Creating A Professional Wedding Album: Tips For Perfection

A wedding album is a timeless way to showcase and preserve the most cherished moments from your big day. While traditional wedding albums remain popular, many couples now opt for wedding photo books as a modern way to capture the essence and story of their wedding. A DIY wedding album can be the perfect post-wedding project, allowing you to tailor it to your favourite moments and add special touches. To create a professional-looking wedding album, it's important to select and organise your photos, decide on a theme, choose the right format and size, focus on storytelling, and include personalised elements.

Selecting and organising photos

Firstly, create a folder (or folders) with your final selection of photos. If you have thousands of photos and it feels too overwhelming, consider tackling it one 'moment' at a time. For example, create multiple folders that divide the day up into sections: getting ready, the ceremony, newlywed portraits, and the reception.

Once you’ve selected your most-loved images, label them, starting with number one, in the order you want them to appear in your book. This will save you time when ordering them in the design studio. If you are still unsure, consider checking out a guide to the top moments to include in your wedding album. Remember, less is more – fewer images mean each one can truly stand out and embody the highlights of your wedding.

When selecting your photos, focus on a variety of moments throughout your day, like group shots, romantic couple photos, and details of your bouquet, wedding rings, and cake. You should also include a mix of both candid and posed pictures with friends and family, plus photos of the wedding décor. Try to balance the lighting and colours and group them together for each page for an optimal visual appearance.

When it comes to the layout, you can either go totally DIY, use templates and pre-designed layouts, or use a service like Make My Book.

Choosing a theme

When deciding on a theme, it's important to consider the story you want to tell. Do you want the album to focus on the chronology of the day, the emotional journey, the couple, or the friends and family? Perhaps you want to highlight the intricate details, such as the florals, shoes, dress, and suit, or the overall atmosphere, including the venue décor, food, drinks, and entertainment.

The theme of your album can also be influenced by the format and style you choose. You may opt for a traditional printed album, a photo book, or a digital version. The material, durability, and customization options of the album will also play a role in determining the final theme.

Additionally, the size of the album is an important consideration. While smaller albums are great for gifts, a main album should be no smaller than 10x10 to allow for better visibility of the details.

Finally, when selecting a theme, it's crucial to keep in mind the overall aesthetic you want to achieve. A clean, minimalist design with simple backgrounds and a limited number of photos per page will often have the most impact and allow the photos to shine.

Picking a format and size

If you had a large wedding with many guests and lots of special moments captured, you may want to opt for a larger album size to accommodate more photos. On the other hand, if you had an intimate wedding with only a few close friends and family, a smaller, understated album design may be more appropriate.

Consider where you will be displaying your wedding album. If it will be a coffee table book that you can easily flip through and show to guests, a larger format may be ideal. If you plan to keep it tucked away safely on a bookshelf, a smaller size might be more suitable.

Another factor to consider is the orientation of your photos. Most wedding albums are available in landscape, square, or portrait formats. Matching the orientation of your photos with the orientation of the album will ensure your photos display optimally. If you have a mix of portrait and landscape photos, pick the orientation you prefer. While landscape is the most popular choice, portrait formats offer a traditional and elegant look.

When it comes to size, a good rule of thumb is to go with nothing smaller than a 10x10 album for your main wedding album. Smaller sizes, such as 8x8 or 5x5, can be great options for parent albums or gifts, but they may be too small to see all the intricate details. If you want to showcase your photos in the best possible light, consider a larger size, such as 12x12.

Remember, the size and format you choose will depend on your personal preferences, the number of photos you want to include, and how you plan to display and store your wedding album.

Finalising the layout

Firstly, ensure your photos will fit neatly in your chosen album and adjust the sizing if needed. Review your layout and make sure every detail looks right. You can use a professional wedding album design software like Fundy Designer 7.0 to make this process easier. This software allows you to drag and drop your images into a template, making it quick and simple to finalise your layout.

If you are designing the album yourself, without the use of a template, consider the following tips. Keep the layout clean and simple, with a maximum of three images per page. One or two images per spread tend to have the most impact. Avoid overcrowding pages with too many photos or elaborate backgrounds, as this can detract from the photos themselves. Always have faces looking into the spine of the book, not out – this is a general rule for what is pleasing to the eye.

Before finalising, proofread your album carefully to avoid any mistakes. Once you are happy with the overall selection, print your photos or finalise the digital version for sharing.

Adding the finishing touches

Play with text

Consider adding your vows, quotes from speeches, or song lyrics from your first dance. You could also include other personal items such as your invitation, mementos, notes from loved ones, or petals from your bouquet.

Add special features

Add finishing touches such as lay-flat pages, satin-finish paper, a dust jacket, or a gift box. These extra details will enhance and customise your album, making it even more special.

Choose your paper

The type of paper you select will impact how your photos look in print. Choose from options like satin, photo lustre, or matt white, each giving a different finish to your images.

Decide on a cover

The cover of your album is the introduction to your story. You could opt for a simple text cover, a photo cover, or a designer cover. You can also select your choice of fabric to capture the look and feel of your celebration. Popular choices include premium natural linen, classic linen, premium-coloured linen, premium coated cloth, vegan leather, or Italian leather.

Keep it safe

Finally, consider how you will store your album to keep it safe from wear and tear. Many albums come with the option of a presentation box, which is a great way to keep your cherished memories safe. It's also recommended to always lay your album flat rather than storing it upright, as this can weaken the binding over time.

Frequently asked questions