How to Pick Photos for Your Wedding Album

You might have gotten your proofs back, taken one look at them, and found yourself wondering how you'll ever narrow things down and pick the photos for your wedding album. (If your photographer does not offer this service for you.) It can be overwhelming, especially if you like nearly all of them! (Which is the ideal "problem" to have...)

The first step is to take a few days and just enjoy looking at them. You'll probably notice that there are certain photos that just make you stop and catch your breath every time. The photos that evoke an emotional response in you should be at the top of your list, even if they may not be technically perfect. Start by setting those aside, because you'll almost certainly want those in your album.

You'll want to decide ahead of time how many photos you'd like in the album total so that you can have a general goal in mind as you sort. Depending on the type of album you choose, this could be anywhere from 20-80 photos. Many people have between 40-60. (And remember, you can always put any photos you don't want for your wedding album into a proof album, so it's not like you won't still be able to take a look at them anytime you want to see them.)

Next, when you have some spare time go through and sort all of the photos by category or by timeline. Put all the getting-ready photos in one pile, the ceremony shots in another, and the formals and reception photos in their own large piles. Then tackle one pile at a time.

For each pile of photos, place all of the similar photos within that group together. For example, you might have 20 shots of the bridesmaids, 20 of the groomsmen, 20 of you two, and 5-10 of each of you individually. Or you might have 10 of the cake cutting, 2 of the bouquet toss, 5 toasting, 2 garter toss, and 20 of people dancing. Once you have them narrowed down, eliminate any that have obvious flaws, such as people with their eyes closed or an undesirable expression. From the remainder, choose the best 2-3 from each mini-group. Again, those that evoke an emotional response are best. Doublecheck to make sure that everyone in the photos you've selected has a nice expression. Repeat until you've gone through all the photos.

Following these steps should bring you down to a managable number of photos fairly quickly. From there you can give your selections to your photographer for album design, indicating the ones you like best for possible enlargements. You can also follow these steps to narrow your photos down for inclusion in a scrapbook. Regardless, you're sure to have a beautiful book full of memories.

© 2004-2008 Jacqueline L. Beck. All rights reserved.