photos from your wedding day. While you may enjoy looking through every single image, others would much prefer to see a well curated collection. When you are ready to order your wedding album, you likely will work with your photographer or their designer to select your favorite images. Most wedding albums will showcase 75-150 images and will be artistically arranged to tell the story of your day. This narrowed down selection will ultimately be the most important moments and memories you will want to relive as you flip through your album.
Long gone are the days of actual photos in mounted mattes. Today, your album will be composed of a variety of photos strategically designed to show anywhere from one large impactful image to five or six collage style images laid out on each two page spread.
Price
Many photographers will have traditional albums included in their packages or will offer album credits within their pricing structure. Other’s, will give you pricing for their service and the digital images and you will have the option to purchase an album al carte. If you are considering an album, be sure you know which options your photographer provides and how those costs will factor into your total at the beginning and following the wedding.
A high quality, professionally done wedding album is definitely an investment, but we feel it is worth every penny. Having tangible memories you can share with your friends, family, children and even future grandchildren is priceless.
By: Dana Bates
