Couples married in Bend often end up with galleries full of big landscapes, golden light and mountain skies. That makes the choice between an album and a magazine more interesting than it first appears.
What each keepsake does best
A wedding album is a substantial book meant to be the lasting record of the day. Folio Forever albums are 12×24, 16×24, 15×30 or 20×30 inches, and the long, wide proportions suit horizons, mountains and group portraits.
A wedding magazine is a lighter object with a different feel. It runs 20 pages at 8.5×11 inches in an editorial style, with 15 original styles to choose from, and it costs $70. It is easy to pass around a room and easy to mail.
Neither choice cancels the other. You can treat the album as the long, complete book and the magazine as the short highlight reel, with different photos leading each one so the two feel complementary.
Why the high desert suits wide spreads
Bend sits on the dry east side of the Cascades, with ponderosa pine, the Deschutes River and views of snow-capped peaks on clear days. Couples often take portraits among rock formations, along the river, or at one of the area's lodges and ranches. These scenes ask for space on the page.
Lay-flat binding is worth considering here. Pages open completely flat and the image runs across both pages without a visible gutter, so a mountain range or a long portrait line is not interrupted by a crease. Lay-flat prices start at $275 for a 12×24, with classic from $240.
Winter weddings around Bend bring snow and a very different palette, with warm interiors against cold light. Those photos benefit from a layout that mixes full-page exteriors with smaller frames of candlelit rooms.
Choosing photos when you have too many good ones
Scenic weddings create a particular problem: nearly every frame is pretty. Choose photos that carry feeling or information. Include a few that show the setting, but make sure there are plenty of faces, hands and in-between moments so the album reads as your story rather than a landscape portfolio.
Let Smart Auto-Layout propose the spreads in the album designer, then edit what you like. You can reorder pages, swap images and approve each page before printing. We print exactly what you approve, so the version on your screen is the version in the book.
If you are married outside the summer months, ask your photographer about the long blue hour after sunset in a mountain setting, which often produces some of the most atmospheric portraits of the evening.
Displaying albums and magazines at home
An album deserves a spot on a coffee table or shelf where people will actually pick it up. A leather cover is +$25 and an acrylic cover is +$39 over the included photo cover. Magazines are best near the places where guests gather, such as a kitchen counter or a reading chair.
If you keep a cabin or a second home, consider ordering a magazine for that space. It costs little, and it gives houseguests an easy introduction to your story without handling a large book.
If you plan to hang a single image, consider cropping a favorite spread for a framed print and keeping the album for browsing. The two together make a small gallery out of one day.
Gifts for parents and grandparents
Parents often appreciate a copy of their own. A magazine makes this affordable, and a second album is a more generous gift if the budget allows. Extra spreads are $8 to $18 each, up to 40 spreads, so you can add pages for the extended family and friends.
Printing takes 5 to 7 business days after you approve and pay. Standard delivery at $32 takes 7 to 10 days, and Economy at $12 takes 15 to 18 days, so plan ahead for holidays.
Guests who traveled for the wedding often remember small things, like a toast or a shared meal. Including a page of the people who came is a quiet way to thank them, and it makes the magazine feel personal rather than formal.
Questions
Is lay-flat binding worth it for landscape photos?
It is a good fit, since images can cross both pages without a gutter. Lay-flat starts at $275 for a 12×24 album.
Can I order a magazine and an album from the same photos?
Yes. You can use the same gallery for both and design each one separately.
Planning an album from your Bend photos? Design it online; you approve every page before it prints. See wedding album sizes and prices or the 20-page wedding magazine.