"What the hell am I going to do with all this wedding-planning-free time?" (was that another made-up word? Or just a ridiculous use of hyphens?).
Fear not, dear reader, for the fun is just beginning!
Depending on your photographer, you will start getting your wedding-day images back within a matter of weeks or months. In the past, brides were given a "proof book" with which to look through and select a number of photos to be retouched and placed into an album. While this still happens, a more-modern approach has been for photographers to put together a cd of the images (often as part of the package price), which the bride & groom then use as they desire. Currently, many photographers have also begun to offer the additional service of putting together wedding day coffee table books as opposed to the clunky, oversized photo albums of yesteryear.
Professional in appearance, sleek and ridiculously stylish, these books can sit non-chalantly out on display for all to see. The one issue many brides & grooms have with them, however -- price. These babies can cost a small fortune, which isn't what one often wants to be doing once they calculate the "actual" cost of their wedding ("We spent HOW much on table linens?")
Enter the newest trend in post-wedding purchases: self-published coffee table books. Sounds tricky? It isn't.
My Publisher,
Shutterfly,
Picaboo,
Blacks, and
Blurb are just a few of the companies offering this service, though these five names are regularily noted by brides as being of highest-quality and most-trustworthy. Prices tend to start around $25 for 20 pages, and can go up from there. As the owner of three (thats right, THREE. With more to come. Its like a sickness) self-published photobooks, I'm regularily surprised that more people aren't aware of this incredible resource.
Regardless of who you go through, self-published coffee table books are a breeze to make. Honest! There is no need for fancy software or design experience either. Essentially, you either download a free (and SAFE) program onto your computer, or do your work on the company's website (depends who you use). Download your desired images to said program, drag & drop them into place with the help of pre-formatted templates, click "publish", and voila! Next stop, coffeebook-table-ville (I think I should start calling this post "Making Hyphens Last: A Casestudy").
My original three books were published through
My Publisher (see photo above; engagement book, destination wedding book, and at-home reception book), and I was more than impressed with the ease of program use, delivery time, and quality of the finished product. The method used for printing is touted to be the same as professional photobooks, and with that I have no argument. The pics came out smashingly crisp and clear, with lustrous colour and thick pages. Truly, a fabulous find.
I am now addicted to creating these little "books by me", and plan on testing out a different company,
Blurb, to publish my
SouthEast Asia holiday pics. The big appeal I have to this one is the fact that you can not only publish your books through
Blurb, but you can also
sell them. Yes, SELL them! This little company has its own on-line bookstore where its users can post and sell their creations -- at NO charge to the "author"! Crazy goodness! As a semi-regular blogger (apologies all around, as usual), I am also intrigued by the option of transferring my entire blog into book format --
Blurb offers a program that makes this not only possible, but easy. Of course, having not yet reached my desired level of blogging-superstardom (YET being the key word. YET), I may have to hold off on that one for a bit. :) Once I complete my book creation and receive my order, I'll make sure to post an updated review about
Blurb's service, though if all the research I've done stands correct, it should be incredible!
Ladies, keep this post in mind over the next few months as you plan your wedding. While these photobooks are a decidedly divine way to showcase your wedding pics, they can be used in so many other ways, too. How about putting together a small book with photos of the two of you and using it as a guestbook at your reception? Or hunting down old photos of your parents and creating a book to celebrate their upcoming anniversary? I promise, once you make your first book, your mind will begin to swim with the possibilities. Happy creating!
*photo taken by Andra Coulter*
Awwwww .... the fabulous Molly over at The Winning Pitch has recently highlighted my little bloggie as one of her favorite wedding blogs -- plus she had some kind words to boot! Thanks so much Molly, and congrats on your recent engagement. Hopefully we'll see your face around here more often!
