Wedding parent albums have always been a part of my wedding photography service. Oftentimes, parents want to have a book that contains their own favorite pictures rather than getting a copy of the bride and groom’s wedding album. Recently, I finished the mother of all parent albums ( 🙂 ). One of the most in-depth and complete parent albums that I’ve ever designed.
Expectations of Wedding Excellence
I knew when the Burke’s first started interviewing me that they had very high standards. I had a phone consultation with Cyndee, my bride Erin’s, mother. Then I had two separate meetings with Cyndee, Erin, and Josh, the groom. This much communication before being hired means one really important thing. That they cared deeply about the wedding and, especially, about the wedding photography.
I alway feel that I’m on my A-game when I photograph weddings. But it is always kicked up a notch when my clients have high standards and expect excellence. And, I feel, that we did very well on Josh and Erin’s wedding day. Everything turned out perfectly. The morning went without a hitch. The church was gorgeous. And, other than a few hiccups, which every wedding experiences, the ceremony went very well. The wedding reception at Landerhaven was GORGEOUS, and, as they always do, Landerhaven did an excellent job of taking care of our clients.
Wedding Album Design
When all was said and done, it was time for the real work to begin…designing the wedding album. I feel that a wedding album is THE most important element in the wedding photography process. The wedding album is a heirloom item that will be around long after we all are gone. And it is the most beautiful way to display your favorite wedding pictures. That is why my clients get a wedding album first, in my minimum service, before anything else.
Bride and Groom
Erin and Josh put a lot of time and effort into selecting their favorite pictures for their album. We even added a one of a kind custom spine plate using their wedding logo that they personally designed. It turned out awesome. So when it came time to design Cyndee’s parent album, I knew that the results would be great.
Like I said, the standards were high. Cyndee was very deliberate in selecting all of the pictures that best represented her experience as the mother of the bride. She ended up picking well over two hundred pictures. That is a lot for my design style and approach, so we maxed out the number of available pages in the wedding album.
I spent hours finalizing and perfecting each image that went into her album, like I do for all of the albums that I design. Then, more hours on the initial design. Cyndee and I then spent close to four hours together collaborating on the final design. My clients input is extremely important to me. I only care about what they like and having them love their book when it is finished. So, I always collaborate with each of them for the final design of their wedding album.
Cyndee chose a 12″ x12″ size, the biggest available and the same album that my bride and groom get. As I mentioned. we maxed out the number of pages available at 80. She chose a fine leather cover in a buckskin color with custom embossing. We had a one of a kind, custom bronze color cover plate made with a custom logo that Josh and Erin used for their their album. We utilized the custom spine plate, as well, this time in a bronze color. The album was finished off with a custom bronze gilding.
Just like every one of my bride and groom albums, this parent album is truly one of a kind and there is nothing else like it. No album is ever the same and NOTHING is template based. This is the type of thing that I LOVE doing for my clients. When Erin and Cyndee want to share their favorite wedding photos, rather then pull out their computer or smartphone, or worse, an inexpensive run-of-the-mill consumer album that they ordered online, they will have this exquisite, 100% unique, custom wedding book to show.
That is the only way to do it. It is the only way that I will do it. And it is the only way that YOU should do it. How will YOU remember?
Erin and my vision regarding her wedding was clear. Simple elegance. It was critical that each supplier was the best in their field. There is no doubt that I had the best venue for 350 guests, videographer, band and photographer. Erin’s wedding dresses were designed out of New York and Connecticut. Larry Spencer’s artistic ability was over the top. His attention to detail and do what it takes attitude convinced us he was the right one to photograph the day. He started at 7am and was done past midnight. He drove to 4 venues, each with their own set of photographic opportunities. Anyone interested in viewing his masterpieces (both my album and Erin’s) please contact Larry to reach me. He is now a part of my family and will take all future pictures for weddings, grandchildren and other events. Thank you Larry for a lifetime of memories.
Thank you, again, Cyndee, for trusting me with the day and all of your gracious comments.