Our Wedding Album is part of our legacy.
At 22-years-old, I was newly married with an almost 1-year-old. In addition to getting set up in our first family home, we had this little human costing us a small fortune and a tonne of pre-marital debt; investing in a wedding album was the furthest thing from our minds!
I get it. Weddings are expensive.
When you're adding up all the expenses, it's hard not to pick apart different areas where you can save on cash.
We have two main 'packages'.. one is with an album, the other is without. That's literally the only difference.. and it's quite a large one, in terms of cost.
When John and I were married, we weren't offered an album. At the time, digital was big and everyone was receiving their images on CD (we were married at the end of the CD era, beginning of the USB drive era -- ancient; I know!). But as my love for photography grew, so did my appreciation for the 'art' and what having those photographs does for me and my family.
We're so in love with our current album company, Queensberry, that we invested in one of their absolutely stunning flushmount albums and splashed out on all the upgrades. Zero regrets.
This beautiful piece replaces our old album (which we passed on to loved ones!) and whilst it was an extravagant purchase, we see it as an investment in memories that will last through generations.
Here are 5 things we get to experience, because we have
a Wedding Album!
1. We get to relive a moment in time which flew by so quickly, that it all felt like a blur.
From start to finish, our wedding day preparation and celebrations lasted approximately fifteen hours. The fastest fifteen hours either of us have ever experienced! To be able to pull it out and relive that morning with my best friends as we got ready, or how I whispered to Dad as he walked me down the aisle, "Don't let me fall!".. or celebrating with the most friends and family we will ever have in one room.. we cherish that!
2. Our kids get to live those memories with us.
Our daughter wasn't quite one and our boys weren't even born yet. Being able to turn each page of our wedding album and have the kids recognise family members and friends; to be able to show them the different pieces of our day and tell them stories of the huge spider in the bridal suite, or how their Momma was dead on time to the ceremony that guests were running from the carpark to their seats as I walked down the aisle; those are the moments I am so fortunate I get to experience with my children and, one day, with their children.
3. Our wedding album always makes it's way out when we have friends and family over who were guests at our wedding.
In saying that, sometimes it comes out when we have friends over who weren't at the wedding either! But it's really special when we have people over for dinner who came to our wedding. We've finished cleaning up after dinner, the kids are tucked up in bed, and we're sippin' on wine and talking about the good old days.. queue the wedding album! Sometimes the memories are hilarious, sometimes they're beautiful, sometimes they're both.
4. When life gets crazy, we have an entire photo album to remind us of what's truly important.
Life can become stressful for a number of reasons. Sometimes it's not a bad stress; it's just life! It may be busy schedules, long work hours, or raising a family, among other things, and sometimes we just forget to remember why we do it. When life becomes overwhelming, I get to pour myself a glass of wine, or make a cuppa, and curl up with our wedding album. It serves as a life-long reminder of where our family started and how fortunate we are to have the support of each other through all this craziness.
5. It's a tangible heirloom.
They're called 'Legacy Albums' for a reason; they're part of the legacy we leave for our loved ones. In addition to being a legacy for our children, our wedding album becomes a family heirloom; something that can be passed down through the generations.
It's tangible. We can hold it in our hands and feel it's value in each beautifully crafted page.
Being a part of creating a gallery of memories for our couples is one thing; being able to build a legacy for them is something I will always be proud of.
Erin Michele Thomson ∙ Tauranga Photographer ∙ info@erinmichele.co.nz
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