Creating a wedding photo album can be an exciting yet tedious process. Sorting through the amazing photographs taken on your special day can be overwhelming because of the sheer amount of pictures to choose from. However, it is also a very rewarding part of the wedding planning process as it results in a timeless keepsake for years to come. So how in the world do you even begin selecting the right pictures for your wedding album? Whether you choose to design a wedding album, check out some of these pro tips and wedding photo book ideas to gain some inspiration.
Design Your Own Wedding Album
Before you begin the album design process, you’ll want to make sure that these items are taken care of beforehand:
- Choose an album type and size: Choose from one of three album or instant book styles Shutterfly has to offer to match your desired look. From there, you can decide which size you want to purchase between 8×8, 8×11, 10×10, 12×12, or 11×14.
- Purchase images from your photographer: Make sure you go through your wedding photographers website or chip and purchase the ones you’ll want to keep forever. Some of these photos you may even decide to frame for your home in addition to adding to your wedding album.
- Sort through chronological orders: Ideally, your photographer will already have your photos in chronological order, but as you pick and choose, be mindful of which ones occurred first so you don’t lose track of their order.
- Pick your favorites: The amount of gorgeous and memorable photos taken might be overwhelming. You’ll need to sort through and only pick the ones you can’t live without. Have your partner or a friend help you narrow down your absolute favorites.
Pro Tips For Your Wedding Album
Now that you have sorted through all your high-quality photos and chosen your favorite shots, follow these tips to put together the perfect wedding album.
Match Your Theme
Odds are, you chose a wedding theme that matched you and your partner’s style and aesthetic. So it’s important to keep your theme alive by designing a wedding photo album with the same theme as your big day. You can start by matching elements of your wedding stationery or browsing through different photo book styles that fits your special day. Whether you opted for a classic and traditional wedding or a rustic wedding in the great outdoors, make sure your album captures the same feeling.
Personalize the Perfect Cover
If you are going to invest in a gorgeous wedding album or photo book, you’ll want to display it for everyone to see. Make the album stand out by choosing a cover that fits your home aesthetic or wedding day theme. You can opt for a cover displaying one of your favorite wedding day photos or a simple solid cover with classy foil text for extra personalization. Display your wedding album on your coffee table as a fun conversation piece or amongst your collection of other special keepsakes.
Tell a Story
When it comes to designing your wedding album, you’ll want to think chronologically. This way, your album will be able to tell the entire story of your wedding day from start to finish. Start with events from earlier in the day like the bridal party preparation and then move into the wedding ceremony, reception and so on. Not only should you include key moments of your wedding, but don’t forget to add detail shots of the dress, décor and venue to capture all the aspects of your wedding day.
Less is More
Of course, your wedding photographer took a million gorgeous photos, but the key is to choose your absolute favorite photos from that day for your wedding album. It’s easy to clutter a page with group photos and detail shots that all look extremely similar, but be mindful and narrow down which photos mean the most to you. It’s great to add group photos of the wedding party and family members, but don’t go overboard with it. Choose photos that capture key moments and raw emotions to add so that every time you open your wedding photo book you are taken back to your special day.
Choose a Variety of Sizes and Positions
Your wedding album design doesn’t have to be perfectly uniform. In fact, it’s more exciting to add a variety of sizes and positions to add visual appeal and draw attention to certain key moments of your big day. Special moments such as walking down the aisle, the first kiss or the first dance are great examples of photos that demand a full page spread. Play around with the page layout and don’t be afraid to make photos on the same page different shapes or sizes as long as you try to convey the importance of a moment.
Focus On One Photo Spread At a Time
Like mentioned before, your wedding photo album or photo book should tell the story of your wedding day. Focusing on one photo spread at a time allows you to present a new moment every time you turn the page. View the two pages as a whole and keep the content and design consistent with each other so that the wedding album flows smoothly. Keep in mind that you’ll want to design good transitions into your page layout to introduce a new event from your wedding. For example, a shot of the couple walking down the aisle together as official newlyweds is a great shot to transition into the next event—whether you choose it to be group photos with the wedding party or the reception.
Ideas To Incorporate in Your Wedding Album
Once all the technical aspects are taken care of, it’s time to get creative! Check out some of these fun and unique ideas to incorporate into your wedding album.
Keepsakes Beyond Photos
It’s a great idea to incorporate more than just photos from your wedding day while you design your wedding book. Get creative with it and determine what aspects beyond photos made your wedding day special. For instance, taking snippets of your wedding vows and incorporating them into the wedding ceremony page spread makes your album more personal and meaningful. There are many more items to include such as your wedding invitations, love letters, mementos and even a few pedals from your flower bouquet.
Wedding Guest Photo Page Spread
Of course, you probably have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to your wedding photography, but odds are your wedding guests and family members took numerous photos as well. From selfies at the cocktail hour to snapshots of the bridesmaids killing it on the dance floor, you’ll be able to make a fun page spread that includes moments that your wedding photographer may not have captured.
Make a Moody Black & White Photo Spread
Make a dramatic statement on the page with an all black & white photo spread. Pick images with a high contrast so it’ll stand out on the page. Photos like your silhouettes during your first dance, end of the night toasts by friends or you and your partner piling into your getaway car are perfect examples. Whether your wedding theme was vintage, rustic or modern, a black and white photo spread is a classic fit for any theme.
Choose One Photo To Fill The Page
If you have one photo—like your first kiss or your first look—that you really love, let that image speak for itself. Photos that invoke a lot of emotion work great spread across a whole page (or even across a spread of two pages). It’ll immediately capture your attention and emphasize that special part of the day. Not only that, but a full page spread works great as a transitional photo so that your wedding album maintains a consistent flow. You can even make a smaller, 8×8 easy photo book if you want to incorporate one photo per page throughout your album.
Create a “How We Met” Page
A great way to introduce your story is by opting to include a “how we met” page at the beginning of your wedding album. Incorporate the first picture you took together all the way to the moment they got down on one knee, as well as a timeline of all the major events that happened in between. This way, your friends, family and future generations will get to relive those moments of your love story, from how you first met to the proposal.
Wrapping Up
Remember, have fun while making your wedding album and don’t take it too seriously. This is supposed to be a memento that captures the beautiful and candid moments of your wedding. Thankfully, Shutterfly offers their services whether you prefer to make your own online or to have a professional take on the task! Either way, your wedding photo book or album will be a special keepsake that you and your partner will cherish for the rest of your lives.
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