Choosing Shots for Your Wedding Album

We don’t know about you, but secretly, our favorite wedding photos are the bridal shots: us looking back over our shoulder with the back of our gorgeous dress on display; our mother and sister fussing over our veil; the one of us perfectly backlit in the doorway…we’ve never looked so good. Sigh.

But, unfortunately, a wedding album has to include more than just artistic glamour shots of the bride. Not only will you want to get the other half of your sacred union in there, but also some of the dearly beloved who came all that way to witness your day. You spent umpteen hours of your life planning this event, after all – don’t you want to remember how much everyone enjoyed it?

Calling the Shots

The key to a well-designed wedding album is balance. While some can be weighted more heavily than others, here are the basic photo categories you’re going to want to include:

• Artistic bridal shots
• Ceremony shots
• Family & bridal party portraits
• Romantic shots of the two of you
• Décor & props (ceremony décor, table decorations, cake, flowers, bouquet, etc.)
• Major reception moments (cake cutting, first dance, toasts, bouquet toss, etc.)
• Candids (you and your guests dancing, laughing, having a good time, etc.)

Sounds easy, huh? Depending on how many shots your album accommodates, you just pick an equal number of each, right? Alas, we have to be honest and tell you to prepare yourself for a few struggles along the way. There’ll be favorite pictures that you have to leave out, arguments with your better half over the shot of his Great Aunt Mary that he inexplicably covets, etc. But remember that your album is but one means of preserving and displaying your wedding photos. Any favorite pictures that don’t make it in can always be framed or displayed in other ways. (See Creative Ways to Display Wedding Photos for some ideas).

Putting it Together

Once you’ve chosen your photos, it’s time to channel your inner designer and starting laying out the album. But if your inner designer is on permanent vacation, don’t panic: Studio Blue’s album design tool and team of highly trained designers is here to help you make decisions and put it all together.

 Again, balance is the key here. You’ll want to intersperse close-ups of the two of you with wider-angled group shots and décor or scenery shots. An entire page of portraits is going to overwhelm, but a single group portrait framed by a photo of your bouquet, the two of you backlit by the sunset, and an artful shot of your wedding dress will create a nicely balanced arrangement.

Think of your album not as a blow-by-blow record of the entire day, but as a piece of art that captures the beauty and flavor of your wedding. Just as you didn’t want to jam-pack your day with too many activities and events to enjoy yourself, you don’t want to over-pack your wedding album. Giving your favorite pictures room to breathe will allow you to evoke the beauty of your wedding day and the romantic harmony of your future together.