Create a Perfect Wedding Album - Tips for making your own wedding album.
You've planned the day, played out every various scenario in your mind, how you will look, how the bridesmaids will look and more importantly, how the groom will look at you!
How the flowers are the perfect shade, the cake the perfect style, your dress... well, just perfect! You have envisioned every last detail, every minute of every day leading up to your big day. We all know you've heard the phrase before “After the Cake is Eaten....”, but have you really thought about the importance of your memories?
Memories that can be captured and preserved forever? Many brides overlook the importance of their first family heirloom. The Wedding Album! These days there are so many album choices! From the traditional to the contemporary, follow these simple rules to create an album that is uniquely you.
The Lead Up
Make sure that you hire a professional photographer; this is the most important factor in creating your heirloom. Quality prints are a must. Do not be concerned on the day about 'perfect' pictures or posing, just smile, be happy, enjoy your fairytale day and just have fun and be the real you! This will ensure timeless memories and some fantastic shots.
The Album
Take total control over your album, design and create an album that reflects your personality and compliments your wedding colors or style! From traditional to modern, there's always an album that will suit you!
Be sure to give each image the uniqueness and space it needs. Each photograph is a work of art and must be treated this way, although tempting as it is to fill the album with countless images, this will not create the most eye catching album. Try to avoid 'Cramming' in images.
A well designed photo album will allow each photograph its own 'impact' factor, with the average page covering 2-3 photographs with the odd enlargement to stand out and add impact.
Think of how the album will be viewed, the first page being the most dramatic 'Entrance' to the album and an important array of photographs must be placed here, perhaps pre ceremony shots or one rather touching enlargement?
Page 2 and 3 create an 'open spread' and they must be designed to compliment each other as if they were one page.
Break up the flow of images by selecting your enlargements to be placed throughout the album in certain places where you feel that the images must be broken up to deter attention away from uniform layouts.
Do not use the same design more than two times consecutively. That goes for enlargements and smaller prints; there should be no predicting what's on the next page!
Design the album layout to compliment the image, envision how the image will look when enlarged or made smaller, what angle to place the image at, what the colors of the image are, is it black and white? Sepia toned? Color?
How can you show this image to enhance its beauty? Will you change the image in anyway, such as from color to black and white? Request hand tinting? Should it be enlarged to show the detail of your dress? All serious factors to consider.
Do not place images of you looking right, on the right of the page.
Try to avoid too many 'busy' pictures on one page. 'Busy' meaning several crowd shots, too many colors, or several very similar shots in a row. You will not notice the detail and the effect will be lost.
Ideal enlargements are the photographs that are of great importance to you, that capture the special moment and of details that show the uniqueness of your day, such as the architecture of the ceremony location, the wedding guests in a group, the flower girl, Enlargements are there to show the detail of your day, in a way that would otherwise be missed by a much smaller print.
Wedding details such as centerpieces, flowers or intimate shots are ideal for contrasting against the' must have' formal shots of the wedding. These are ideal to reflect the certain style of your day and capture the details you fretted over for months before!
Remember, the eye naturally moves from left to right, Be sure to lay the images out so that they naturally follow the direction, from beginning to end of your day, Allow the album to tell the 'story' of your day. Pre ceremony, Ceremony and Reception.
And remember, the creativeness is up to you! You design what fits you and suits your day. That's the uniqueness of designing a wedding album around you!
Remember, after the cake has been eaten your album will remain, a timeless classic story for all future generations to see.
Wedding Survival Guide: Five Steps to a Less Stressful Wedding
Your wedding is one of the biggest events in your lifetime in which you are the center of attention. It should be an absolutely joyous and heavenly event, but it can turn into a stressful mess if you don’t follow the five steps below that will help you to properly prepare.
Step One: Research your event.
If you cannot or do not want to hire someone to do everything for you, then invest a few dollars in a good “how-to” wedding book or pick up a free wedding guide from your local bridal store or wedding convention. Instead of worrying whether or not you’re covering all of the bases or forgetting an important detail, have all of the necessary information in front of you. Define your budget and parameters, and don’t waver; you’ll avoid disagreements if you lay out your plan first.
Step Two: Create the new center of your universe
Buy a sturdy three-ring binder, dividers, and a zipper pouch. This will be your bible for the duration of your planning. Label your dividers according to all of the topics on your booking/to-do list. File all fliers, notes, and bids in this binder. Keep all business cards, a pocket calculator, a pocket measuring tape, fabric swatches, and writing utensils in the zipper pouch. The pouch can also store receipts for safekeeping until you return home.
Step Three: Get to it!
Procrastinators turn into frazzled brides. Set goals for when you want to accomplish each item on your to-do list. Finish your to-do list one week before your wedding. You’ll enjoy yourself a lot more and have time for visiting out-of-town family and friends.
Step Four: Prepare your wedding day lists!
If you arrive prepared on the big day, events will run much more smoothly. Hand out duty lists to your maid of honor and best man. You should not have to worry about who will take the flowers from the church to the hall or who will take the gifts home. Delegate! Another important lifesaver on your wedding day is an emergency bag of tricks. Murphy’s Law usually hits only when you’re not prepared. List everything that could go wrong and the solutions to those situations. What if your hairdo starts to droop? Have hairpins ready! What if you had onions for lunch? Have breath mints on hand! Keep your emergency solutions nearby in a matching purse or have your maid of honor tote your supplies around for you. If you’re ready for anything, you won’t ruin your day worrying about what could go wrong.
Step Five: Embrace reality!
Be as prepared as possible, but also accept the fact that grand events are rarely perfect. If something does go wrong, it’s o.k. Repeat that sanity-saving phrase: If something goes wrong, IT IS O.K. The only thing that matters is that you and your betrothed are joined in matrimony. If you take stock in this mantra, you will have peace of mind. If the organist plays the wrong song, who cares?! If clowns show up instead of the string quartet, don’t fret! You’ll be laughing about it on your honeymoon. Life is too short to waste precious moments worrying. If you and your beloved declare your love and commitment to each other, then your mission has been accomplished.
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