Why are pro wedding albums so expensive?
Keen as a bean to showcase your precious photos the way they were designed to be enjoyed … but perplexed by the (really rather pricey) price of pro wedding albums? Let’s go BTS to investigate whether professional wedding albums are really worth their price tag.
A close-up of quality
A few years ago, I was given a fun opportunity to work with Aston Martin. And I’ll be honest, from a distance, the car was totally underwhelming. I squinted my eyes, looked around, and thought to myself: I don’t get it. What’s all the fuss about? And why on earth are these cars so expensive?!
Yep, I’m sorry all my AM fans! But stick with me, you’ll like where this story ends up.
Because once I got closer, I could really see the details. I spotted all manner of impressive intricacies, like the aerodynamic shape of the roof, the subtle integration of Z shapes in the grill (if you know, you know), the texture in the leather, the way the seat wrapped itself around you (yep, you bet I sat in it), and the upholstery stitching which was colour-matched to the bespoke paint colour.
And. The. Door. Handle. Fun fact: The AM door handle is super unique, and opening it is known as the Aston Martin ‘handshake’. It’s basically magic.
Then, of course, there’s the service that goes along with buying it. I mean, a photographer is involved for a start! It’s nothing like buying a car from your local garage.
And that’s before you even consider that the car is made entirely by human hands.
So yep, after seeing it close-up, I absolutely appreciate what makes an Aston Martin so special. And I admit: It’s totally worth the price tag.
Trust me: It’s more than swish marketing and a spicy price.
This slow realisation is the same one my couples come to when I show them a professional wedding album.
But what makes a professional wedding album so special? (And well worth the investment?!)
The difference is in the:
Quality
Not only is the difference in paper quality like light and day, but my albums use fine art paper that’s been specially crafted to last hundreds of years. This isn’t an exaggeration, btw! Meanwhile, your online-bought album will be lucky to last more than ten years before it discolours.
Another consideration? Ink. Most online printers use dye-based ink to ‘stain’ the paper which will bleach over time. Whereas your pro wedding album will be printed with premium pigmented inks. In case you’re wondering whether that matters, think about the oil paintings you see in museums. Those babies were created with pigment ink!
So, you can trust your wedding album will be a high-quality masterpiece.
Expertise
Crafting an heirloom-worthy wedding album involves so much more than popping photos on a page. An eye for story-telling design plays an important role in creating an album that flows effortlessly so you can relive your day. But it’s not easy to create an album from a blank page. Which is why I’ve invested in my design skills to master the art of matching the look and feel of your album to the look and feel of your photos. Spoiler alert: It involves painstaking detail and … a calculator. (More on that another time!)
Convenience
“We’ll sort out our wedding album once we’re back from the honeymoon.” – Said every couple who never actually got around to creating their own wedding album. Seriously. Designing your wedding album is a feat. The design alone can take several days – if you’re speedy! And mastering all the tiny but no less significant specifications and decisions along the way can be overwhelming. It’s a whole thing, and easy to make expensive mistakes. So, yep, it’s no wonder it’s rare for a couple to get around to doing their own album. In fact, many couples admit defeat and come back to me a few years later. So why not save yourself the years of thinking about it, do it now, and start enjoying your photos?
Basically?
A pro wedding album is nothing like buying a cheap coffee table book online from a site with drag-and-drop templates. *shudders at the thought*
Professional wedding albums are beautifully bespoke. They’re the Aston Martin experience in album form – with a slightly more wallet-friendly price tag. And just like you can’t truly discern the Aston Martin difference until you’re up close and personal with it, you really need to hold and leaf through a high-quality wedding album to appreciate how special they are.
And since wedding albums are literally designed to be touched and loved up close, you’ll definitely notice the difference.
TL; DR? If you prefer quality and bespoke gorgeousness over a cheap and short-lived album that’s potentially stressful to produce, then yep, a professional wedding album is TOTALLY worth it.