More Photos!

Hooray for a FSIL who loves me enough to take her valuable time to get together all the photo edits on our high school engagement picture shoot! I got them in the mail today (along with 8 million other wedding related items - it was like Christmas) and thought I would share a bunch, while I decide which ones to include in our Blurb guestbook.

Enjoy!

 

 

  

 

  

 {cheese. i know.}

 

  

  

 

  

  

 

  

  

  

  

  

 

  

  

 

  

  

 

  

  

 

  

  

 

  

 {taking him to the principal's office. uh oh.}

  

 

  

  

 

  

{the cafeteria... our relationship had defining moments here, lol}

 

  

  

 

  

  

 

 

  

 

{the auditorium, where our relationship really started}

Hope you enjoyed the glance!

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Engagement Photos

A while back the FH and I were discussing how fun that it would be to have engagement photos taken here in Athens. This town has been very important to us - it is the first place we learned that we could make it, just the two of us; it is the place where we got engaged; not to mention the place where we both have gone to school and made new friends.

At the time, we were considering going with a wedding photographer who included engagement photos, but we aren't anymore {more on that later}. And while our new photographer does engagement photos on the cheap for his couples, he suggested because of timing and scheduling that we have someone outside of Wisconsin do them for us. Smart man.

All in all this means that we get to have our photos taken in Athens! One of my maids, Lindsey, helped me scout out some possible photographers and after contacting a few, we have decided to go with Alyssa Alig Photography. They are great cost wise and release their photo rights, which means that I can use them for our guestbook idea, which is key, plus their images are beautiful.

This husband and wife team sounds so adorable and have been so great in all of our contact thus far. They even have a quote that I love on their website:

"Love is a canvas of many threads, embroidered by the imagination. Let us tell your story."

Here are some examples of their magnificent storytelling

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Guest Book Ideas

Like many other brides before me, I have never been particularly attached to the idea of a traditional guestbook at our wedding. There are plenty of alternative ideas out there, but the one that I am most attached to is the idea of a photo book, much like this example from Blurb:

Of course, ours would be primarily engagement and a few favorite photos instead of wedding ones, as we will be at the wedding. People could then sign in the white spaces...or there are a few options with lines for people to write on next to the photos that could be a good mix of traditional elements with the twist that I like.

I love that there are so many options out there for making your own professional looking photo book online! Here are a few of the sites that I have come across:

• Snapfish Photobooks: The first one I stumbled across via friend and bridesmaid. There are a few different options for covers and sizes, but the choice of layouts is not that great. Upside, you do all of the work online, so no software to download and take up precious hard drive space.
• Inkubooks: This is a fairly new company and site. Again, lots of options for sizes of books, but for this site you need to download the software to create your book. I found the software a little frustrating, but I tried it when the site was brand spanking new, so things may have improved. Prices are right, though, and you can make a book with as few as 20 pages.
• Blurb: This site is the newest one that I have found...and I may be in love. In order to continue the pretense that I am actually studying for my comprehensive exams, I have yet to download the software to play around. But the big plus for me is that this site is all about making books - many different kinds of books - and seems really versatile from the examples posted on the site.

I love the internet! Personalization of wedding elements is so fun, especially publishing books. I love books. Imagine the possibilities...cookbooks, personalized story books for the {faraway} kids, all sorts of things.

Are there any other good publishing sites out there?

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