Why Storyteller Photo Albums are a worthwhile part of your investment
Is a wedding day photo album worth the investment? YES! Getting a wedding day album is an essential part of documenting and memorializing your big day through wedding photography. I recommend albums to all my couples to ensure this important heirloom is not forgotten.
Below, you’ll find five reasons why a wedding day photo album is an important part of your full wedding photography experience!
1. It tells your story in a tangible form
Wedding photographers across the world say that they tell the story of your big day through photos. And they memorialize memories in time. And they allow you to relive your memories. You know the drill. BUT. If your images are stuck living in a folder on your laptop and only seeing the light of day when you post your yearly anniversary photo on instagram, no memorializing or reliving will be had! Non-tangible documentation is not the documentation you and your new spouse deserve. Through timeless prints and artfully-crafted albums, your memories and moments can be relived in the real-life-world again and again.
With an album on your coffee table, your story is told in a physical, tangible form that you can’t get anywhere but an album. Like flipping through one of your grandparents’ photo boxes or finding a book you used to adore as a kid, memories and emotions will fill you up as you look through your wedding day memories. And you’ll get to experience that joy again and again as your children discover the magic of your album, too.
2. It cuts out the technology middleman
Flipping through photos in an album on your iPhone just doesn’t have the same oomf as experiencing them in a physical form in your album. And when you’re snuggling up with your new spouse and a glass of wine (or two) on the couch, who wants to do that on a tiny phone screen or laptop? Intentionally-crafted heirloom albums ensure your story is told without the tech.
I’m sure you’ve experienced the heart-plunging feeling of files being lost at least once. From 404 errors to “file-not-found”s, your harddrive or cloud-drive isn’t always a reliable source for storage. To prevent human and machine error, I recommend backing up your photos on your computer AND printing them. Printed photos are more than just a way to experience them without the technology—they’re a way to back them up, too. Tech changes just about every day, but physical art will always be part of our culture. By having digital and physical copies of your photos, you can be certain that your photos are preserved, no matter what the heck iCloud is doing with their new update or where on earth your USB sticks ended up.
3. It transcends generations
Do you have your parents’ old photo albums? What about your grandparents’? A link to a digital album will not have the same effect on future generations as a physical version will (if that link even still exists….see #2, above). Oftentimes when I visit my grandparents, I find myself looking through their old photos and albums. I especially love the pictures that were taken long before I was born—they help me understand who my grandparents were when they were my age, from the wedding-day smiles to the joyous, candid laughs caught on camera. Your heirloom album is just like this: it’s made not just for you, but for your future family members.
That’s why it’s absolutely essential that you get your photos in a physical album form. You’re investing in more than just your personal memories: you’re investing in the memories of every generation after you.
4. It lasts forever
Not all albums are created equal when it comes to longevity. For example, a cheap Shutterfly album made out of thin paper isn’t going to be the tried-and-true, give-to-your-progeny type of album you may be hoping for. And these cheaper album options won’t showcase the gorgeous, bright colors that your original photos come in. That’s why making a true investment in your wedding album is essential.
While Shutterfly albums make great gifts, they don’t use the materials needed to stand the test of time. My album options come with durable photo paper, stunning keepsake boxes, multi-page photos that cross the lay-flat binding, and even handling gloves you can use to keep your pages protected. (Museum-curator-status, I know!) Keeping an album in tip-top shape for multiple generations truly requires an extra-special touch, and my albums provide that for you. So you won’t need to worry about colors fading or pages tearing or photos dulling as time passes.
5. It’s done for you!
I hear, “I’ll do it eventually” time and time again when it comes to albums. But through your busy lives, it can be nearly impossible to find a time to craft your album with the intention and care it deserves. That’s why I offer complete done-for-you albums that check this massively important item off your to-do list.
Sometimes, getting your album done can feel like a chore. So I handle all the little details that you don’t have the time to. The last thing I want is for you to celebrate your five year anniversary and realize that you have no idea where your photos are saved and how to get an album created. Do. It. NOW! One more box checked and one more item off your list is the goal.
All said and done: Get an album!
If you haven’t already guessed it, you should get a wedding day album. Your future self and the generations to come will thank you for it. Wedding day albums are typically an add-on to your photographer’s package, so be sure to ask about them before booking.
JBP couples enjoy the full luxury treatment, complete with thoughtfully laid-out photos, a consultation call to review the lay-out, and custom cover embossings to further personalize the heirloom. You can be deeply involved in the design process or step back and leave it all to me. Albums are essential to memorializing your day, which is why they’re an essential part of many of my packages.
If you’re ready to book or just want to know more about the JBP elopement/wedding experience (and before you ask, yes, let’s talk albums), send me a note at my contact page. Let’s do this thing!