The wedding album has special significance for married couples, whether they have been together six months or 60 years. Much more than just a collection of photographs, the wedding album is a repository of memories of the most important event in the couple’s life. The wedding album is not something that will be looked at for two weeks after the wedding, and then relegated to a box of memorabilia that is stashed in a dusty attic. The book will be displayed for many years in a prominent place in the home, easily accessible for family members and guests. It is a treasured piece of family history. Children and grandchildren will always cherish the album as a touching reminder of Mom and Dad’s or Grandma and Grandpa’s enduring love.

A couple has many choices in planning their wedding album. The album should reflect their personalities and their budget. Albums can be expensive or economical, voluminous or compact. A wedding album shouldn’t just happen. It should be planned carefully so it truly captures the story of that special day from beginning to end. The couple should first research businesses online that specialize in wedding photo albums. This Internet research will yield knowledge about the types and quality of albums that are available, and the price range for these products. The couple can also seek the advice of professional photographers or, if their financial status permits, wedding planners. It is important that couples be realistic in planning the wedding album. How much money do they have and how much are they willing to spend? The couple should avoid making any commitments about the wedding album until they agree on what they want to spend.

Depending on their budget, a couple can invest hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a high-end wedding photo album, or they can spend $20 on an album in a retail store and add photos that are taken on a throw-away camera. The most important thing is that photos be collected in a single album so the memories can be enjoyed for many years to come. Most couples will want a professional wedding album that has an attractive cover and mat pages for placement of the photos. The cover is very important. Should it be white or colored? If the album color is colored, it might correspond to the season when the wedding took place or the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses. If they wish, the couple can select a photo of themselves to adorn the front. Should the album look traditional or contemporary, or should it assume a more artistic or creative appearance to mirror the couple’s personalities? Is elegance desired, or does the couple prefer a touch of whimsy? A wedding album should always be tasteful, but that doesn’t mean it must be boring.

Digital wedding albums have become very popular in recent years. Couples may choose to go solely with a digital album or, most likely, they can use the digital mode to supplement the physical version of the album that has a permanent place on the coffee table or bookshelf. A digital album can be produced as part of the overall photographic service, or the couple may purchase inexpensive software to make the album themselves. A big advantage for creating a digital wedding album is that copies can be inexpensively produced on blank CD’s and presented to members of the wedding party and parents of the bride and groom.

For more than two decades, couples have been hiring videographers to produce videos that capture the day from beginning to end. The product was a VHF tape or a videocassette, with varying degrees of editing. Couples can take this idea up a notch by utilizing a professional company that can produce a video that has film artistry and appropriate Hollywood glitz?

A couple can engage the services of wedding professionals to prepare the album. The package can include taking photos on the wedding day as well as layout and wedding album design services. The couple may also engage a professional photographer separately and arrange the album themselves, or keep expenses to a minimum by having a family member or friend take the photos. Obviously, the quality of the wedding album will be reflected by the level of expertise shown in the photography and album arrangement.

In addition to photos of the big day, the wedding album can preserve other mementos for posterity, such as photos of the bachelor and bachelorette parties, the shower and wedding invitations, memorabilia from the reception, such as monogrammed napkins and matches and the program from the ceremony. These can be arranged at the end of the album, so they don’t detract from the photos.