How to plan a wedding photo book
The wedding photo book is the heirloom that lands on every grandparent's coffee table. Done well, it tells the day in sequence — getting ready, ceremony, portraits, reception, dancing — with breathing room between the best shots. Done badly, it's 60 pages of ceremony close-ups and a back cover that says "Thanks for coming!" with a typo. This planner lays out the pages, the photos, and the captions — you bring the story.
Pick the size before you pick the photos
Book size dictates everything downstream. 8×8 inches is the classic square — most common, cheapest to print, fits 1–3 photos per page. 10×10 gives larger photos for grandparent-friendly viewing. 12×12 is the coffee-table album — best for hero shots with breathing room. A4 landscape is the European standard for magazine-style spreads. If you have 40–60 photos, 8×8 with 20 pages is enough. If you have 100+ photos, go 10×10 with 40 pages.
Layouts do the heavy lifting
The five layouts in this tool cover 90% of wedding photo books: a 1-photo full-bleed for the hero shot, a 2-photo split for the first-look + reaction pair, a 3-photo mosaic for the ceremony triptych, a 4-photo grid for the reception dance floor, and a cover/title for the front and back. Mix them — every page the same layout is a calendar, not a story.
Captions matter more than you'd think
A photo of two people kissing is nice. "Aunt Marie and Uncle Carlos — 47 years married" is the photo the kids will look at in 20 years. Add a name, place, or year to the key pages — first dance, parent dance, cake cutting, the moment the bride's dad cried. Skip the captions on the action shots; let those breathe.
Print at 300 DPI
The exported PNGs are 300 DPI: 8×8 = 2400×2400, 10×10 = 3000×3000, 12×12 = 3600×3600, A4 = 3508×2480. Upload directly to Blurb, Artifact, Shutterfly, or any print service. The high resolution means the print is sharp even if you zoom in on a face across the room.
Tips for a great wedding photo book
- Start with the cover photo, work backward. Pick the one shot that says "this was our day" — that's the cover. Then build the back cover from the last dance or the sparkler exit.
- Spread the best photos across the book. Don't stack 5 hero shots on pages 4–8. Place one hero per 6–8 pages so the reader's eye gets a fresh "wow" every few spreads.
- Tell the day in order. Getting ready, first look, ceremony, portraits, cocktail, reception, dancing. If the book doesn't read chronologically, the reader feels it.
- Use 1-photo full-bleed sparingly. 1-photo pages are anchors. Use 3–5 of them, not 15.
- Mix portraits and candids. Every page of posed photos feels like a yearbook. Every page of candids feels like a phone dump. Alternate.
- Skip the small group shots. The 8-person family portrait looks tiny on a 10×10 page. Move those to a digital share with the family.
- Add one page of "thank you". A final page that says "Thank you for being part of our day" with the date and hashtag closes the story. Print services sometimes call this a "back cover copy".
Frequently asked questions
How does the wedding photo book planner work?
Pick a book size (8×8, 10×10, 12×12, or A4 landscape) and page count (20/40/60). Drop in your wedding photos — the tool stores them in your browser only. Choose from 5 page layouts (1-photo, 2-photo split, 3-photo mosaic, 4-photo grid, title/cover). Auto-distribute distributes photos round-robin across pages. Add captions per photo, click any page to fine-tune, then export per-page PNG files ready to upload to any print service.
What size photo book should I order?
8×8 inches is the classic square — most common, cheapest, fits 1–3 photos per page. 10×10 gives larger photos for grandparent-friendly viewing. 12×12 is the coffee-table album — best for hero shots with breathing room. A4 landscape is the European standard for magazine-style spreads.
How many pages do I need?
20 pages fits 40–60 photos with breathing room. 40 pages fits 80–120 photos — the typical wedding coverage. 60 pages fits 150+ photos — for the couple that wants every candid.
Is the data private?
Yes. All photos and page data live in your browser's localStorage. The tool never uploads a single image to any server. Clear your browser storage to wipe the data.
What format are the exported pages?
PNG files at 300 DPI — 8×8 = 2400×2400, 10×10 = 3000×3000, 12×12 = 3600×3600, A4 landscape = 3508×2480. These upload directly to Blurb, Artifact, Shutterfly, or any print service.
From photo book to wedding film
The same photos that fill the album become the building blocks of your wedding film. Drop the best 30–50 into our AI wedding video generator for a 60–90 second cinematic edit, delivered in 48 hours, starting at $9.9. Get a free quote to see a draft before you book.