Wedding photo albums are like small boxes with jewelry, with the only difference that the first one stores memories of the happy events in our lives. All the exciting moments of pre-wedding fuss and a ceremony, joy and smiles, and all the fun of a holiday will remain forever imprinted in photos.

Making a wedding album is pleasant and creative work. However, it is best to think of it in advance, when one thinks over the theme of the holiday. In this case, one may save some knick-knacks connected with the preparations and the celebration, those later can be used in the album designing.

1. Choosing a wedding album

One may think it’s a piece of cake, but in very deed it’s not that easy. There is a great variety of albums, let’s consider some of them.

• So called ‘magnetic’ albums became quite popular last years. Unlike other kinds, in this album photos are attached to the main page and then covered with a transparent film. It’s suitable for photos of various size, besides this film protects photos. Another advantage is that pictures can be placed at different angles.
• Albums with “pockets”. They consist of transparent film, in which the photos are input. They are different in cover quality, amount and color of pages, and the size of “pockets”. Some of them have paper fields for notes, characteristic peculiar to magnetic albums.
• Next albums we will consider are the ones with small white or transparent corners, which are attached to thick pages with glue or double-sided tape. The cover of this album, as one desires, can be made of velvet, leather, and even glass or wood. In such album one may place photos of any format and at any angle.
• Instead of an album one can order a photo book where pictures will be printed. As a result, the wedding album looks like a bright glossy magazine. Optionally, one can make small copies of the album to give it to parents or friends.

2. Album concept

Here several options are possible:

• One can order the photos in chronological order: bride’s preparations, groom’s arrival, the trip to the registry office/church, registration, a walk, etc.
• Alternatively, just go through the topics: bride, groom, the bouquet, wedding dress, the procession, the newly-weds, their guests, parents, walk, the registry office, the feast, etc.
• Another option is to include the main events of your life, like acquaintances, preparations for the wedding, the wedding itself, honeymoon, etc.
• One may also input wedding invitations, his marriage certificate. And then the wedding album can be “read” as the book of one’s life.

3. The style of an album

To make a good album, one should care of its style. If the wedding has a specific theme, it would be much easier: country wedding – album in a country style, retro wedding, accordingly, retro style and so on. There are also other options: design in flowers, lace, gothic, classic and stylish, comics, etc. The only advice is to stick to the style, one has chosen. Then it will look like a single, completed story.

A wonderful idea is to start the album with a wedding invitation or with a nice sign of printed newly-weds’ names, wedding date, place of registration, etc. Some albums already have the first page with such graphs, so one can just fill them in.

Another option is to use the techniques of scrapbooking. Whereupon it’s possible to create entire album on one’s own, from decorating the front cover to the smallest details. The required items are special cardboard and paper, office supplies and, of course, the general idea.

Today many decorative stickers for scrapbooking on wedding subject are available over the Internet. One may also find shadowgraphs and print them on a colored printer on thick paper and use it to design the scrapbook album.

4. Making the album cover

Wedding albums cover demands particular attention. It can be decorated with brocaded fabric, lace, roses, hearts, ribbons and beads. Of course, the photo of the newly-weds on the cover page will look fascinating. It would be better if a wife and a husband take part in the process of choosing this photo.

Still, try not to forget that this album will pass through many hands. Therefore, over time, the cover may become dirty. So, it is better to use as a cover material something that doesn’t absorb moisture.

5. Choosing photos

After the wedding one probably has a fair amount of photos taken by professional photographer and by guests. You’d better not try to cram all of them. It is necessary to choose the best photos, those which reflect all the main parts of the celebration. Here is one advice: add most of the photos with newly-weds and for guests and relatives allocate just a couple of pages. And, of course, the first dance itself should be presented in an album.

One can include not only colored photos, but also black-and-white ones. It will look very stylish and elegant. The pictures of the newly-weds, their parents, best men and bridesmaids are better to be placed on separate pages at the beginning of the album.

Also, as the albums pages can be of different colors, try various backgrounds to particular photos. Sure it will take some time, but eventually will look terrific. It will be great to insert photos of beautiful scenery, where the wedding took place.

An interesting option is to create a photo collage with pictures of small size and one should try to avoid placing a large number of small photos on one page. Great idea is to select the pictures with wedding elements only, like bride’s bouquet, groom’s boutonniere, wedding car, rings, cake and others.

6. Additional materials

To design a wedding album, the photos themselves won’t be enough. One can think of such things as pictures of celebration themes, love poems, wedding certificate, invitations, funny greeting cards and even a pressed flower of a wedding bouquet, the list of invited guests, label from champagne, party menu. It will be nice to draw something, like funny comics.

Moreover, wedding photo album can be combined with the album of guests’ wishes. Then, one should save a few pages for it. I’m sure it will look harmonious and personally imbued.

7. Phrases in the wedding album

Sometimes there are no words to convey the spirit of the wedding. It seems that everything is understandable and clear, but some moments need a ‘signature’ and it’s not easy to catch this elusive phrase. So here is a helper-outer that will make a wedding album zingy and unique.

The phrases that can be used in the title of the wedding album:

• True love stories never have endings.
• My heart is, and will always be yours.
• In 25 years before the silver wedding.
• A way to spend a lot of money and efforts.
• Photo report of the perfect wedding.
• And they lived happily ever after … and then got married.
• The birth of a young family.
• Family is what happens when two people fall in love.

Phrases for signing photographs and collages in a wedding album:

• This is true love!
• Happiness is for real!
• Love is not measured by the distance and the years lived together!
• Life – it’s not the days that have passed, but those which remain.
• Make me immortal with a kiss.
• You can’t really fall in love with a man, you never laugh with.
• Together is my favorite place to be.
• Love is a promise; love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear.
• There is no such thing as a perfect man or a perfect marriage. But the one I have is perfect for me.
• Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be.
• It is love that makes impossible possible.
• You are the cheese to my macaroni, the fish to my chips, the peanut to my butter, the water to my ocean, flip to my flop, blue to my sky.

It’s also possible to write a short story of one’s acquaintance, including the most romantic and joyful moments. It would be nice to make a list of nicknames you use.

Hopefully, all the ideas, presented here will help you to create a unique photo album. Remember that in the design of a wedding album, there can be no rules; one is only limited by imagination. There is no need to follow all the tips listed above, just try to combine them with your inspiration and ideas. Then the album will definitely be a real masterpiece!