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5 Golden Rules For
Designing A Wedding Photo Album

These are the rules I follow when I design a bespoke wedding photo album.

(Click on each picture to open a larger version in a new window)

1. Face Inwards

Photos of people should always be positioned so they're facing into the middle of the album. So if someone's looking to the right, the photo should be on the left hand page. If they're looking left, it should be on the right hand page.

It looks odd if people are looking 'off-page', because the desired result of a wedding album is...

2. Symmetry

A wedding photo album should be calm and balanced and the page layouts* should be symmetrical. This doesn't mean that each layout has to be exactly the same, just balanced and pleasing on the eye.

(* A page layout is a double page spread within an album)

3. Variety

Vary the size, shape and number of photos per page. Lots of small images (e.g.3"x2") arranged uniformly on a page will create a busy, 'lots going on' feel - great for the pre-ceremony or post-ceremony sections.

One or two images per page is more suitable for shots of the bride and groom on their own as it's more calming, peaceful and romantic.

This will be a lot easier if you're creating your own digital wedding album with an online service like Blurb or Snapfish, than if you're designing an album with prints.

4. Organise

Divide wedding pictures into sections, like I did in my Sample Wedding Photos section. Then, confine each section to either one or two whole page layouts.

This creates a feeling of movement and progression in an album. Each time a reader turns the page, they'll see a new part of the wedding day. Try not to start a new section half way through a page layout (i.e. on a right hand page). Keep the reader anticipating what's going to be on the next page.