Designing Your Wedding Album

All of the pictures you love from your wedding can be compiled and showcased in a gorgeous album that you will enjoy for years to come. The following FAQs will help to guide you through the process; however, if you have any questions that are not answered below, contact our helpful creative services team at creativeservices@bellapictures.com.

When should we begin working on our wedding album?

We recommend that you wait at least four to six weeks after your wedding to begin work on your album. Here's why:

Take time to familiarize yourself with your wedding photographs. The sheer quantity can be overwhelming at first, but with time, you'll identify your favorites. Review your images several times before commencing the album process, as your initial ideas about which pictures are your favorites will likely change. Every time you look at your wedding photos, you will probably discover something new.
Order some prints. There is a big difference between looking at photos on a computer screen and holding prints in your hand. Your prints will help you to identify the images that you want to feature as large pictures in your album or as the cameo on the front cover.
Most newlyweds are going through a period of readjustment after their wedding. Waiting a few weeks will give you time to deal with any travel plans, moving arrangements, etc. Once you are ready to begin creating your perfect album with us, we are here to help!

How should we get started?

Once you've identified your favorite images, complete and submit a wedding album input form to get the design process started. Please complete the document to the best of your ability, and specify your favorite images for inclusion in the album. Doing so will help our expert designers to create the album that best tells your story.

After you submit the input form, we will send you an e-mail confirming that we have received your album preferences. A member from our creative services team will work closely with you to make sure that your album is everything you want it to be.

What other choices do I need to make for my album?

Your album should be a unique expression of your style, and you'll have a great deal of control over the appearance of the finished album. You should specify your choice of:

Cover color
Cameo (inset photo on the cover)
Cover imprinting
Page edge gilding

You'll indicate your preferences for these items on the album input form. You are free to change your mind about any of these selections until your final sign off. If you need to change a selection, please contact our creative services team.

How long will this process take?

The precise length of time between starting on your album and reaching the final layout depends mostly on how many rounds of revisions your layout goes through. The typical album with one or two revisions takes about twelve to sixteen weeks.

Here's how the process works:

After you submit your album input form and receive the confirmation e-mail, it takes approximately one week for your wedding photos to be retrieved from our secure archives, and approximately three to four additional weeks to create your first draft.

The draft layout is then posted online for your review in a private area. You will be e-mailed a link to the draft. You can take as much time as you need to review the draft layout. During your review, you should compile a list of change requests for the designer. Your designer will then incorporate your requests to the greatest extent possible in one or more subsequent drafts.

The turnaround time for most draft revisions is two weeks, depending on the extent of the changes requested. Most albums are completed in one revision, some take two. When you've approved the final layout, your album goes to production. It will be delivered to you approximately eight weeks after we receive your final approval.

What costs are involved?

There are no hidden costs involved. The only time additional costs are incurred is if you add something to your album that is over and above what was included in your package. For example, if you decide to upgrade to a larger size album, or add additional pages beyond the number included in your package, additional costs will be assessed. We also reserve the right to charge a revision fee for each draft layout after the second revision.

Wedding Album Ordering Guide

The following guide will walk you through the wedding album input form, which is the starting point for ordering your wedding album. The information entered into the form helps us make sure that your album reflects your style and aesthetic preferences, so please complete the form as thoroughly as possible.

Please consider your choices carefully. You will have opportunity to request up to two draft revisions of your album during the design process at no additional charge.

Contact information

Your contact and shipping info is very important. We want to ship the album to the proper address. If delivery services will not leave packages at your home without your signature during the day, consider having your album shipped to your place of work.

Wedding information

Please provide the bride's and groom's names at the time of the wedding and the wedding date so we can retrieve the correct photographs from our secure archives and start working on your album without delay.

Design details

Photo emphasis

In the photo emphasis section of the form, you'll indicate your preference for the type of images that you want included in your album. You have two options for photo emphasis: storytelling and portraits. Storytelling albums mix of candid photos and portraits in an effort to convey the story of the day by showing emotions and details. Storytelling albums have gained popularity in recent years. Portrait albums appeal to people who prefer a more traditional album with mostly portraits and group photos.

Design template preference
The layout of your album is very important in creating just the right look. Possible styles are:

Simple
Magazine
Contemporary
Artistic

Background preference
In the background preference section of the form, you'll indicate what colors you want surrounding any flush-mount pages. You'll have the choice of dark or light backgrounds or a mix of the two. You can also choose to use photos as backgrounds.

White, ivory or other lighter colors can help create a more traditional look, or a crisp magazine-style layout. Black and darker tones suggest a more contemporary style. Photo backgrounds can give your album a feeling of depth and elegance.

Metallic edge gilding
Some albums offer hand-gilded edges. Gilding is offered in a selection of black, silver, gold or white. If you'd rather not have gilded edges, then choose either black or white to match your background preference.

Cover cameo photo
A cameo is a photo inset into the cover of your album. It is optional, but can be done at no additional cost on some albums. The cameo can be a photo that is already in your book, or a completely different one. The cameo sizes available will vary with the size of your album. They available sizes are indicated on the album input form. The best choice is usually a photo that is a close-up portrait of the bride and groom. The cameo can be color or black and white, but we find that black and white looks especially good, particularly with a black cover.

Photo selections
For design purposes, we plan your album in separate parts, as follows:

First Page	The first page of your album sets the opening for the story of your wedding day told in pictures. Most couples opt for a beautiful photo of the bride and groom.
Part One	This part of the book includes pictures of the preparations and last-minute behind the scenes activities. These can be some of the most spontaneous and memorable moments of your wedding day. Alternatively, if your wedding was a Multi-Day Event, you can start with images from the first day of your wedding celebration. For example, if we shot your rehearsal dinner, your album can start with those images.
Part Two	This section usually showcases your wedding ceremony, the most important part of your day.
Part Three	No wedding is complete without a celebration, and this part of the book usually features photos of you and your guests enjoying your reception.
Part Four	It used to be that formal portraits were what people thought of when they heard the words "wedding photography." Things have changed, but most couples still like to include some must-have portraits in their wedding album.
Final Page	Your wedding day marks a new beginning in your life - a book whose last chapter is never finished. Your wedding album should draw to a close with a look forward to your new life together.

General tips
The number of photos used on each page of your album will vary based on the style of the album selected. To achieve the best possible results, it is important to give your designer many options to choose from. Please make certain you include the Section, Roll and Frame number of each picture.

Cover inscription
Cover inscriptions are a popular option for further personalizing your album. Most couples print their first names on one line and their wedding date on the second line. Here's an example:
wedding albums by Bella Pictures
Peter and Megan
November 14, 2006

If you choose to include an inscription, you have the option of only using one line. Sometimes couples prefer to have the inscription say something like "Our Wedding" or "Our Wedding Day" imprinted.

Unless you specify otherwise in the provided comments box, we will always use the word "and" between your names and we will always convert the date to the traditional format of "November 14, 2006".

We recommend that you choose the imprinting color that matches your edge gilding. The notable exception would be if you choose edge gilding that matches your cover color. In such a case, you will want to choose a contrasting imprint color. For example, if you choose black edge gilding with a black cover, you would want to select silver, gold or white cover imprinting.

When you are sure your form is completed accurately and completely, simply click the submit button, and it will be sent directly to our creative services team.

If you have any questions, please contact: creativeservices@bellapictures.com.