when i was little, it was under the coffee table and had tissue paper in between the pages.  i could only look at it if i washed my hands and sat on the floor with my legs stretched out in front of me.  the leather felt cold on my bare skin at first touch and the thin white paper flutter a wave to me as i opened the cover.  the corners were hugged with golden metal clips to keep them safe and the photographs were mounted in a textured, card stock frame of black.  it was a big book, heavy with the weight of memories and paper.  they looked so young.  i smiled at the photos of the ceremony and laughed at the pictures of them jumping on the trampoline after the ceremony.  i could still feel the warmth of the upstairs rooms where i put on my flower girl dress with the itchy fabric from the puffy sleeves.  i could smell the roses my parent’s hands were posed over and hear the threads going through the dress as it was repaired from said trampoline event.  i loved looking through that wedding album.  i was there but i was young.  when those memories seem to be faded by the sun and the passing years…i can go back to that album.  to those wrinkled sheets of tissue and those gold trimmed pages.  to those lovely, youthful eyes and those big, poofy sleeves.  i can go back anytime.  as long as i wash my hands.

remember this gorgeous wedding on whidbey island in washington?  gosh i love these guys…

get this.  after sneaking into their loved one’s houses, they would hang framed prints on the wall or lay precious albums on the coffee tables.  actually, i may be a bit dramatic and daydreaming that it actually happened that way but i know i am close to right.  after all the help from their parents and friends to pull off such an amazing wedding, they leave them with this gift from the day.   pst…my own children!  did you hear that?   take note…

the large album is a 12×12 fine print album with 30 full page spreads.  the two smaller albums are “parent albums” and have the exact same layouts on the inside minus the posed family photos.  those two layouts were made different for each album depending on the side of the family, to showcase those specific relationships.  i absolutely adore these books and really want to order a copy for myself…if that wasn’t creeper.

something really cool about this album?  the couple asked for EXACTLY what i had written on the blog to be the captions in their album, with the exception of a few silly amybeeisms.  loved that they loved the writing and images so much!!  so please, enjoy seeing a full album, inside and out, and let me know what you think!  i love me some feedback!!

go for the albums.  they are worth it…promise.

maybe your family members laugh at your choice of hairstyle 20 years from now.  maybe you can feel those tears as you giggled awkwardly through your vows.   maybe your daughter would never be caught dead in your dress.  maybe you cry at the images of a family member no longer with you.  whatever it is, may you find joy within a flood of memories with every turn of the page.

layouts made using Design Aglow’s awesome tool, The Ultimate Album Builder.

cover artwork made using elements from Jamie Schultz Designs 2012 holiday card collection Modern Merriment.

both companies make all of my favorite things…check them out!!!