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By
Melanie Rud
Melanie Rud
Melanie Rud is a freelance beauty writer, editor, and expert living in Chicago. Prior to moving to Chicago, she held beauty editorial positions at Shape, Good Housekeeping, and Health.
Brides's Editorial Guidelines
Updated on 08/01/22
Fact checked by
Kate Donovan
Fact checked byKate Donovan
Kate is a senior editor covering home, registry, and wedding décor. She has been with Brides since 2015.
Brides's Editorial Guidelines
We independently research, test, review, and recommend the bestproducts—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. Your wedding day will fly by in the blink of an eye, which is why having wedding photos you love is so important. The cake will get eaten, flowers tossed, wedding dress dry cleaned and put in storage...but it’s the pictures of your big day that you’ll come back to time and time again. The easiest way to relive those special moments? Compiling them all into a beautiful wedding photo album. “An album allows you to relive your wedding day in a way that single photos, no matter whether they’re digital or framed, simply can’t,” explains Claire Roche, Shutterfly Wedding Expert and Creative Director/Planner at Grit and Grace Event Co. There’s no shortage of album options out there, whether you want to have your photos digitally printed or go old school and insert them yourself. Plus, there are all kinds of materials and colors to choose from. To help you find an album that perfectly represents your love, we researched the best wedding photo albums out there for all tastes and preferences based on their functionality, size, and materials. We've also added some helpful tips on how to create one you'll want to flip through again and again. The crafty couple will love the Heisla DIY Supply Photo Memory Book. For a personalized touch, we recommend the Acroalbum Suede Wedding Photo Album or the Artifact Uprising Wedding Layflat Photo Album. Meet the Expert Claire Roche, is a Shutterfly Wedding Expert and the Creative Director/Planner at Grit and Grace Event Co. She’s also amassed more than 1 million followers on TikTok and was recently named one of the top people to follow if you’re planning a wedding. Read on for the best wedding photo albums. In This Article Our Picks What To Look For Why Trust Brides Simple? Yes. Super sophisticated? Also yes. This album is covered in luxurious Italian suede and embossed with custom lettering. Choose from over 40 colors for the cover, 17 different embossing fonts, as well as the page color and album size to create a final product that perfectly suits your style. Price at time of publish: $141 This may be your go-to website for printing out run-of-the-mill photos, but they also offer great options for weddings, including a premium photo book. They come in five sizes (at various price points) and have a high-end leather cover. You can even take advantage of their free design service and have one of their expert designers create your album for you. Price at time of publish: $50 There’s a good reason why these have somewhat of a cult-like following. The foil-stamped, heirloom-quality albums are classic and timeless. You get to choose your size, fabric, foil colors, paper quality, and cover design to customize it, and the website makes it easy to design the layout of your photos. Price at time of publish: $152 Not quite sure exactly what you want your wedding photo album to look like? Well, there are over 70 options of these photo books to choose from. They’re conveniently designed for you according to various themes, such as ‘industrial chic’ or ‘modern beach wedding,’ making it easy to find the album that perfectly reflects the vibe of your big day. And if nothing strikes your fancy, there’s also a blank option that lets you do it yourself. Price at time of publish: $10 You’d never guess that this album is made from faux leather—but it is, helping to keep the price much more affordable. It comes in four sizes and six colors, and it can be custom embossed with any text of your choosing on the front. Price at time of publish: $42 Create an album via this website and you get access to a lot of unique features. For starters, you can take advantage of their wedding album design service (which comes with an unlimited number of revisions). Plus, if you order an album, you also get a link to a free digital version that’s great for sharing with family and friends. This particular album is oversized, ideal for a coffee table, and can showcase up to 1000 photos. Price at time of publish: $40 On the flip side, if you’re looking for an album that you can easily tout around and show off to anyone, this adorable mini option is a perfect choice. It can hold between six and 15 photos, making it ideal for just your few fave moments of the day. We also love it as an option for engagement photos or honeymoon highlights. Price at time of publish: $20 Offering everything from wedding websites to registries to invites, Zola truly is a one-stop wedding shop, so it’s not surprising that they also have albums. They’re simple yet elegant, and you can choose from six sizes, 15 colors, and anywhere from 20-70 pages. You can even add one of these to your registry. Price at time of publish: $149 With prices ranging from $19.99 to $109.99, there’s a photo book to fit every price point. They come in various shapes and sizes, plus tons of different preset layouts, where all you have to do is pop in the photos of your choice and call it a day. Price at time of publish: $19.99 If you’re a couple that loves to scrapbook, this album is perfect for you. Not only is it great for housing photos, but it’s also perfect for including other wedding mementos, like copies of your vows, aceremony program, a dried boutonniere—the options are endless. Price at time of publish: $34 Nothing against your professional photo snaps, but we’re willing to bet that your guests probably captured some great photos on their smartphones, too. Enter Chatbooks, which allows you to upload pics directly from a phone to create a surprisingly high-quality album. You can even make a book filtered by that wedding hashtag you so carefully came up with. Price at time of publish: $80 This handmade album has a silk cover and is bound with sewn ribbon, truly making it a beautiful keepsake for years to come. The blank pages inside are perfect not only for photos but also for notes and other mementos from the day you'll want to remember forever. Price at time of publish: $78 For those in search of a modern take on the classic album, a digital picture frame offers the perfect alternative. This one has an unlimited photo and video storage, and even has built-in speakers to play sound, making it the perfect place to upload all kinds of wedding content. Not to mention that it’s extremely aesthetically pleasing and works well with any type of home decor. Price at time of publish: $179 This splurge-worthy pick is ideal for those who want their wedding album to be a showstopper in and of itself, photos aside. The oversized, hardbound option is made of cross-grain calf leather and houses 50 pages of gilt-edged white paper. Personalize the cover with your names and wedding date for an extra special touch. Price at time of publish: $765 It doesn’t get more classic than this leather-bound album. There’s both a faux vegan leather option (which comes in 13 colors), as well as a genuine leather version (in four colors and textures). There are also eight different paper types to choose from, which is much more than many other companies offer. Price at time of publish: $160 Opt for this fan favorite—available via same-day Prime delivery—and your wedding album creation can easily be a weekend project. The oversized, classic album can hold up to 600 vertical and horizontal photos and comes in eight colors. We love it as an option for the more candid snaps taken by family and friends. Price at time of publish: $27 Another out-of-the-box idea, this allows you to collage your favorite wedding memories and turn them into a beautiful piece of wall art. Choose from two sizes and plenty of frame options (though you can also order it unframed). It’s a surefire way to look at your wedding pictures each and every day. Price at time of publish: $48 If you had Polaroid cameras at your wedding, this mini-album is a must. It’s the perfect size to display all of those fun, candid snaps from the evening. And at such a wallet-friendly price, you can pick up as many as you need to make sure every one of those photos makes it in. Price at time of publish: $32 According to Roche, it’s important to choose an album that allows you to include both horizontal and vertical photos.This way, you'll be able to alternate between candid closeups, decor details, and formal portraits. Having the option to include photos of various sizes is another important feature, notes Roche. A variety of image sizes ensures that the pages of your album provide visual interest and feel more dynamic. The color of your album cover is totally a matter of personal preference, though keep in mind that darker colors are slightly better at hiding wear and tear over time.You might want to take your wedding palette and theme into consideration when choosing an album—it's an added touch that will help you commemorate the big day on your bookshelf or coffee table. FAQ This really does boil down to your tastes and styles. Leather (both real and faux) tends to be more durable, although more delicate materials like linen and silk will stand the test of time if they’re properly stored and cared for. Consider how your album will be used when choosing a material. Is it something that will be on display on the coffee table for regular perusing? Stored in a keepsake box? Choose your material based on how much the book may be handled. Roche says the first part is to narrow down your photos to your top favorites. Make it a fun activity with your partner and turn it into a date night as you relive the day. Then, the easiest thing to do is work your way through the photos, in chronological order. “This will allow the album to really tell the story of your wedding day from start to finish,” says Roche. The short answer: Whenever you want. “Some couples really love to have it done by their first anniversary, but the truth is there's no perfect time to do it aside from when it works for you,” says Roche. Brides contributor Melanie Rud has nearly 15 years of journalism experience covering the beauty and lifestyle space for some of the biggest magazines and websites out there. She’s also a recent newlywed—who is currently in the process of mentally preparing to create her wedding album. What to look for in a wedding photo book
Dual orientation
Photo size
The cover color and material
Why Trust Brides
FAQs
What is the best photo album Brand? ›
- Pioneer Photo Albums 300-pocket European Bonded Leather Photo Album. ...
- Leatherkind Capri Leather Photo Album. ...
- Hama Photo Album. ...
- Vienrose Photo Album. ...
- ZeeYuan Photo Albums Leather Scrapbook. ...
- Pioneer X-Pando Magnetic Album. ...
- Kiera Grace Photo Album. ...
- Pearhead Baby Photo Album.
- Matted Albums. Matted wedding photo albums are the most traditional and formal style of wedding album. ...
- Flush Mount Albums. Flush mount wedding photo albums are considered a more contemporary choice than matted albums. ...
- Parent or Gift Albums.
- 1) Digital printing (offset) on matt or gloss paper. For customers who look for a quality wedding album at affordable price, we offer digital printing (offset) on glossy or matte paper. ...
- 2) Laser printing on photo paper. ...
- 3) The ink jet printing on fine art paper.
Lower quality photo books can cost anywhere from $25 to $75, while higher quality photo albums may run anywhere from $150 to $1,000. As a sweet spot, we suggest budgeting $150 to $350 for a nice, high-quality wedding album.
Which photo album sheet is best? ›Luster Paper
It's the recommended selection for traditional photo books to showcase every memory. It has a soft reflective sheen and subtle texture.
- Display Albums.
- Baby Albums.
- Wedding Albums.
- Slip-in Albums.
- Drymount Albums.
- Self-Adhesive Albums.
There are two main types of albums, studio albums and live albums. Studio albums are recorded at a recording studio. Live albums are normally recorded while the musicians are performing for an audience. Live albums are usually recorded at concerts.
Which paper is best for wedding album glossy or matte? ›If your photos will be handled often, a matte finish would be a better option since they will not absorb the fingerprints of users. Because matte finishes are designed to refract as much light as possible, this comes at the cost of colors not appearing as vibrant as they do in glossy photos.
What is the best size for a wedding photo book? ›For example, I always recommend a 10x10” or 12x12” size album for weddings, because there are so many more photos to include than, say, a senior or family session. Most parents of brides/grooms order the 10x10” size, because it's not too big and not too small.
Why are wedding albums so expensive? ›The more expensive albums are generally produced using actual photographic paper, some with metallic finishes. The spreads are usually seamless with lay-flat binding design so when you open the book, you can see a panoramic shot of your ceremony go across the table… seamlessly.
Is a wedding album worth it? ›
A high quality, professionally done wedding album is definitely an investment, but we feel it is worth every penny. Having tangible memories you can share with your friends, family, children and even future grandchildren is priceless.
How many pictures should be in a wedding album? ›How many pictures should be in a wedding album? Most wedding photo albums will include one-five photos per page, depending on the size and length of the pages. For example, if your book has 32 pages, your album should have 32 to 160 images.
Which photo book site is best? ›- Best Overall: Artifact Uprising. Buy on Artifactuprising.com. ...
- Best for Budget Photo Books: Amazon Prints. Buy on Amazon. ...
- Easiest to Use: Printique. Buy on Printique.com. ...
- Best for Themed Templates: Mixbook. ...
- Best for Creative Layouts: Shutterfly. ...
- Best for Binding Options: Snapfish. ...
- Best for Fast Printing: Walmart Photo.
Mixbook (opens in new tab)is our top pick of all the photo book services on the market. Not only are the products great quality but the creating process is a fun experience, too. The Mixbook software is easy to use and gives you full creative freedom to make a photo book personalized to you.