Designing a wedding album is more than just arranging photos, it’s about creating a timeless storybook that captures the emotions, moments, and details of your clients’ special day. This guide walks you through the steps to create an album that showcases your photography skills while delivering a product your clients will cherish forever.
At Folio Albums, we make the process as easy and seamless as possible, whether you’re crafting the design yourself or taking advantage of our expert design services. Follow these steps to create a luxury wedding album that highlights the joy, love, and beauty of your client’s big day.
Steps to designing the perfect wedding album
Step 1: Understand your client’s vision for their wedding album
Every couple’s wedding day is unique, so the first step is to understand their vision for the album. Here are some key things to consider when designing your album:
- Style preferences: Do they want a traditional, formal layout, or something more modern and playful?
- Key moments: Which parts of the day are most meaningful to them?
- Specific requests: Are there any must-have images or design elements for the wedding photo album?
This could be a conversation you have during a client call or you could use your own judgement on best design practice. These considerations will ensure the album reflects their personal style and tells the story of their day exactly how they imagine it.
Step 2: Choose the perfect photo album style and finish
Once you understand the vision, it’s time to select an album style and finish that aligns with their preferences. Folio Albums offers a range of handcrafted options to suit every couple:
- Fine Art Albums: Timeless and luxurious, crafted with archival quality materials for a sleek and elegant presentation. What is Fine Art Printing?
- Matted Albums: A sophisticated choice that blends the traditional charm of classic framed prints with a contemporary edge, adding depth and elegance to every page. What is a Matted Album?
- Every_ Albums: An affordable option with streamlined design choices, offering the same exceptional quality and attention to detail as our Fine Art Albums. What is an Every_ Album?
Customisation options allow you to tailor the album further:
- Cover materials: Choose from our Contemporary Leathers, Core Fabrics, Essential Cottons, Heritage Fabrics or Silks.
- Personalisation: Choose from Black Cover Printing, White Cover Printing, Blind Debossing, Foil Debossing, Laser Engraving, 22 Carat Gold or Palladium Finishing.
- Size: Choose from 12×12, 10×10, 8×8, 6×6″ or A4, A5 available in both portrait and landscape. Plus a 14×10″ option in the Matted Album style.
By selecting the right combination, you’ll create a bespoke album that feels uniquely theirs. We recommend offering a limited range of customisation choices to your client, this simplifies the process, ensuring it feels seamless, efficient, and removes overwhelming decisions.
Step 3: Photo selection – Curate an album layout of key moments to tell their story
The best wedding albums do more than showcase beautiful photos, they tell a cohesive story of the day. To achieve this, carefully select images that highlight the most important moments of the day. While album design ultimately comes down to personal preference, our design experts have developed a tried and tested formula for a 25-spread album featuring 100 images. On average, we recommend using four images per spread (per page) as a helpful guideline.
- Venue Shots (4 images): Start with a few captivating shots of the wedding venue to set the scene.
- Bridal Prep (8 images): Capture the intimate moments of the bride getting ready such as hair and makeup, focusing on the little details such as wedding bouquets wedding day fragrances and the wedding dress for a beautiful wedding photo.
- Groom Prep (8 images): Highlight the groom’s preparation with similarly detailed shots, which could include suit details, engagement rings and wedding bands.
- First Look (4 images): Include the emotional moments of the first look, whether it’s between the couple, parents, or the bridal party.
- Ceremony (8 images): Document key moments of the wedding ceremony, such as walking down the aisle, vows, ring exchange, and the first kiss.
- Couple Portraits (10 images): Showcase beautiful portraits of the bride and groom, emphasising their connection and joy. Perfect for capturing those intimate newlywed moments.
- Group Shots (10 images): Include important group photos of the wedding party with family and friends.
- Guest Shots (12 images): Capture candid shots of guests enjoying the celebration.
- Details (12 images): Highlight the intricate details of the wedding reception, such as decorations, wedding invitations, and other unique elements of the event.
- Speeches (8 images)This is an emotive part of the day with memorable moments to include from the speeches, toasts, and the first dance.
- Dance Floor (16 images): End with energetic and lively shots of the dance floor, capturing the fun and excitement of the celebration.
This balanced structure ensures every aspect of the day is represented without overwhelming the album.
For more helpful tips on how to choose photos for the perfect photo album, click here.
Step 4: Create an album design
With the images selected, it’s time to bring the album to life. You have two main options for designing the layout of your wedding photo book:
Option 1: Use our free album design service
If you’re short on time or want the assurance of a professionally crafted design, take advantage of our complimentary service:
- Upload your images: Log in to our online designer, set up your project, upload the selected photos and select request free design.
- Provide design notes: Share any specific layout preferences or instructions.
- Let us handle it: Our expert designers will craft a polished design that flows seamlessly. Once complete, you can share the album design as a flipbook with your client for feedback, allowing them to leave comments for any necessary edits before it goes to print.
This option saves you time while guaranteeing a high-quality result, making it ideal for busy photographers.
Find out more about our free album design service.
Option 2: Design it yourself
Prefer a hands-on approach? Use our tools or your own preferred design software:
- Folio Albums’ free browser-based design software: Our free design software makes creating beautiful albums easy. With a simple interface, plenty of customisation options, and instant access to templates and design elements, you can craft professional albums directly from your browser, no downloads or installations needed.
- Free design software demonstrations: While the software is user-friendly and easy to navigate, we also offer free designer demonstrations. Our expert Client Experience team, who use the software daily, will guide you through each step of the design process and answer any questions you may have.
- Third-party software: We recommend our design software for its ease of use and seamless integration with our products. However, we understand many wedding photographers prefer other tools. Whether you use advanced software like Fundy or Pixellu, we support your choice and ensure you have the flexibility to design albums that fit your workflow and vision.
- Guidelines: Ensure your images are in sRGB, saved as JPGs at 300dpi, and adhere to our specifications for print quality.
Whether you use our tools or your own, you’ll have the flexibility to create an album that reflects your vision.
Step 5: Review and finalise the album
Before placing the order, take time to review the album design carefully:
- Double check the layout to ensure the story flows naturally.
- Confirm all customisation details, from cover material and personalisation. If you are using any bespoke motifs or studio logos for customisation, ensure these files have also been uploaded alongside your images.
- Ensure all images are uploaded in high quality and have no upload warnings.
- If you’ve used our design software, you’ll need to purchase the album first and then enter your order number when exporting the design.
Once you’re satisfied, place the order through our website. You’ll receive updates throughout the production process, ensuring peace of mind from start to finish.
For more guidance, follow this step by step guide to ordering a Folio Album.
Why choose Folio Albums to create the perfect wedding album?
At Folio Albums, we pride ourselves on making the album creation process as smooth as possible. Here’s how we support you:
- Quick turnaround: Fine Art Albums and Every_ Albums are ready to ship in 10 working days, while Matted Albums take 15 working days.
- Drop shipping: Ship directly to your clients for added convenience.
- Comprehensive support: Our Client Experience Team is always available to assist with any questions or concerns.
Are you ready to sell albums with confidence? Our Success Programme helps photographers grow their business and enhance client experience. For £250+VAT, you’ll get a planning session, six Zoom calls, and expert sales guidance, plus £150 in coupon codes to recoup half your investment.
Get tailored advice on pricing, strategy, and client touchpoints, with ongoing support to help you succeed.
Get started today
Whether you’re designing your first wedding album or refining your process, Folio Albums has the tools and support you need to create something truly special. Register on our website to access our design tools, book a consultation, or explore our free design service.
Make a wedding album that captures your clients’ special day, timeless, printed wedding memories that they’ll revisit and relive for years to come.
