Being engaged is one of the most exciting times of your life. You are about to make one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) commitments of your life and there is much to plan for the big day when you say "I DO!"

There are thousands of decisions that need to be made as you make your way towards the journey of covenant. Where? When? How? How much? Who will be involved? Who will be invited? Who will we hire? The questions and answers and decisions go on and on and on.

For many engaged couples these countless decisions are fun and exciting and for others they can be taxing and a total drag. Either way it's a LOT to process in a relatively short period of time and gives you as an engaged couple a chance to really "practice" what it's like to make decisions as a team!

One of the many many decisions that you will likely have to face as an engaged couple is whether or not to invest in a wedding album. Although it may seem like a relatively small or inconsequential decision in the moment, in the long run, it's one of the most important decisions you will make before the big day!

Should I invest in a Wedding Album? | Cinnamon Wolfe Photography | North New Jersey Wedding Photographer

When we got married, Paul and I chose not to get an album for a couple of reasons.

Our photographer didn't offer them!
I was getting the digital images from my wedding, so I figured I would just make my own.

Now, almost five years (FIVE YEARS GUYS!!!) later I have a totally different perspective about that choice...not only from the lens of a married couple who loves remembering everything about that FIRST day, but also as a photographer who recognizes the importance of the images themselves, the story that they tell and the tangibility of the product.

3 reasons you should invest in a wedding album

1 // So you don't have to make it yourself

I do finally have a custom, heirloom wedding album now. Three and a half years after we got married, I finally got around to making one. AND I happen to REALLY enjoy album design and I know what I am doing.

If it took me that long to get one complete, imagine how long it might take you to get one made and on top of that...do you even know how to get a high quality album that won't deteriorate in time? What about paper quality? Lay-flat? Flush mount? Center cut or crease? Will it get a red ink line down the center? How do you size your images? How do you even pick the images to go in the album?

Most high quality albums come from professional labs that only cater to photographers as well. You may be able to create one through Shutterfly or Target, but how will your image quality turn out? Will the paper fade in time? Will your kids or grandkids even get to see the album?

An investment is an investment because it is WORTH something. Your time is valuable as is the photographer's knowledge and expertise. Having your photographer do the work and hand you a beautiful product that is meant to last for generations is WORTH the investment to not have to deal with all of that on your own!

2 // Its a great way to see and touch the story of your day

I received over 1000 images from my wedding photographer, on a disc, organized into different folders from the day. While the day I received them (and a few days after) it was fun to to through everything, I quickly picked out around 100 images that were my absolute favorites, but the only way to see them was to crack open the computer and click, click, click my way through them.

If a friend came over, I couldn't hand them a beautiful leather album so that they could flip through the pages one by one to see our day and the events that took place.

There is so much beauty in being able to feel and touch something in this day and age of electronic gadgets and glowing screens. You may have many favorite images from the day, but it's not feasible to print all of them and wallpaper your house with them (no judgement if you have done that!) An album is the perfect way to house the beautiful start of your love story and you can keep it on the table or mantle and look at it whenever you want!

3 // For generations to come

Your story matters. Your legacy matters. The the two of your joining together and saying to each other, "I'm IN, no matter what!" MATTERS. Not only to the two of you, but to the legacy you are starting for generations to come. I have an album from my grandmother...its not a wedding album...but an album of her as a young girl and I cherish that album like it was gold. I don't have a wedding album from my parents but I wish I did. I wish I could see how their day transpired. Who was there and how they celebrated. All of that matters even in the busy and the hustle of everyday life. A wedding album is more than just deciding to invest a large sum of money into something pretty that you can show your friends, it's deciding that the two of you is the start of something amazing that will be celebrated and cherished for generations to come.