Many couples I speak with are so excited to learn that each of my wedding collections includes final the high-resolution digital files from their big day. After the wedding day is over, they eagerly view their images, share a few on social media and then, the sad truth is that, the majority of couples let those images sit on their computers and jump drives (btw—have you seen our gorgeous keepsake USBs!?)

This truth makes my heart so sad! You’ve invested in high-quality professional photography, your images deserve to be showcased beautifully!

So, today, I’m breaking down my Top 6 Reasons why you should consider adding an album to your wedding photography investment:

1. YOU CAN ONLY PRINT SO MANY

Let’s face it, unless your home has endless wall space, there are only so many wedding day images you can print and hang. But within an album, you can tell the story of your wedding day all in one place that can easily be displayed on your coffee table for everyone to enjoy!

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2. THE LIFESPAN OF DIGITAL MEDIA IS ALWAYS CHANGING

True story time…

Ten years ago (gosh, it feels like just yesterday!), when I was a bride planning my big day, we invested $5000 in a high-end wedding photographer to document our wedding. This was long before I was a wedding photographer myself, but even then, I valued photography and wanted to make sure our big day was captured artfully and beautifully.

Back then, the standard delivery method was to burn the final images to a disc. Fast forward 10 years and now I am unable to view my wedding images because we don’t have a computer that has a CD ROM and, unfortunately, we never took the time to transfer those files onto new media. Ready for the worst part? I LOST one of the two discs containing our wedding images while we were moving! (UGH!)

My only saving grace was that we did choose to invest in a wedding album. So while we don’t have ALL of our wedding day images, I definitely have the highlights and most important memories of our wedding day safely kept inside our album.

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3. YOUR WEDDING ALBUM IS YOUR FIRST HEIRLOOM AS A MARRIED COUPLE

Back in the days of film, it was standard that each image would be printed and a wedding day album would be delivered. The great thing about this was that couples would then have something tangible to share and pass down to their children and grandchildren. Even now, one of my favorite things to do with my in-laws and grandparents is to sit together and flip through their wedding albums.

Guys, you’ve invested in high-quality professional photography, your wedding day images deserve to be printed and to have a beautiful home to be displayed in!

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4. YOUR WEDDING DAY IS A STORY

Because your wedding day is documented from start to finish, the images are a narrative story of your big day. From the first minutes of getting ready to the last dance of your reception, these moments are part of one collection of images. To accurately tell the story of your wedding day, these images should be displayed in an album where they can be viewed together as they were meant to be.

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5. DIGITAL FILES CAN BE LOST OR DELETED

I shared my own experience with this above, but guys, accidents happen! Technology can (and does) fail. It can take one accidental click, or spill, or drop to lose everything you’ve invested in. So, while those beautiful .jpg files can be a great back up, a digital file stored on your computer or phone isn’t where your wedding photography experience should end.

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6. YOU’RE LIKELY NOT GOING TO DO IT YOURSELF

Sure, you can go ahead and make your own wedding album from a consumer-level lab like Artifact Uprising. But, there are a few issues with this:

First, while we all can have the best intentions, time and life can often get in the way of actually seeing this through. It can be overwhelming to any bride to sift through hundreds of images to choose which ones should be displayed in the wedding album. Then, it takes a whole lot of time to actually assemble those images into the album design. Your photographer can easily and subjectively select the strongest images that highlight your wedding day and work with you to make sure the final product looks exactly how you’d like. Let us take this task off your hands—that’s what we’re here for!

Second, your wedding photographer will have access to printing labs only available to professionals. There is a HUGE difference in the quality of the albums that are available to consumers versus what are available to a professional. Sure, there are some decent quality album companies out there, but they are likely not going to stand the test of time (think warping, color fading, binding issues, etc.) or come with any sort of warranty that would come with a professional-grade album.

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I value each of my clients and am fully dedicated to making sure you have access to beautiful and amazing products to display your wedding images in! Nothing makes me happier than to know you’re making the most out of your Hope & Stay Wedding Experience when you add an heirloom album to your investment. Brides, if you’d like to chat more about album options, don’t hesitate to send me a note!

xoxo,

Alyssa

Alyssa is a Lehigh Valley Wedding Photographer serving the Lehigh Valley, New Jersey, Philadelphia and surrounding areas. To chat with Alyssa about your upcoming wedding or to schedule a portrait session, get in touch here!