Wedding budgeting. It stresses out even the most organized, type A bride. How do you decide what's worth it and what's not? How do you stay within budget when you've been dreaming of this day for years? What should you sacrifice, and what is vital to keep when you're thinking about cutting costs?
There have been tons of wedding trends over the years, and in no industry is that more true than photography. Wedding photography has evolve so much, with the evolution of digital cameras and the media age. Pinterest was only just becoming popular when I got married, but it's now the go-to for brides planning their big day!
One thing I am emphasizing to brides this year is the importance of a wedding album. While it's completely up to each couple to decide their budget and wedding collection, I silently root for everyone to make the decision to include a wedding album. I want to make a case for why you should order one - and if you didn't, it's never too late to go back and make an album for yourself!
It's no secret that the photographs from your wedding day are the only thing you get to take with you when it's all said and done. They are the only keepsake from your wedding day that will last far beyond you. The same is true for your album. I deliver digital files with every wedding collection, because I believe in getting fun prints to hang on your walls, and putting up an album on Facebook. I'm so thankful I have the digitals from my wedding, because four years later, I've used them for new prints and to show friends and family.
But there is something different to holding a wedding album in your hands. There is something special in running your fingers over the leather binding, and in seeing your names forever embossed on the cover. Inside the album, you'll find the full story of your wedding day, not just a few random pictures here or there.
It's the difference between reading an article online or holding a book in your hands and poring through the pages. When you 'read' your wedding album, as you turn the pages, you can feel the emotions of that day all over again, in a way you just can't through the screen of your computer.
Think, for a minute, beyond yourself. How will you pass down your photos to the next generation? Will you want to email your grandkids a couple pictures of the day? Or will you want your children to grow up with a solid remembrance of their parents' love and commitment to each other sitting in a beautiful book, to be read and remembered for decades.
It's for this reason that I wish every bride would order a wedding album. Yes, they can be expensive, but the quality is unmatched. Yes, it's an extra 'something' on top of everything else you're considering for the wedding day. But when you think about your wedding, how do you want it to be remembered? Do you want others to see your day only through a screen, or do you want to hold the day in your hands, flip through the journey of your wedding, and remember again what you felt like as you made your way down the aisle?
I have heard husbands and wives alike wishing they had ordered an album before the memories became rusty in their minds, but never have I heard an ounce or regret over ordering a wedding album. Do yourself, and your children, and their children, a favor. Add an album into your wedding budget from the get go. It will be worth it, I promise, for many years to come.
To see my sample album, along with a special 20% offer, click here.
