A wedding album is more than just a series of photographs. It’s a storybook. A timeless collection of fleeting moments and heartfelt emotions immortalised and weaved together to create a beautiful narrative of a couple’s celebration of their union.

Photos will bring your client’s wedding day to life long into the future. Therefore, creating the perfect wedding album requires careful thought and preparation. As a wedding photographer, how can you create a keepsake that captures all the significant milestones and little details? 

Tips for Creating the Perfect Wedding Album

Choose Photos Wisely

Take the time to scroll through your entire collection of photos. As you do, ask yourself which ones are your absolute favourites — and which do your clients prefer? However you make the choice, the favourites are the ones that should make the cut. But also bear in mind how the rest of our tips may affect your choice! By being selective and choosing the photos wisely you'll create a more impactful storytelling experience.

Keep Photos in Chronological Order

Many albums are arranged randomly, but when it comes to wedding albums, it is always best when the photos are presented in chronological order. Putting images in order allows you to tell the story of the wedding day coherently and helps viewers follow along and experience the progression of events as they unfold.

Don’t Be Afraid to Switch Up Sizes

Due to the constraints of film cameras and dark room processing, photo albums from back in the day often tended to use images of the exact same size and layout. But in a modern-day wedding photo album, playing with different image sizes can bring emphasis to the most crucial moments of the wedding day. For instance, photos of the bride walking down the aisle or the couple’s first kiss are so significant that they could enjoy their own full page. Other meaningful moments should also be given their own space, grouping moments together on their own page.

Seek Inspiration from Wedding Magazines

Wedding magazines frequently feature articles written by wedding industry professionals. These articles may offer valuable tips, resources, and inspiration for creating a wedding photo album that perfectly captures the magic of your client’s special day.

Design layouts, not pages

Generally speaking, what people see as they browse through the book is the back of one page and the front of the next. We call this a layout. Design the album with layouts in mind, so they work well together as a unit, visually and as a story. This will also allow you to think about “panoramas” — a single image that extends from one side of the layout to the other.

Practice Colour Coordination

Choose pages, coloured fonts, and book covers that align with the colours used during the wedding. Colour coordination helps unify the overall aesthetics of the album, creating a sense of harmony and providing a visually pleasing experience for the viewers. 

Wedding Photo Album Layout Ideas to Consider

The Scene Setter

This is a page designed to provide context for the rest of the book. For example it could include photos of the venue, location and, most importantly, the couple.

Behind the Scenes

This should include photos of the couple getting ready. Choose a photo of the groom adjusting his tie or the bride applying her makeup. At Queensberry, we tend to keep each person’s getting ready pages separate.

The Initial Look

This layout should capture the heartfelt moment as the couple lays eyes on each other for the first time on their special day.

Wedding Ceremony

Photos on this page can include an image of the bride walking down the aisle, photos of guests, and “the kiss”. 

Family Photos

This layout should capture images of the couple’s parents, in-laws and other family members. They will be an important part of the couple’s memories of their wedding day.Think about close friends throughout the day too.

The Entourage

This layout is reserved for the members of the wedding party, such as the bridesmaids, groomsmen, maid of honour, best man, flower girls, and ring bearers.

The Reception

These pages can include moments captured during the entire wedding reception. You can add photos of guests hugging, dancing, talking, giving speeches, and toasting, as well as photos of the couple’s first dance. 

The Last Page

The final page should include a shot of the newlyweds. It can be images of the couple holding hands, kissing, hugging or saying goodbye as they leave.

Detail shots

Detail shots give an album colour — for example photos of the ring, a place setting, the cake, a flower girl napping — you name it.  We recommend keeping details shots in chronological order. For example, reception details should go with the main reception photos.

Dramatic Shots

Spare a thought — and save space — for  unexpected moments. Those that aren’t planned but may be amusing or evoke strong emotions. That being said, don’t keep these separate. Work the images into the chronological design but draw attention to them by making them the feature image on the layout.

Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out in the world of wedding photography, we encourage you to experiment, add creativity, continue exploring, and hone your craft.

And understand what your album maker can create, so you can take advantage of all their abilities — and so you don’t create a design they can’t make!

Most importantly, always bear in mind that creating the perfect wedding album is not just about selecting and arranging photos; it's about telling a story, capturing emotions, and creating a timeless memento that will be cherished for years to come.

Guest post written by My Wedding Mag New Zealand