Did you purchase an album from the photographer?

Nope. I made a free one on shutterfly for now. I will have a nicer one made later but the shutterfly one didn't come out too bad. I found the albums with the photographer were just too expensive.

No, it's a waste of money. I'll be doing it a whole hell of a lot cheaper through shutterfly.

I would not purchase one for that amount from a photographer. You can make a very good quality one from Shutterfly or like sources for a way lesser amount. That's crazy expensive if you ask me.

Through my photographer, my album will cost only ~$150, so I figured I'd get it. One of my friends got married a couple of years ago and she said it took her forever to get around to finishing the album she was going to make herself, and said she wished that she had just bought one. I think it depends on how much time you want to commit to doing it yourself and if you can afford the one from your photographer. Personally, $500 - $700 seems super expensive to me, so you might be better off making your own!

Definitely going with photographer quality and getting the album through them.

I mentioned this in another thread, but sometimes when you are given the rights to a photo, upload them on to another site (ie. shutterfly), and make your own, they do not turn out as great.

I'm not saying that pp albums turned out badly, but an album is something I find worth splurging on. Our photog has albums that range from $300-$1,200+. We will probably be in the $800 range for ours. Photos are something that I believe I will want good quality out of for my wedding day/

We did not. It is not included in our package. I think our photographer said it was something like $2k for their albums because they get printed in Italy, or something crazy like that. He said most people opt to make their own albums as we get a disc with all the images anyway.

I agree, that price seems crazy expensive... but the average photographer here charges about $4K just for the day (no album/prints included), so I'm already blown away at how expensive things are. I wasn't sure if others were experiencing the same. So sad that it seems like the minute you mention wedding, everything gets 5X more expensive

YES! That disk or flash drive will be buried in a drawer somewhere and when you want to share your memories in 30-35 years with your grandkids the tech will be obsolete. An album is forever and professional one will last a lifetime or two. A cheap DIY one will not hold up overtime.

I've seen this happen with my own eyes.

Nope we decided we can make our own for a lot cheaper since there are so many companies out there: Adoramapix, Shutterfly, Photobook Canada, etc.

We've looked into the leather-bound, flush mount, layflat albums with thicker pages that Adoramapix and Photobook Canada offers. They're significantly cheaper even with shipping cost. We've read a lot of reviews and they seem to be a great alternative.

Has anyone actually gotten back an album from Shutterfly (or one of the other sites) and been happy with the overall quality? I've used them for photobooks in the past (for vacations, etc) and wondering if the print quality is the same for the wedding albums

I think they're way too expensive from the photographer.

I definitely wanted our photographer to do our album so I got it included in our package.

Yeah no, I will not be buying from my photographer. Too expensive.

We don't have a bridal party and we are not doing a first dance. We are not doing a bouquet toss or a garter removal either. With us not doing a lot my photographer isn't for sure if she will even get the 75 pictures that are required for a album. She offered packages and they all had albums so she designed a package for us. So it depends on your wedding anf what you really want. I actually didn't want an album anyway.

I'm paying 1600 for an album from my photographer. I know most people will say it's too much to spend, but to me, the photos are so important and I want something I know is going to be amazing and last a lifetime

I'm also paying 1600 for ours. Only because it was in the contract that we had to purchase one from them and that's the cheapest one. It better be awesome lol

We won a $500 credit from our photographer at a wedding show, so they are applying that toward an album. It is very important to FH and I that we have an album, so we would have paid it anyway. I know some friends who have ordered an album from their photographer on their 1st anniversary to save money.

Wow @Kimberly and @Nicolio ... $1600 Just for the album? I guess $500 doesn't seem so bad now. Do you mind if I ask what the total photography package is?

Although costly, I think that sounds like a great price for a high quality album. Ask your photographer for details about how it's made. When I used to sell wedding albums at a photography studio, we wouldn't have turned a profit on that price. The shutterfly books and professional albums don't even compare. If you want something to look great and last, invest in an album.

That seems about on-par for albums purchased through a photographer. Ask your photographer if you can see a sample album to see the quality. From what I gather, photographers have access to awesome "album makers" (for lack of a better word) that can provide a beautiful keepsake that is delicate, but durable. Shutterfly is an option too, but the quality is not going to be anywhere near what you'd get with a professional.