Photographer albums?

Yellobat

I am in the process of evaluating photographers.  They all offer various photo albums which are pricey, especially if not included in the packages.  I haven't seen any of these in person, but they look nice online.  A friend of mine says she doesn't look at her wedding photos too often.  So I am wondering if you all think it's really worth paying for a beautiful photorapher-made photo album or can I achieve something nearly as good (maybe without the super-fancy leather cover) by doing it myself?

JoanE2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_photos-video_photographer-albums?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:30Discussion:257af680-26c2-4c09-816e-85db7a1230f8Post:72bee465-ccf4-474a-8cab-4d6baa4febed">Photographer albums?</a>:
[QUOTE]I am in the process of evaluating photographers.  They all offer various photo albums which are pricey, especially if not included in the packages.  I haven't seen any of these in person, but they look nice online.  A friend of mine says she doesn't look at her wedding photos too often.  So I am wondering if you all think it's really worth paying for a beautiful photorapher-made photo album or can I achieve something nearly as good (maybe without the super-fancy leather cover) by doing it myself?
Posted by Yellobat[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>I think it's a personal decision.  I know we probably won't open the album much (especially after the first couple years), but I still want something nice.  It's a once in a lifetime, so we're splurging on the professional album.  Heck, when all is said and done, the album will be a tiny percentage of the entire wedding cost.  :D</div><div>
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tiny speck

It's definitely a personal decision. I love looking back at photos, so I'm happy to pay for a nice well-made album that's going to last for years to come. If you don't think you'll look at your wedding photos though, I can understand not caring as much about an album.

brittjohnston333

We definitely got the album and we don't regret it. It turned out beautiful and it's something that someday our children and our childrens children will cherish. Lifelong Memories Photography shot our wedding (the photos were incredible!) and the album came with our wedding package. If we only got the CD, that would be one heck of an expensive piece of plastic collecting dust on my desk, or an expensive Facebook folder! Making a wedding "album" on a cheap website like Snapfish or something wouldn't be nearly as nice or high quality and I know I would always regret not getting a nice wedding album. It's something that we will cherish forever.

proudMrsG

We just finished prrofing our album and we love it. You are right, after the first couple of years we probably won't take it out that often (hopefully kids will be taking our time by then!) but I can't imagine 10, 25,50 years from now not wanting to take it out and look at the photos. One thng to note, our photographer told us a little bit about why the "professional" albums are more expensive. They are printed on super high quality paper so the colors won't fade years from now. 

ValerieG101

Like others have said, it is a personal decision and can depend on your budget. There are some very nice DIY photo services available. Two that come to mind that are popular with brides are Bride Box and Adoramapix. Bride Box has flush-mount books with hand-crafted binding and real photographic paper. They have a variety of options at different price points including leather, foil stamp, pearl paper. Adoramapix also offers sturdy, lay flat pages and real photo paper. They are less expensive than Bridebox but make quality books. Both are a step up from companies like Shutterfly or My Publisher.

gymbugmj2k

I agree with others - it is a personal decision. 

For us - we would rather have the highest quality photos, then fancy packages with prints and books.  Our photographer offered NONE of the 'extras' and instead, gave us digital rights to all the photos (meaning we can print them wherever, however and on any medium we want!).  THAT is better than any book - especially since hubby is a photographer too, and can edit and create all sorts of things from the photos.  We have all the files backed up so that if we want to create something in 10 years, we can.

We did a canvas print over our fireplace of an engagement shot, and an Adoramapix book of wedding photos for parents, grandparents, and ourselves.  The book is great quality, and like i said -- if we want to redo it years down the road, we can...and STILL spend less than the books that most photographers offer.

It's all about what you want out of the final product. 

JessBrasselina

Hi Yellowbat,

I also agree with most of the others kindly enough to answer you!
The question is really up to you, and what you want the album for.
I faced the same decision, and if it only comes to sharing photos, the internet just offers much more than a real physical album does.

but...

If you really want to hold something in your hands - call it a physical token of love - a proper wedding album is really the way to go.
A really nicely done album with real photo paper will be around nearly forever, and I liked that kind of statement when me and hon went for ours.
Here is a nice description of flush-mount albums (like the one we got):
http://www.sweetmemoryalbums.com/what-is-a-flush-mount-wedding-album.html

I hope I could shed some light on this issue,
greetz, Jess