Why Your Wedding Album Makes the Perfect Holiday Gift

I think brides can all agree that selecting a photographer is one of the most important decisions we make when planning our weddings. We mull over style, technique, and portfolio, and pay a huge sum of money for the perfect person, knowing that our photos will preserve our big day for generations to come. So why is it that most of our photos seem to stay safe and sound in our computers? There is something very special about actually holding a photo in your hands, a memory frozen in time.

This holiday season, why not create a curated wedding day album for family members? I have teamed up with The Wedding Shop by Shutterfly to share some of my favorite tips for creating a beautiful wedding album for your husband, parents, or even grandparents.

Select the perfect coverThe Wedding Shop offers a variety of cover styles (from silk, to a matte cover and even metallic accents) so that you can customize every last detail of the album. I love the 10x10 leather-bound book, it is masculine enough to make the perfect gift for husbands and fathers. I have the absolute hardest time shopping for my dad, but creating this album for him was so easy, and I know he is going to love it. I also ordered (and love) the 8x8 white linen book for a crisp, classic look.

Place photos to tell a story Although The Wedding Shop will place your photos for you, I really like to take the time to hand select the placement of the photos. I like to pair photos together so that they tell a story just by themselves. For example: I placed a photo of my dad walking me down the aisle on one page, and a photo of my husband watching us walk towards him on the other. It evokes so much emotion and captures the moment completely. I think taking the time to group photos together makes the album that much more special. However, if you are short on time, Shutterfly offers a Make My Book Service where a designer will curate your photos and create a beautiful wedding album for you. So convenient!

Create a luxe look Since I like a more minimal look, I used photo placement and formatting to tell our story without words (although it’s very easy to add if you’d like to place a special note in your book). I included some pages with lots of negative space, but also added a few full bleed images into the book. I think a mix of formatting, plus a mix of color & black and white images creates a luxe look, especially when paired with The Wedding Shop's double thick, lay flat pages.

Add a little something extra I love how easy it is to import photos into your Shutterfly account; once they are imported, you can use them in multiple projects and for things like ornaments, cards, or anything else. I ordered a few beautiful ornaments with my photo books, which serve as gift tags, but I am having a hard time parting with them, they are so beautiful! Adding a little something extra is the cherry on top of these beautiful gifts! I can’t wait to deliver this special present to my mom and dad this holiday season; I know they are going to cherish them for years to come! Now, head on over to The Wedding Shop to create your own wedding albums and don’t forget Shutterfly’s holiday gifts for your family this year! This post was written in partnership by Chloe Mackintosh for The Wedding Shop on Style Me Pretty.