A St. Louis wedding might include the Gateway Arch, historic neighborhoods, brick churches and a big family gathering. Afterward, you will want to hold the day in your hands. This guide helps St. Louis couples decide between a wedding album, a magazine or both.
Two keepsakes, two jobs
The wedding album is a large-format book designed online with up to 40 spreads. It comes in 12x24, 16x24, 15x30 and 20x30 inch sizes, in classic or lay-flat binding. Lay-flat pages open completely flat so photographs can run across both pages.
The wedding magazine is a 20-page, 8.5x11 inch editorial piece in your choice of 15 original styles. At $70 it is a lighter, easy-to-share option that reads like a feature story about your wedding.
Neither is a lesser choice. They are designed differently, with the magazine laid out like an editorial feature and the album built around large, immersive spreads.
How to decide
Choose the album if you want a thorough, chronological account of the whole day, from getting ready to the final dance. Choose the magazine if you want a quick, shareable story, or if your budget calls for something simpler.
You can have both. An album starts at $240 with 15 spreads and a photo cover, and magazines are $70 each, so you can keep one big book at home and send magazines to parents, siblings and friends.
If you are unsure, start by listing who would look at it and how often. Frequent, casual browsing suggests a magazine; occasional, careful viewing suggests an album.
Choosing images from a big-city wedding
St. Louis couples often photograph around recognizable places: the Arch and riverfront, grand parks, historic brick neighborhoods, churches and the city's many family-friendly venues. Use one or two of these as visual anchors, and make sure you also include the personal moments that happen anywhere.
Look for balance: some wide frames, some medium, some close. Choose a handful of strong portraits of the two of you, a few of each family and plenty of candids that show guests laughing, dancing and eating.
Ask someone who was at the wedding to look at your shortlist. They will often point out a candid or a detail that you overlooked and that tells the story better than a posed shot.
Making the design simple
Upload your chosen images to the album designer and Smart Auto-Layout designs every spread. You can swap images, resize them, adjust crops and rearrange spreads. You approve every page, and we print exactly what you approve.
A photo cover is included, with leather at $25 more and acrylic at $39 more. If you want help from our team, the optional design-team polish is $99. If a book arrives with a print defect, transit damage or a mismatch with the approved proof, report it within 14 days of delivery for a free reprint or a full refund. The refunds page has the full terms.
Give yourself time. Leave the draft for a day or two and then look again with fresh eyes. A second pass is where you catch the small changes that make a book feel calmer and cleaner.
Gifts for parents and grandparents
Parents and grandparents often value a book that tells the story in order and names the people. Write out who is in each group photograph, then set those names on the spread in the Smart Auto-Layout designer so the book names them too. A handwritten note of thanks, photographed and included as a closing image, makes a good ending either way.
Printing takes 5 to 7 business days after approval and payment. Delivery is Express $60, Standard $32 or Economy $12, and everything ships to Missouri with tracking, so you can plan arrival for a holiday or a milestone dinner.
Keep a spare copy somewhere safe. The display copy will be handled and loved, and a second one stored flat in a closet is an easy insurance policy.
Display ideas that work at home
Place your album on a low shelf or a sturdy coffee table where people can pick it up, away from windows and direct sunlight. Handle it by the edges and keep it flat when you are not reading it.
The magazine is happy on a side table, in a guest room or in a basket by the sofa. It is meant to be picked up casually, and it invites guests to flip through the pages and ask questions about the day. Whichever you choose, start soon after the wedding. Details such as names, places and the order of events are clearest in the first few weeks, and your St. Louis story will be easiest to tell then.
Questions
Can I order both an album and a magazine?
Yes. Both can be designed from the same set of selected photos.
How many photos should I choose?
Plan on roughly one to four photos per spread. Albums include 15 spreads and hold up to 40, so 20 to 30 spreads suits a full day without crowding the pages.
How much does a lay-flat album cost?
Lay-flat albums start at $275 for 12x24 or 16x24, with 15 spreads and a photo cover included.
Planning an album from your St. Louis photos? Design it online; you approve every page before it prints. See wedding album sizes and prices or the 20-page wedding magazine.