Creating a stunning coffee table book for your wedding clients is a great way to showcase their most cherished memories in a sophisticated format. Designed to complement any home, our A4 portrait Coffee Table Books offer a clean, editorial feel, making them a stylish alternative to traditional wedding albums. Whether placed on a coffee table, sideboard or a bookshelf, they effortlessly make a beautiful addition to modern interiors, inviting couples to relive their special day time and time again.
Follow this step by step guide to curate a Coffee Table Photo Book that beautifully preserves your client’s wedding story.
Steps to creating a Coffee Table Book design
Step 1: Understand your client’s vision
Every couple has a distinct style and preference, so the first step is to consider this.
Key elements include:
- Style preferences – The A4 portrait format is ideal for full page images and striking layouts. Unlike traditional albums, it may not follow a strict chronological flow but instead highlight impactful moments.
- Key moments – Identify which parts of the day are most meaningful to them.
- Specific requests – Are there any must have images or elements they want included?
You can gather this information through a client consultation or rely on best practices to guide your decisions for the coffee table photo book you’re creating. Taking these preferences into account ensures the final product reflects their style and vision.
Step 2: Choose the perfect cover style
Once you have a clear understanding of your client’s style, it’s time to select the cover design that best represents them. We offer six pre-designed cover styles with six different colour combinations to suit various tastes.
- Foiled spine personalisation – Add a personal touch with names, dates, venues, or a special quote to make the book even more meaningful.
- Keep choices simple – Offering a limited selection of covers streamlines the decision making process and prevents clients from feeling overwhelmed.
Step 3: Curate the album layout
Since the Coffee Table Book format is A4 portrait, its layout may differ from a traditional wedding album. Instead of a storytelling approach with smaller atmospheric images, you might focus on larger, portrait, editorial-style photographs that highlight key moments of the day.
- Emphasise impactful images – Use bold, full page spreads to make key moments stand out.
- Consider a minimalist approach – The coffee table photo book aesthetic often leans toward clean layouts with fewer images per page, allowing each one to shine.
- Focus on composition – Prioritise images with strong composition, natural light, and emotional impact to enhance the book’s visual appeal.
- Use white space wisely – Thoughtful spacing can create a more refined and high end feel.
- Work within a 25 spread limit – The coffee table photo book consists of 25 spreads, so each selection should contribute meaningfully to the overall design. Consider balancing full page images with complementary detail shots and ensuring a visually engaging flow from start to finish.
By curating the right images and layout choices, you’ll create a book that feels polished, stylish, and true to your client’s vision.
Step 4: Create the album design
Once the images are selected, it’s time to bring the book to life. You have two options for designing the layout:
Option 1: Use our free album design service
If you’re short on time or want a professional touch, our complimentary service is a great choice:
- Upload your images – Go to our free online designer, set up your project and select ‘A4 Portrait Fine Art album’ or ‘Coffee Table Book’, and upload your selected photos.
- Provide design notes – Share any preferences or instructions.
- Let us handle the rest – Our expert designers will craft a polished, seamless design. Once complete, you can share it with your client as a flipbook for feedback before final approval.
This service saves you time while ensuring a high quality result.
To learn more about our free design service, check out this blog post.
Option 2: Design it yourself
Prefer a hands on approach? Use our free tools or your preferred software:
- Folio Albums’ free browser based designer – Our intuitive online tool makes it easy to create professional layouts with instant access to templates and customisation options. Go to our free online software, set up your project, select either ‘A4 Portrait Fine Art Album or ‘Coffee Table Book’, upload your selected photos and create your design.
- Free design software demonstrations – Our Client Experience Team offers free demonstrations to help you get started and answer any questions.
- Third party software – While our software integrates seamlessly with our products, we support photographers who prefer other tools like Fundy or Pixellu.
No matter which method you choose, you’ll have full flexibility to create an album that aligns with yours and your client’s vision.
Step 5: Review and finalise the album
Before placing your order, carefully review the album:
- Check your design details – Ensure the images tell a compelling story and trim lines.
- Verify image quality – Make sure all images are high resolution with no upload warnings.
- Follow the ordering process – If using our designer software, purchase the album first and enter your order number before exporting the final design.
Once you’re happy with the album, place your order through the Folio Albums website. You’ll receive updates throughout production, ensuring a seamless experience.
Why choose Folio Albums?
At Folio Albums, we make the album creation process smooth and efficient. Here’s what we offer:
- Quick turnaround – Fine Art Albums, Every_ Albums and Coffee Table Books ship within 10 working days, while Matted Albums take 15 working days.
- Drop shipping – Conveniently ship albums directly to your clients.
- Expert support – Our Client Experience Team is always available to assist with any questions.
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Images by Lisa Devlin Photography and Chloe David Photography.
