Layflat versus flush-mount albums
Wedding albums are generally offered in a couple of construction styles, most commonly layflat and flush-mount. A layflat album opens fully flat with no gutter running through the middle of a spread, which suits images that cross the centre of a two-page layout, while a flush-mount album has pages mounted onto a rigid board with a slight seam where pages meet. Both are considered durable, long-lasting formats, and the choice usually comes down to how a couple wants their images to sit across a spread rather than one being definitively better than the other.
It is worth asking to see a physical sample of each construction before deciding, since photographs and descriptions online do not always convey how a spread feels when the album is actually open in your hands.
Page counts
Albums are typically sized by the number of pages or spreads they contain, and deciding on this in advance affects how the image selection process works. A shorter album forces tighter editing down to only the most essential images, while a longer album allows more of the day's story to be included, from preparation through to the reception.
It helps to think about how the album will actually be used, displayed on a shelf and flipped through occasionally, or kept as a more comprehensive record, since this affects whether a shorter, tightly-edited album or a longer, more complete one suits the couple better.
Image selection process
Selecting images for an album is usually a separate process from receiving the full wedding gallery, since an album generally holds a curated selection rather than every photograph taken on the day. Some couples prefer to make the selection themselves from the full gallery, while others prefer a photographer to propose a first selection or layout for the couple to review and adjust.
Either way, it helps to agree in advance on how many rounds of revision are included and how selection will be communicated, since narrowing a full day's worth of images down to an album's page count is often more time-consuming than couples expect.
Parents' albums
It is common for couples to order a smaller album, sometimes a duplicate or condensed version of the main album, for one or both sets of parents as a gift. These are often ordered in the same design as the couple's own album, though some couples choose a different size or a simpler layout for a parents' copy.
If parents' albums are wanted, it is worth deciding this at the same time as ordering the main album, since matching the design and using the same selected images is usually more straightforward when done together rather than as a separate, later request.
Framed prints
Alongside or instead of an album, some couples choose one or a few framed prints for their home, usually a single striking image from the day rather than a broader selection. Framing choices, such as size, mount and frame material, affect how a print reads in a room, and it is worth considering where the print will actually hang before finalising size and orientation.
A framed print is generally chosen from the same curated selection used for an album, though a couple may prefer a different image for a framed piece if it works better as a single, standalone photograph than as part of a page spread.
When to order
Because image selection, layout design and production all take time, it is worth starting the album process reasonably soon after receiving the full wedding gallery rather than leaving it indefinitely. Delaying the decision for a long period can make the selection process harder, since the immediacy of the day fades and choosing between similar images becomes more difficult without that context.
If parents' albums or framed prints are also wanted, ordering them alongside the main album, rather than as separate later requests, is usually simpler for everyone involved.
Colour proofing
Before a final album or large framed print is produced, it is reasonable to ask for a proof, or at least a clear preview, so that colour and cropping can be checked before committing to print. Screens and printed output do not always match exactly, and a proof stage catches this kind of difference before it becomes a finished product.
This is particularly worth doing for a couple's main album, since it is generally a one-time production rather than something easily reprinted or adjusted after the fact.
Archival storage of digital files
Regardless of whether a couple orders an album or prints, it is worth thinking about how the digital wedding gallery itself is stored for the long term. A reasonable approach is to keep at least two copies in different places, for example a cloud storage service and a separate physical drive, rather than relying on a single copy in one location.
Files stored only on a phone, a single laptop, or a single drive are vulnerable to loss if that one device is damaged, lost or fails, so keeping a second copy somewhere else is a simple way to protect photographs and video that cannot be re-shot.
Album and print decisions are easier to make with a clear sense of how the finished piece will be used and displayed. If you would like to talk through album options or archival delivery for your wedding, get in touch, or see our pricing and terms for how delivery works.