When I received my clients wedding album in the mail earlier today, I couldn’t wait to unwrap it. It feels a little bit like Christmas morning every time they’re delivered to my doorstep! As I opened the box and unwrapped the packaging I found a beautiful, hand-stitched album with thick matte pages inside of a linen wrap for safekeeping. It’s a work of art in and of itself — and I swear I’m not being dramatic. Below are the 5 main reasons why you should consider investing in a wedding album:

1. High Quality

I’m what is known as a shoot and share photographer, meaning that I deliver all of the edited images that I take to my clients. Their images are uploaded into an online gallery and are accessible for 10 years. They can download the images as much as they’d like without any additional cost. I also give my clients a print release. Could my clients technically create their own wedding albums? Sure. But I wouldn’t advise it! Over time, an inexpensive album will begin to deteriorate, become discolored, and fall apart. Furthermore, the image quality could print pixelated or otherwise distorted.

2. Tangible 

There’s something about being able to see photographs in print and physically flip through them that feels so different than clicking around and opening up JPEGS on a laptop screen. Maybe that’s because we live in such a digital age.

I might be biased, but I believe that photography is one of the most important investments on your wedding day! After the vows have been exchanged and the toasts have been given, all we have left are the photographs. On average, people will spend $2,000+ on a wedding photographer.  That’s a large chunk of change, and that’s not even taking into account all of the other wedding day expenses.  Saving money and forgoing the professional wedding album sounds like a great way to cut additional costs. Trust me, I get it! But is this something you’ll regret 10 or 20 years down the line? The additional one time expense may be well worth it when you think about a wedding album in terms of being a tangible keepsake showcasing your marriage.

3. Reliable

Technology is unreliable. I’m only in my 20’s and I’ve already seen the evolution from tapes, to CD’s, to iPods. Just when you think that technology is as advanced as its ever going to be, something new comes along and takes us all by surprise. CD’s get scratched, online galleries eventually expire, and USB’s easily get lost. Albums are forever.

4. Enduring

Albums will stay with you and your husband for the next 60 years, and will remain in your family for generations.  It’s hard to think about your children, grandchildren & even great grandchildren as someone who’s probably only in their 20’s or early 30’s, but think about how exciting it would be to find photographs of your great grandmother and to be able to piece together her story.  Your children and grandchildren will want to snuggle on your living room couch, flip through the photos, and hear stories about how you and your husband met — and I’m sure you’d love to tell them and be able to relive it!