Tips on choosing your wedding album photos

Generally, every couple that comes to us ready to

produce an album has the same important question … How

can I narrow down my 1000 wedding pictures to only 100?

This is probably one of the top reasons why couples put off making their

wedding album and we understand it can be a daunting task to take on. We

want to help … we’ve found that once you break the day down into sections it

becomes a whole lot easier. Here are some tips to help you simplify the job

and if you can consume a glass of wine during the task you may even enjoy the

process! The golden rule is “go with your instinct” if you love the picture

include it, don’t worry about what other people would do and don’t forget we

can make a picture exactly how you want it with the right crop!

Siegel’s Portrait Design’s pic list guide:

Break down your wedding day into sections. Below is a guide you can use to

section out your wedding day. We’ve also included a guide about how many

photos to have within each section. Keep in mind every wedding is unique so

your sections may vary, feel free to rearrange/rename your sections.

First page of your album

1 picture – Set the scene… use a photo of the wedding invitation, your wedding

bands, or even a photo from your engagement session. We generally include

your names, the date of your wedding and where it was held on this page.

When the day begins

Around 5-10 pictures of some of the beautiful decorations and details of your

special event. Like your dress, flowers and shoes!

First look (if applies)

Around 3-6 pictures

Bridal spread and Groom Spread

We like to give each of you a spread of your own to show your unique

personalities. Choose roughly 4-6 photos each

Bridal party & family portraits

Around 5-15 pictures (will vary according to size of family and bridal

parties)

The Ceremony

Around 10-20 pictures (make sure to include special details)

Couple portraits

Around 3-10 pictures. You should have a lot to choose from here!

Reception

Around 15-25 pictures (Be sure to include detail shots – i.e. of your table

decorations, cake, food etc…)

Last page of your album

1 picture – We love to use one great picture of you two at the end of the night.

Additional Tips

The best albums tell a story

They’re not a minute-by-minute account of every smile and every pose, they show the

highlights of your day, the parts you’ll most want to remember.

Vary your choice

We as photographers can get a little snap happy. You’ll inevitably end up with a lot of

similar photos, so avoid replicas and try to select the best few from each part of the day:

getting ready, travelling to and arriving at the venue, the ceremony itself, drinks reception

and so on.

Give your photos room to breathe

The more photos you try to cram in then the smaller they will have to be and the design will

look messy. We prefer to use ‘lay-flat’ pages, which allow your photos to be displayed right

across the spread, so the fewer photos you have the bigger they can be, and the more impact

they’ll make when the album is opened.

Think about colors and contrasts

Crisp blue sky, plush green grass, snow covered buildings, and even guests in brightly-

colored dresses can make photos leap off the page. This works especially well when

contrasted with black and white photos, and darker indoor photos.

Quality not quantity

Definitely true for wedding albums. Pick the very best images you can and only the best

from each grouping.

We are here to help

If all of this seems too much of a daunting task for you, leave the photo selection to us! We

have designed hundreds of wedding albums and we are experts at telling a story that reflects

your day using the best images from the people that actually took them! What a concept!

Honestly, this is what the majority of our clients choose and no one has been disappointed

yet! Give us a call and we will guide you right through it painlessly!