A wedding day is brimming with emotion. From the moment the bride and groom start getting ready, to their romantic first look and all the way to the final toast of the night, your photographer is there to capture every detail.
Once the big day has passed, a wedding album is a perfect way to encapsulate all these emotional moments and tell your wedding story with elegance. To help you get started, we’ve compiled 8 wedding album tips and ideas to ensure you have a piece to cherish for a lifetime.
1. Choose a Durable Cover
Whether you plan to display your wedding album for guests or keep it stored for special occasions, you’ll want a cover that is durable and stylish. Consider a genuine leather, ivory silk, acrylic or hardcover. Alternatively, eco leather comes in a variety of hues, including navy, tan and green.
If you’d like to gift your wedding album, customize your book’s cover and spine specifically to your loved one’s style. Adorn the cover with up to two lines of personalized gold or silver lettering with your wedding date, name or even a loving quote to honor your wedding story. You may also choose to line the cover with your favorite photo from the day. Even add a deluxe touch by wrapping the photo cover in an acrylic casing, providing extra structure and shine to the whole book.
2. Consider Flat Lay Pages
Among the available page options, flat lay pages are considered ideal due to their thickness and satin finish. These features allow your photos to pop with vibrant color and clarity.
In addition to picture quality, flat lay pages sit flush with the center of the book, showcasing a seamless image without a crease at the binding.
Similarly, flush mount wedding albums allow you to fully extend each image to the edge of the page and seam. Ultra-thick pages display uninterrupted images with vivid color and definition while freeing up design and layout options as well.
3. Make a Collage
Photo collages allow the intricate details of each wedding to truly shine through. By pairing a collection of smaller, detail-oriented photos with a larger anchor image, each page provides a greater sense of the full wedding-day design.
For example, showcase individual close-ups of your bridal party to complement a stunning landscape image of your full ceremony. Collages can also be helpful when relaying the energy and storyline of the evening. Gather a collection of dancefloor images, shifting throughout the crowd, before highlighting you and your spouse dancing in the center.
4. Tell a Story
Every wedding day tells a unique story. Imbued with family tradition and each couple’s personality, you’ll want to especially showcase the personalized wedding touches added throughout your day.
To accomplish this, recall the details of your wedding day as they unfolded. Wedding party preparations, organizing the final touches, exchanging rings and vows and of course, the elegant party that followed. Flipping through the photo album should help you and your loved ones relive the journey of your day.
5. Add Mementos
Your album can also play double duty for holding your precious wedding-day mementos. Store dried bouquet flowers, wedding readings, love notes or any other special keepsakes safely in a front pocket.
This is also a fine place to store your wedding stationery such as ceremony programs, dinner menus and even a copy of your maid of honor and best man’s speeches. These special items add to the wedding story as you and your family look back on this day for years to come.
6. Stamped Foil
For an extra touch of elegance, choose a stamp-foil option. You can add you and your spouse’s name and date of your wedding to your design. This classic look will look great on your bookshelf, coffee table or bedroom.
Stamp foil comes in gold and silver. Adding small metallic details to your layout will allow for this design to come together nicely.
7. Gold Rimmed Pages
Gold or silver rimmed pages always look stunning. This simple touch of metallic takes your photo album to another level giving it an elevated look. Not to mention, it fits perfectly in a leather cover with foil stamping.
Make sure to take advantage of the full two-page spreads. This allows large panoramic photos to have a seamless effect. If you’re looking for a perfect gift for your spouse, this feature is a showstopper.
8. Include Embellishments
When creating a photo album, don’t forget to add embellishments such as flowers, geometric shapes or hearts. You can pick and choose what you want to include as well as incorporating different background options for each page.
If you are short on time, check out the Shutterfly Make My Book option. Simply upload your photos and the designers will have something ready for you to review within a couple of days.
9. Add Your Favorite Quotes
If you and your partner share a special song, quote or movie line, including it in your wedding album will always make you smile. Choose from a variety of fonts and colors.
If you are including a page with your wedding party, a good idea is to add short descriptions for each person along with a silly quote.
Wedding photos are the connective thread throughout your wedding experience. They adorn save-the-dates, act as thank you cards and of course, commemorate the entire experience in your wedding album. Design a wedding album that showcases your wedding day story the way it deserves–with crisp color, durability, and style.
