Delivery Day: The Wedding Album

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This past Saturday I got to do one of my favorite jobs as a wedding photographer - deliver the Wedding Album.  I got the chance to do it twice!!

First up was Andrew and Megan who just got back from some traveling.  I was holding on to their print order as well as the album and finally got a chance to get the finished products in their hands. Worked out perfectly as they were having friends over later that day and I'm sure they showed it off.  I'd like to show off some of their custom designed wedding album pages to you now, starting with the image above.  Click it to enlarge and see more detail.

Below: The newlyweds in their kitchen seeing the album for the first time.

I can't help but picture these guys 20 years from now sitting in the kitchen once again to look over the story of their wedding day.  I always tell my clients how important the photography is to their big day and it's not just to convince them of my services.  The food and decor is important and appreciated, but it's the photographs they will turn to over and over again in the future.

Let's take a look at some more pages from Andrew and Megan's album....

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One more from the kitchen...

Next up is Chris and Elise.  I had called Chris the previous day to let him know the album had arrived back from the printer and we devised this plan to surprise his wife that afternoon.  Chris would take her to lunch in downtown Crown Point and ask for a seat outside.  Unfortunately the restaurant actually did not own the outdoor area and could not seat them.  Add to this the fact that it was quite a chilly Fall day.  He told the hostess they were going outside for a few minutes anyway. I'm sure Elise was quite bewildered by this.  What she didn't know was I was lurking around the Square looking for them.  

I spotted them and decided I'd ask a grandparent who was walking with her granddaughter if they would surprise Elise by casually dropping the book into her lap.  They were skeptical, but agreed.  I have no images of this as I think they were quite scared of me with my big camera and hooded sweatshirt.  Figured I'd better not freak them out with any sudden clicks of the shutter.

The book was delivered, the bride was surprised and I got these shots of the happy couple seeing their wedding album for the first time.  It was great to hear the "oh wows" and "that looks cool" comments as they paged through it.

Let's get a closer look at the book, done in a different style than Andrew and Megan's...

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To see more album page designs, visit the Wedding & Engagement Book Pages Gallery.

Debbie and Dave: Highlight Reel

Debbie and Dave had their Premiere Night a few hours ago, so it is now time to start sharing some of their images with all of you.  Today we will start with a sampling of images from their "motorcycle wedding" in this highlight video.

Please note the controls to switch from High Quality to Low depending on your internet connection.  Also, the images will not be quite as crisp in the video.  Some cropping has also occurred to make some images fit with the graphics.

A highlight video like this is how I will be starting a bride and groom's Premiere Night.  We then move on to the individual images by category - pre-ceremony, ceremony, formals, reception, etc.  The next step is print ordering followed by picking the cover image of the wedding album.  As soon as I get this info, I begin designing the custom wedding album.

If you would like to view larger, visit this link: Debbie and Dave in Full Screen  Again, don't forget to click on HQ for high quality.

 Okay, let's get to the video.  Here it is, Debbie and Dave: Motorcycle Wedding.  Hope you like it!!

Introducing: Premier Night

I've always had a Premier Night for brides and grooms in a way.  My philosophy is that the couple should see their wedding images before anyone else.  I'm now taking this philosphy to all my clients.  Here is a quick overview of what happens at your "premier".

• I either make a house call or we meet somewhere public or my studio. 
• A slideshow presentation of highlights will be shown along with music.
• It is then that we begin looking at all the shots slowly and individually.
• For wedding clients, it is time to pick what you DO NOT want in your wedding album as that is a much smaller list.
• For all other clients (seniors, etc.), I will be able to show samples of books that are available to you.
• This is a great time to answer all of your questions and to show print samples and take orders.

Another big feature of Premier Night will be discounts on various prints that are available on this night only.

After your premier is over, it is then that I will get your images onto their respective online galleries for family and guests to view and order.  This is a new service that I will be tweaking along the way.  Stay tuned here for more news on various Premiers.

Wedding season begins with Debbie and Dave next Saturday.  For now, on to finishing up my high School Senior clientele.  Busy, busy, busy...

Rub A Dub Dub

If you are staying in town the night of your reception and want to do some really unique shots, consider a few wedding night images.  Okay, I will only stay for a limited amount of time, I swear!!  These could range from the wacky as seen above, to romantic with candles.  It's your call.

I realize that some folks after being photographed all day just want some privacy at this point.  For the rest of you, these could make for some really unique and different shots for your wedding album.  I promise to lock the door on my way out!!