I remember exactly how I felt when I received the email letting me know my wedding photographs were ready.  Pure excitement bubbled up inside me as I flipped open my laptop and clicked on the link to my personal gallery as fast as humanly possible!  As I poured over the hundreds of images from my wedding, a huge smile spread across my face as I relived all the beautiful and emotional moments from the day I married my best friend.  I knew right then that I wanted to pull the photographs off the screen and put them into a story book that I could proudly show to all of my family and friends.  Thank goodness I had purchased a wedding album!

I remember loving SO MANY of my wedding pictures and wondering how I would ever narrow down my favorites for such an important heirloom!  I believe a lot of my couples feel the same way as this is one of the most frequently asked questions after their wedding day .  To help with this important process, I have created a blueprint on HOW TO DESIGN YOUR WEDDING ALBUM!

THE DESIGN BLUEPRINT

Step 1: Choose Your Cover Color

The color of your album is the first thing you will decide!  Do you want to go with a traditional brown or black, or choose one of the fun colors from your wedding, like bright teal or soft lilac!  There is no right or wrong, just make sure to pick something that represents YOU!

Step 2: Choose Your Cover Photo

The cover photo should be your favorite portrait of you and your sweetheart on your wedding day.  🙂

Step 3: Choose Your Design Path

Path 1: Photographer’s Choice- A Fresh + Clean Look

I loooove designing albums!  In fact, I photograph the details and portraits on your wedding day with your album in mind, looking for consistent colors and light.  If you like, I can choose the photographs for your album, picking images that will tell the story of your wedding in the most beautiful way.  To make sure your favorites are included, I will ask you to pick out your top 10 images, selecting only couple portraits and family portraits.  This ensures the most important photos are included, while leaving me the artistic freedom to tell the story of your gorgeous day with a fresh, clean design.

Path 2: Couples Choice- All Your Memories

You know your favorite photographs from your wedding and can’t wait to see them in your album.  GREAT!  From your personal gallery, please star 60-80 of your favorite photographs.  I will design a pretty album with the pictures you have chosen, telling your story in a cohesive way.  Remember, you will want to include images from ALL the important moments on your day.  Need some suggestions?  This is a great guideline to follow when selecting your images:

PHOTO PICKING GUIDELINE

Step 4: Review Your Album

Whether you choose path one or path two, you will have the final approval on your album design!  Once your design is ready, I will send you a slideshow of your pretty pages.  Review your wedding album together, and make sure you both COMPLETELY LOVE IT!  If you want to change out any of the photographs, this is the time to do it before going to print.

Step 5: Final Approval

You LOVE everything about your album!  Send me an email letting me know it receives your stamp of approval and I will send it off to be printed.  Once your album is ordered, no additional changes can be made.  The only thing left to do…jump up and down when your pretty package arrives at your front door!

I hope these album design suggestions have helped!  If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me through email at amy@amyrizzutophotography.com, or leave your comment in the box below.  Have a wonderful day!

Abby woke up early on January 19, 2013.  It was 5:30 a.m. and her alarm hadn’t even gone off yet.  Excitement bubbled up in her heart as she realized the day was finally here, the day she would marry Max.

Max waited for his bride at the end of the aisle in uniform.  A recent graduate from West Point University, Max was so ready to marry Abby.  For the last few years, she had always been by his side, always supported him.  Max’s heart was filled with so much love for Abby, and he couldn’t wait to see her walk down the aisle on their wedding day.

Warm, golden light streamed through the stained glass doors as they swung open.  Standing at the church entrance was Abby, lit from head to toe by a soft halo from the sun.  With a gorgeous lace dress and unforgettable look of hope and excitement on her face, Abby walked down the aisle towards her future husband.  Max’s eyes lit up when he saw her.  In all their years together, he had never seen Abby look so beautiful.  Max reached out his hand for hers, whispering a silent “I love you” to his bride.  Blinking away tiny tears of happiness, Abby whispered it back.  Feeling completely overwhelmed, she realized the moment was here, the moment she could finally say “I do” to the man of her dreams.

Abby and Max, I am so honored you chose me to be a part of your incredible wedding day!  Witnessing your joy and sincere love for each other brought me more happiness than I can explain.  I hope you are having a great time on your honeymoon!  If you get a chance between relaxing on the beach and dining in style at sunset, check out a few of my favorites from your wedding day below!

Abby had her hair and make-up done with all of her bridesmaids before the wedding!  They had fun getting pampered at the Glen Goldbaum Salon in Red Bank, NJ.

After getting back from the salon, Abby and her girls toasted to a fabulous day with pretty flutes of champagne.

Abby couldn’t help but tear up as she read Max’s heartfelt letter explaining how excited he was to marry her.

Lace from her mother’s wedding dress was wrapped delicately around Abby’s bouquet!

Abby’s bridesmaids cheered with excitement as she brought out her beautiful wedding dress!

SO LOVELY!

While I was with the girls, Mekina was capturing Max placing the final touches on his uniform!

LOVE the engraving inside Max’s wedding band.

Abby’s dad supported his glowing daughter in their walk down the aisle!

This might be my favorite moment of the entire wedding day, when Max saw Abby for the first time!

Abby and Max held a traditional communion during their ceremony.  I really like how the entire wedding party came up to the table to participate first.

Officially husband and wife!

When Abby and Max opened the church door, the most gorgeous sunlight EVER greeted them!

They then proceeded to march through the Arch of the Sabers!

LOVE.

Abby and Max couldn’t have asked for a better wedding party!  Seriously, how fun are they?!

Abby, you are so STUNNING!!!

You might remember this pretty dock from Abby and Max’s engagement photos the week before.

There is just something so romantic about this shot of Abby and Max.  It almost looks like they are running towards their future together!

Before the reception began, Abby and Max enjoyed a private dance under the stars at the Molly Pitcher Inn.

Abby and Max enjoyed their official first dance to “God Gave Me You” by Blake Shelton.

Abby’s father, older sister, and Max’s older brother gave incredible toasts!

Then…the party really began!

A little limbo was involved…

…followed by a few sweet country slow dances.

Abby and Max cut their cake with a saber…

…right before their friends and family lifted them in the air for the infamous wedding song Shout!

At the end of the evening, Abby and Max headed out on the dock for a moment alone, and one last pretty photograph!  Want to see more of  this sweet couple?  Check out their wedding day slideshow on their personal wedding website today!  Or, view their wedding day highlight film below.

Abby & Max | Wedding Highlights | The Molly Pitcher Inn | Red Bank, NJ | 1.19.2013 from Majestic Creative.

Abby and Max, thank you again for everything!  I wish you both immense happiness in the many years to come!

The sun is shining, I am sipping on my favorite gingerbread latte, and even though it is cold outside, this is a FABULOUS morning!  This morning at 8 a.m. I received the most exciting news…EVER.  In my inbox, in all capitals, popped up a sentence that literally had me jumping up and down with joy.  CONGRATULATIONS!  YOU ARE A 2013 WINNER OF THE KNOT BEST OF WEDDINGS!  More exciting than receiving the Best of Weddings is knowing how I earned this highly respected award. Winners are chosen based on the reviews of real brides and grooms in the area, and I am honored to say I have the BEST COUPLES EVER!

To all of my sweet couples who have taken the time to share your experience with me, thank you.  Truly, your love and support means so much.  Thank you for your trust, for being my biggest cheerleaders, and for giving me the opportunity to do what I love everyday.  YOU ARE AWESOME!

To check out my pretty new badge in person, visit my profile on The Knot here.  Have a wonderful day!

It was April, 2009 when Rachel and Stephen first crossed paths.  Their spot…Maxwells, a historical music club in Hoboken, NJ. Stephen was rocking out on his bass when Rachel walked in, making her way up front of the stage.  With her pretty dress and contagious smile, Stephen couldn’t take his eyes off her.  Rachel noticed Stephen too.  His tight blue t-shirt and carefree energy caught her attention and when Stephen made his way over to her after the show, Rachel stayed to hear what he had to say.  Stephen was smooth, complimenting her on her dress, and striking up a fun conversation.  Pretty soon Rachel and Stephen were spending everyday together.  Their relationship grew and before they knew it, Rachel and Stephen were making each other snort when they laugh, solving arguments with tickle fights, and completely loving each other for exactly who they are.

On September 29th, Rachel and Stephen tied the knot in an adorable ceremony in front of all of their family and friends!  Afterwards, they invited everyone to join them at the Wildwood Arboretum where they strolled through the beautiful gardens, played lawn games like horseshoes and bocce ball, and indulged in sweet treats from their amazing candy bar.  Mekina and I had the honor of capturing this beautiful wedding; and I can’t wait to share all the gorgeous details!  Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy Rachel and Stephen’s full post.

Rachel’s details perfectly complimented her gorgeous one shoulder dress.  She actually made the belt herself!

Such a beautiful bride!

Rachel and Stephen got married in a gorgeous church with incredible stained glass windows.

A big thanks to the bridal party for being so amazing!

Rachel and Stephen held their outdoor tented reception at the Wildwood Arboretum.  The gardens here were incredibly beautiful!

Stephen is a HUGE comic book fan.  Each groomsman wore a different super hero for his boutonniere.

Many of the reception details were collected to create a very homey feel.  I LOVE these burlap table runners made by Rachel and Stephen.

Rachel and Stephen are too cute together!  They could be seen shooting adoring glances to each other all day.

Rachel’s mom collected over 150 unique china plates for guests to enjoy their dinner from!  I loved seeing the pretty differences between each individual one.

Rachel and Stephen decided to have a photobooth through me as a part of their package!  See fun photos of the guests enjoying it here.  A big thanks to Jackie Patton of Jacqueline Patton Photography for running the photobooth for the evening!

Guests also enjoyed filling out hilarious mad libs about the couple!

During portrait time, Rachel and Stephen enjoyed playing hide and seek!  I love the fun pictures that resulted from this spontaneous game.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the sign Rachel!

Instead of dancing, Rachel, Stephen and their guests enjoyed playing a variety of lawn games!  Everyone had a blast!

Congratulations again Rachel and Stephen!  Your fall wedding was absolutely gorgeous and so much fun!  I wish you all the happiness in the world as you embark on this new journey together!

When they boarded that international flight many years ago, neither Samantha or Nico knew how much their lives were about to change.  Nico was placing his bag in the overhead compartment when he realized, to his luck, he was seated next to Samantha.  Drawn in by her infectious smile and warm personality, Nico struck up a conversation.  The plane took off and landed, and before they knew it, Samantha and Nico had been talking the entire ride!  They stayed in touch, and it was only a matter of time before Samantha found herself living in Chile, working as a teacher, and engaged to Nico!  The were married in the beautiful country one year ago and both agree that last year was one of the best years of their lives!

On January 5, 2013, Samantha and Nico recommitted their lives to each other in a beautiful ceremony at Samantha’s home church.  Afterwards, friends and family danced the night away at an incredible reception at Frank’s Waterside in North Bergen, NJ.  Standing on the dance floor photographing Nico twirling a laughing Samantha around in his arms, I found tears of happiness springing their way to my eyes.  In front of me were two carefree souls, madly in love, and just enjoying life together.

Samantha and Nico, thank you for giving me the honor of capturing your amazing wedding!  Mekina and I had a great time with you and wish you so much happiness in the many years to come.  I hope you are having a blast on your honeymoon in Jamaica!  Enjoy a few of my favorite photos from your gorgeous wedding day below.

Samantha slipped on the same beautiful dress she wore on her first wedding to Nico one year ago.

Samantha’s mom, sister, and best friends since kindergarden helped her get ready!

Samantha’s mom, Stephanie, is an AMAZING florist at Floral Expressions.  She did all the flowers for her daughter’s wedding.

The happy groom!

Since Samantha and Nico were already married, we were able to get some sweet photographs of them relaxing before the festivities of the day began.

LOVE.

Before the ceremony, we headed down to my favorite park in Hoboken to get some adorable pictures of Samantha and Nico.  How great are these yellow balloons they brought along?!

Samantha and Nico were married in Samantha’s home church.  Their ceremony was beautiful!

Afterwards, we headed down to the Waterside for a fabulous reception with even more fabulous views of Manhattan!

Great job on the flowers Stephanie!  They really did look incredible!

Britainy, Samantha’s sister, gave such a heartfelt speech.  By the end of it, she had the whole room in tears!

I can’t even begin to describe this dance party to you!  All I can say is it was epic.

Samantha and Nico spent the evening spinning around the dance floor in each other’s arms.  The love they have for each other could be felt by everyone around them.

Samantha and Nico, thank you again for allowing me to capture your beautiful wedding day.  It was a true honor!  I wish you both the best of luck in your lives together!  Here’s to laughing everyday, beginning each morning and ending each night with I love you…and to living happily ever after.