How to choose the perfect wedding album for you

With lots of options on the market, it’s hard to know how to start even choosing your perfect wedding album. Well, here’s a few tips I put together to help get you started………

Set your budget

Prices vary vastly depending on several factors such as the type of album you choose, the size, the number of spreads or pages and the cover. So it’s a good idea to set an approximate budget before you start.

Get your priorities straight

As I mentioned above, there are lots of factors that can affect the overall cost so have a think about what is most important to you – is it the size of the album, or the amount of photos you want to include (which will affect the number of spreads/pages you need). Are downsize copies for relatives a necessity, and if so how many do you definitely need? There may also be extra costs for some cover types so you may need to decide whether that real leather cover is worth the extra or can you compromise with a faux leather instead?

Organise your photos first.

You may have 800 photos on a disc but you really don’t want every single one in an album! The number of photos you include will largely dictate the album size and the number of spreads/pages you need, so whilst it may seem like a mammoth task to whittle down all those lovely images, it’s useful to do this part first. On average somewhere between 80-140 photos works best for a storybook album. If you really don’t know where to start, take a look at my Top tips for choosing your wedding album photos.

Think about what you want to do with your album.

Do you want something that can sit on your bookshelf for you and your visitors to flick through regularly? If so, a coffee table book might be a good option. If you prefer to have something that looks and feels more like a special keepsake then a flush-mount album could be ideal. Size is also a factor to consider. Something too small just won’t do those lovely photos justice but too large and it may not fit on your shelf or in a cupboard! The most popular album sizes are from 12x12inch – 16×12 inch.

Aim for an average of 4-6 photos per double page spread.

When your album is designed, some pages may contain less photos and some will have more but working to this average ensures you won’t end up with lots of images crammed together or have too little images for the visual story to flow properly. So if you have around 100 photos, you’ll need at least 20 double page spreads in your album.

Your cover dictates the whole look and feel of the album.

The album cover you go for can really change the style of your entire album. Flush-mount albums in particular have several different cover types to choose from so it’s really important to think about your preferred style and therefore which cover to choose. A real leather cover produces an album with a traditional, classy look whilst opting for an acrylic photo cover produces something that looks and feels much more contemporary and funky.

Hopefully that’s given you a really good stepping stone to choose your ideal wedding album. If you’ve got any further queries or questions please do get in touch and I’ll happily answer them for you.

If you haven’t also done so already, download my FREE essential Wedding Album guide for more info on the types and rages of albums available on the market plus lots of further useful content.