Creating the Wedding Album

I was once talking to someone about being a wedding photographer and the person I was speaking with said: “You’re a wedding photographer, huh? What do you do the other six days of the week?” To say I was almost speechless is an understatement. Yes, most of a wedding photographer’s visible work happens on Saturdays, but there is so much that goes on behind the scenes before, during and after that day. Trust me, we definitely have enough work to fill the rest of the week. I think my fellow photographers would agree that during busy wedding season, we rarely have enough hours in the day to get all the work done that we want to do!

Since I’m a photographer who loves to be prepared, the work for a wedding day begins months in advance. Once my brides have completed a thorough questionnaire, I work on the photography timeline for their day. Sometimes this involves contacting the wedding planner, or videographer for input. Other times it involves meeting with the bride and groom to go through everything one last time before the big day. Two days prior to the wedding I begin charging batteries (for my cameras and flashes) and prepping memory cards. Yes, it takes two days just to charge everything! The night before the wedding, I pack all of my equipment and a non-perishable lunch (because it’s usually six hours or more between breakfast and dinner on wedding days!). I also review the timeline and family portrait list.

After the big day, the work continues. I sort through all the photos taken at the wedding, edit photos for the blog, write the blog post and prepare the rest of the photos for editing. When the editing process is complete, I upload the photos to an online gallery and deliver to my clients. Once my couples have their gallery, I can finally begin working on their wedding album! Yay! I send a selection of favorite images to my album designer and she creates the most beautiful layouts from my photographs. One of my favorite things about the album process is seeing that initial design. My other favorite part is receiving the finished album in the mail! It’s like Christmas morning every single time!

Spring wedding season is just around the corner! As I prepare for all the weddings that are coming up on my calendar, I find myself thinking back to last spring. I love photographing my clients’ albums before delivery when I have time to do so. Today I’m sharing Katie & Patrick’s beautiful heirloom wedding album with you! Katie selected a light grey linen and silver embossing for the cover. I thought it turned out so lovely!

When I look at a wedding album, I see the fruits of many months of work. I see brides and grooms who have become friends. It’s a bittersweet moment because the delivery of the album means my work on the wedding is complete. I imagine that’s how teachers must feel at the end of a school year, or when their students graduate.

I tell my clients that their wedding album tells the story of their day so that they can relive all the wonderful moments. Truthfully, it does the same thing for me, reminding me why I love what I do so much.

I’m still obsessed with this First Look spot!

It was an unexpected find that turned out to be perfect for this sweet moment!

There was a high chance of rain the day of this wedding. Katie ordered enough bubble umbrellas for her entire bridal party just in case we needed them. As it turned out, it only rained lightly for a few minutes, but we still took that opportunity to take some bride and groom portraits with the umbrellas.

I love that we were able to take portraits in two different locations.

It added such nice variety to their portraits!

I loved how Katie & Patrick’s album turned out so much that I ordered a miniature version to be one of my samples!

This six inch square album is also perfect for gifting to parents after wedding day!

Album Designer | Andrea, Align Album Design