How to create the perfect wedding album

Your special day deserves a special album

Your wedding photo book or album is entirely unique to you and something you will cherish forever. It’s that keepsake you can turn to time and time again to relive some of the happiest moments of your life. To inspire you to get started, we've listed eight steps to help you create your dream wedding album - from selecting your photos and finding the right format, to the design and care of your album.

1. Select and organize your photos

Selecting and organizing your photos is the most important part of the creation process. Having a clear idea of how many photos you want and the order you want them in means half the work is done when you upload them to the design studio.

We recommend creating a folder (or folders) with your final selection of photos. If there are thousands to go through and it feels too overwhelming, consider tackling it one ‘moment’ at a time. For example, create multiple folders that divide the day up: getting ready, the ceremony, newlywed portraits, reception. Once you’ve selected your most-loved images label them starting from 1 in the order you want them to appear in your book – this will save you time ordering them in the design studio. Still a bit stuck? Check out our guide to the top 10 moments to include in your wedding album.

MILK Tip: Remember, less is often more. Fewer images mean each one can truly stand out and embody the highlights of your nuptials.

2. Decide on a theme

The pictures you choose to preserve in an album should be chosen in a way that tells the perfect story of your wedding day. What is the story you want to tell and do the photos reflect that?

Whether the focus is on the chronology of the day or the emotional journey, just you as a couple or your family and friends, the intricate details (florals, heels, dress and suit) or the overall atmosphere (venue décor, food, drinks and entertainment), ensure your images reflect what’s most important to you. Visit our blog to get inspiration on which wedding theme could best suit you.

MILK Tip: Browse the MILK Gallery and get inspired by the beautiful projects created by our community of newlyweds.

3. Find the right format

One of the first choices you'll make is whether to opt for a wedding book, a wedding album or a wedding magazine to enshrine your precious memories. See below for a comparison.

4. Size it up

(Left: Medium Photo Albums; Right: Large Photo Albums)

Landscape, Square or Portrait? We recommend reviewing your photos and then matching the orientation of them with the orientation of your photo book or album. This will ensure your photos display optimally. If you have a mix, simply pick the orientation you like best.

Landscape photo books and albums are the most popular choice but we have a soft spot for our Portrait formats; traditional yet elegant, they will look beautiful in your collection.

Large or Medium? We think any wedding day is deserving of our Large formats. But if you’re unsure, consider where you will be displaying your keepsake. Will it take pride of place on a coffee table inside a Presentation Box, or will it be tucked away safely on a bookshelf?

Your precious memories should fit seamlessly into your day-to-day life so pick your size based on where it will be kept. Often people reflect their wedding in their size selection. If you had an intimate wedding, you could opt for a smaller, understated design. If you had a grander celebration, think about choosing a Large format.

5. It's all in the details

Taking care with small details can really bring your nuptials to life on the page. With our intuitive Design Studio and specially created Designer Templates, we’ve made it as easy as possible for you to create an aesthetically pleasing book that rivals any professional’s.  

Consider the following tips when telling your wedding story:

•  For high drama, choose image templates that extend your photos all the way to the edge of the page.
•  For more intimate photos, allow a lot of white space around them to help draw the viewer in.
•  Play with text – consider adding your vows, quotes from speeches or song lyrics from your first dance.
•  Use plenty of white space for a clean finish and timeless feel.
•  If tweaks to the layouts are required, you can add, reposition, and resize image and text frames using our free transform tool.

6. Just turn the page

We craft our Photo Books and Albums with paper stock that is archival quality, meaning your special wedding memories won’t decompose or discolor with age. We offer different paper stocks which all produce a slightly different print finish. The type of paper you select – whether it be Matt or Coated, Textured or Smooth - can have a significant impact on how your photos look in print.

Explore our papers to ensure you pick an option that’ll best deliver the photo finish you’re after. Or see our recommended options below:

• Satin – Our most popular Photo Book paper option. Satin is a white coated stock with a slight sheen that produces the most vibrant and true to life print result in our range.
• Photo Lustre – Our most popular Photo Album paper option. Photo Lustre is a thick, smooth paper with a lustrous finish. With the look and feel of traditional photo paper, it produces a clear, vibrant print result.
• Matt White – Our Wedding Magazines exclusively use a Matt White paper stock to replicate a professionally designed editorial. As an uncoated stock, the print result is slightly muted.

7. Judge a book by it's cover

The cover of your wedding book or album is the introduction to the story of your union. Depending on which book you select, you may need to decide between a simple text cover, a photo cover or a Designer Cover.

Text covers: A text cover offers a simple, understated, and modern introduction to your love story.

Photo covers: A custom cover image is a great way to introduce your story. It sets the tone from the first glance and is a great opportunity to choose that one outstanding image that makes you smile every time you see it.

Designer Covers: Choose from our beautifully designed templates that are UV printed onto your cover with subtly raised inks. There are customizable options for every occasion.

You’ll also need to select your choice of cover fabric - one that will impeccably capture the look and feel of your celebration. Our range of cover fabrics allows you to choose what's just right for you and what will best match the style of your nuptials. Our cover fabrics include:

•  Premium Natural Linen (Our most popular cover fabric choice. Available for our Premium Photo Books, Albums and Guest Books.)
•  Classic Linen (Available exclusively for our Classic Photo Book and Photo Album range.)
•  Premium Colored Linen (Available for our Premium Photo Books, Albums and Guest Books.)
•  Premium Coated Cloth/Buckram (Available for our Premium Photo Books, Albums and Guest Books.)
•  Vegan leather (Available exclusively for our Premium Photo Books.)
•  Milano Italian leather (Available exclusively for our Premium Leather Photo Albums and Guest Books.)

8. Keep it safe

All our Medium and Large Photo Books and Albums come with the option to add on an elegant Presentation Box to keep your cherished memories safe from wear and tear. With all that love poured into the creation of your keepsake, it's important to give it the care it deserves.

Another important care tip is to never store your photo album upright. This puts pressure on the binding and will weaken it overtime. Instead your album should lay-flat on a table or surface. For the best care of our Photo Books and Albums refer to our Care Guide.

Your wedding day is one of life's most special milestones. Full of love, laughter and celebration, there is nothing better than reliving the memories time and time again. We hope this comprehensive guide has given you all the inspiration you need to start bringing your dream wedding album to life.