Ashley Jones, owner of Shutter Sweet Photography, is here to tell you why you should invest in a wedding album! Keep reading to learn her personal and professional thoughts on the subject.
Why should you invest in a wedding album?
Before I answer that question, we must agree that photography is one of the most important investments of a wedding celebration. The ability to freeze precious moments in time is a gift that can keep on giving long after the day is over if done well. The raw emotion, special memories, the documentation of events and details – all of this captures the story of your day and allows you to share it with others. As memories fade, your photography will be there to reconnect your mind and heart to bring you back to that look, the kiss, your first dance, and the other moments you can relive over and over again as you look through your photos.
When my husband and I got married, the album was something I wanted to cut from our package. I had never seen one done well and thought they were old-school, tacky and overpriced, but my parents bought the package and really wanted to give us the album. Fast forward 7 years… I am so thankful I have that album. There are certain images that take me back to the butterflies I had in my stomach, the peace I felt during our outdoor ceremony, the fun I had hanging out with friends. The album sits on a shelf in our living room. I never take it out unless we have friends over and they request to see it, which is maybe once or twice a year. However, when I do open it, I get to relive those moments and share our day with friends who didn’t know us then. Where is my disc of images? Somewhere tucked away in my office that has never seen the light of day. Have I framed any prints? No. Do I look through thousands of photos from our wedding on my computer? No. Do I gather friends around my computer to show them photos from our wedding – even just the best ones? No. Will I pull my album out years from now to show future friends and our future kids? Absolutely.
Because of my own personal experience, I include a wedding album in every single wedding package we offer – no negotiating. I’m a professional storyteller, so it would be silly for any of my clients to walk away without a storybook album. And it’s not just any album – it’s a custom designed album where the images from your wedding determine the storyline, layout and size. The quality is top of the line, crafted by hand, and will outlast any shutterfly book for generations to come. Even though we live in a digital society, there’s something unique and special about seeing things in print, feeling the quality in your fingers, and sharing that experience with others. With my background in graphic design, it’s something unique that I love to put together for my clients. No two albums are the same. The storybooks reflect the personality of the couple, the colors or theme from the wedding, the series of events that took place that day. It’s a gift we love giving our clients – and most parents will request a copy for themselves too!
So the questions was why should you invest in a wedding album? I think the real question is why don’t you want to? If it’s because of the quality or type of album, maybe you need to look at other photographers. If it’s because of price, think about what you would pay for the ability to have a hand-crafted album to show your grandkids of your wedding that still looks as good as it did the day you bought it. Think about the value of having a book you can flip through to relive your wedding day on your 10th, 30th or 50th wedding anniversary. My hope is that every couple will have a wonderful album to share as they grow older together and can be taken back to the day it all began.
If you have questions about wedding albums, please contact Ashley at Shutter Sweet Photography. She would be more than happy to answer specific questions and help you with anything you need.
