May 3, 2019

Must Have Photos for Your Wedding Album | Wedding Albums

Must Have Photos for Your Wedding Album

A common question I get from clients is “What photos should we put in our wedding album?”
Many of my wedding photography clients seem to get paralyzed when they need to make a decision on choosing their wedding album pictures.  There are so many choices and they love all their wedding photos!  Gone are the days when a wedding album mainly featured family formal photos.  I look at wedding albums now as more of a vehicle for telling a story of your wedding day.  So what are we looking for when designing an album?  Here are some categories you want to include:

Wedding Details:  During the course of planning your wedding, you have spent a lot of time making decisions about what details to include for the day.  When we are photographing a wedding, we make sure to document those details.  So please include at least a few images of the wedding detail photos.

Wedding Photo Sagamore Resort Lake George
The back of the dress is beautiful.
Summer Wedding Photo Sagamore Resort
The bride’s bouquet.
Saratoga Springs Annes Washington Inn Wedding Photo
This lovely bouquet by The Posie Peddler included the Bride’s Mother’s rosary.
Upstate NY Mansion Wedding Photo
This detail photo also imparts mood and is a great scene setter.
Wedding Photos Batchellar Mansion Saratoga
Beautiful shoes and other accessories are nice to include. The shoes are Bella Belle from Something Bleu in Saratoga Springs.
Saratoga Wedding Mansion Photo
The Dress!
Mansion Wedding Reception Photo
Reception Decor is always a great details shot.
Wedding Cake Photo Mansion Saratoga NY
The cake is sometimes a work of art.

Getting Ready Shots:  You don’t need to include a whole bunch, but a page or two dedicated to the getting ready portion of the day helps build the story.

Ft William Henry Resort Wedding Photos
Getting ready photos are always fun. I feel like it sets the tone for the entire day.
Lake George NY Wedding Photos
Getting ready shots can tell the story more completely.
Adirondack Groom Wedding Photo
Don’t forget the Groom getting ready!
Destination Wedding Photo CT
It is always fun when the bride gives the bridesmaids matching robes or pjs–great fun photo!

A “First Look” for Dad:  This is often a very emotional and meaningful moment that I really love photographing for my Brides.

Saratoga NY Mansion Wedding Photos
One of my favorite “Dad ” moments to date.
Albany Renaissance Wedding Photos.
Seeing Dad for the first time can be very emotional.
Upstate NY Wedding Photos
Be sure to build in time on your day for moments like this!

Individual Portraits of the Bride and Groom:  You look amazing, so make sure you include at least a few individual portraits!  A selection of full length, as well as tight closeups is ideal.

Queensbury Hotel Wedding Photo
Formal Portraits are classic and never go out of style.
Glens Falls Wedding Photo
Again, don’t forget the Groom!
Wedding Photos Saratoga Springs NY
A close up beauty shot is always nice.
Fall Wedding Photos Upstate NY
I like this because it is whimsical.

Saratoga NY Adelphi Hotel Wedding Photo

Candid Ceremony Moments:  Images in a photojournalistic style capture the moment and tell the story.  Personally, I feel like the ceremony is the most important part of the day, so you should have more than one page dedicated to this.

Saratoga Springs NY Wedding Photo
Intimate Close shots like this are important.
Saratoga Springs NY Thirsty Owl Wedding Photo
An overall Ceremony Shot–Fabulous view from a window overlooking the ceremony.
First Kiss Wedding Ceremony Photo Saratoga
Definitely include The Kiss!
Wedding Ceremony Adelphi Hotel Saratoga NY
Love capturing an expression like this!

Family Groups:  A few family formals are fine to include, just don’t get crazy.  I feel like family formals can be displayed around your home as small prints, but a few in the wedding album is perfect.

Wedding Family Portrait Photos Albany NY
Family Photos are really important on a wedding day!
Fall Upstate NY Wedding Photos
Loved this bridal party shot–so fun!

Destination Wedding Photos Utah

Summer Wedding Flower Girl Saratoga Springs NY
When the Flower Girl is this cute, she needs to make the cut for the album.
Saratoga Wedding Adelphi Hotel Photo
Let’s not forget the Ring Bearer.

Bride and Groom Together:  When choosing your wedding album pictures, make sure you dedicate a few pages to portraits of the two of you together in the album.

Choosing your wedding album pictures
I always want to create an iconic wedding image of the Bride and Groom that captures the surrounds and can used both in the album and as a wall portrait.

Saratoga Summer Wedding Mansion

Elegant Elopement Wedding Photos Congress Park
Candid can be just as nice as formal.
Summer Wedding at Fort William Henry Lake George
I like to sometimes use the reception area before the guests arrive for a few formal images of the Bride and Groom.  This ballroom is at The Fort William Henry in Lake George, NY.

Choosing Your Wedding Photographer

Saratoga Springs NY Wedding Venues

Saratoga Springs NY Wedding Photos
I love the intimacy of this candid black and white wedding photo.

Reception Photos:  The Reception is important to put in your album.  Most couples put a lot of thought into their party.  When choosing your wedding album pictures, be sure to include a couple pages of details and fun shots.

CT Destination Wedding Photos
Great Expressions!
Wedding Album Photos
Introductions and the First Dance are important Wedding album photos.
Automobile Museum Saratoga Wedding Photo
The Toasts….
Automobile Museum Cake Cutting Photo
Cake Cutting….
Saratoga Mansion Wedding Reception Candids
Of course include dance photos!

Wedding Album Photos

A Great Photo for the End of the Book:  Make sure you end your album with a great photo of the two of you!

Downtown Saratoga Springs NY Wedding Photo
Love this because it is right across the street from where this couple first met.
Rustic Barn Venue Saratoga NY Fall Wedding Photo
One of my favorite night shots.

One final tip for choosing your wedding album images:  After you make the initial choice, walk away for a day and come back and look at them.  Do you feel any important moments are missing?  Or do you feel you have too many of the same type of image?  Do you have a selection that tells the story of the day?  One of the services I provide to all my clients is designing the layout of the wedding album–I notice that they often either forget something important or they have too many images depicting one particular thing.

Now that you know what images to choose, don’t put off this task any longer!

Here is a sample wedding photo album from a wedding we recently photographed in Saratoga Springs NY. The Bride got ready at the historic Adelphi Hotel and the ceremony and reception took place at the National Museum of Dance. Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like to read another post about Wedding Albums.

If you are ready to hire a photographer for your wedding, please use our Contact Form.  Or call us at (518) 584-4237 to schedule a consultation today.  We would love to discuss your wedding plans!

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