A wedding album is essentially a visual story…Every story needs a beginning, middle and end and if bits are missed out, then the story doesn’t make much sense. The best way to do this for your wedding story is to choose a balance of images from all parts of the day. Thinking of each part of the day as a chapter helps…i.e Bride Prep, Groom Prep, Ceremony, Canapes and Drinks, Posed Couple Shots, Group Shots, Reception, Speeches, Cake Cutting, First Dance and Party! Make sure you are representing each chapter well. There doesn’t need to be an equal number of photos for each part of the day but ensuring each of the key moments from each section are covered means you won’t miss anything important out. You don’t want, for instance, five photos of the first kiss from various angles but forget to include any of you exchanging rings or signing the register.

It’s not just about capturing the various moments of your big day, but also balancing WHO is in there! Who were the important people at your wedding and you would want to see in there in years to come? Depending on how many guests you shared your big day, it can be really hard to include everyone but it’s a good idea to make sure you’ve got all your nearest and dearest in at least a few photos. Those 25 photos of the best man larking around might seem funny when you’re sifting through your images, but you don’t want to look through your finished album and then realise you’ve only got one photo of your mum in there, and she’s in the background or lost among a throng of people!

Another thing I’ve seen when designing wedding albums is that plenty of couples insist on LOTS of group photos and images of their various guests enjoying the festivities…and I’ve mentioned above about including your important guests. BUT remember, your wedding day is predominantly about YOU! It’s hard when it’s fairly fresh in your mind but try and imagine yourself 20 years down the line looking through your album. What would you want to remember? Yes you had a great time on the dance floor dancing with your best friends, but do really want to look back and realise there are no shots of you both dancing together, or you decided to forego those photos of you both by the lake to squeeze in a few extra of you shaking your stuff with the bridesmaids?

If you have them, it’s a nice idea to include some detail shots. Not only do they look pretty when weaved into a photo montage on an album spread, but they also provide some tangible context and background ambience to your wedding day story. The beading detail on your wedding dress, a pretty wedding rings shot, flowers or elements of the reception décor are visual memories of those small forgotten details that you can look back on. You don’t need (or want!) to go overboard, just choose a few of the most important details. I always like to interweave these alongside complementary photos when I’m designing the album spreads…for instance, photos of the bridal accessories work well with shots of the bride getting ready.

The beauty of a modern professional wedding album is that you’re not just restricted to photos. Including text of vows, readings or quotes proves to be quite popular. I must admit I don’t remember our vows or the readings we had at our wedding ceremony (nearly 11 years ago now!) and wish it’s something I included in my own album. Many clients now have their own bespoke wedding monogram or logo which they imprinted into their invitations and on the day stationary and adding this into the intro page – or anywhere it fits well! – of your wedding album ties it in nicely to the rest of the wedding theme and style as does using similar fonts and typography to your wedding stationary.

Lots to think about I know, but I hope that’s helped to give you some ideas of where to start organising your wedding album content. If you’ve got any more questions, need some guidance with choosing your photos or are ready to order your fantastic perfect bespoke wedding album please get in touch, I’d be more than happy to help!

Owner | Album Designer