Weddings at Mirror Lake Lyceum
Mirror Lake Lyceum / Bridge Point Church is one of the most unique wedding venues in St. Petersburg. Living in Florida, we don’t always have a large collection of older, classical venues around town. There are a few to be sure (St. Pete Coliseum, for example) but it’s not like New York where every corner has a great old building with tons of character where you can get married. It’s definitely one of my favorite wedding spots.
Creating Your Wedding Album
Chris and Lauren were married at St. Pete Lyceum back in February and we just finished the wedding album this week. One of the things that I do with my clients is that I allow them to select any images they want for the album. This is a process that can sometimes be put “on the back burner” immediately after the wedding and so often it’s 6 months before the couple finally get around to picking images so I can start the design. This is actually a good thing I think because a little time can give you a fresh perspective on what you want the album to reflect. Regardless of whether you select you images the first week or a year later, we get it done pretty soon after you do and you get to make all the changes and suggestions you want.
What Makes a Quality Wedding Album
All wedding albums are not created equal. First, it’s important to understand that the really good albums are not available to the public. The cost of creating a quality album, both in material and construction, are just too high for the consumer market. The books that you see on the online websites are not the same, not even close, to a custom professional album. The online books are cardboard with press-printed pages (like a magazine). Professional wedding albums from a professional lab are leather wrapped and the pages are actual photographs that have been bonded to polymer boards so the pages are thick and un-bendable. They open flat on the table with no gutter in the center so you get a beautiful double-page-spread that is 24 inches across! There real is no comparison when you hold one in your hands. I’ve had hundreds of wedding clients who booked me online and never bought an album. Almost all of my client who meet me in person and hold an album purchase one. They are made to be a personal family heirloom that will be passed down for generations. I actually make an album for my own family every year.
Below are the pages from Chris and Lauren’s wedding at Mirror Lake Lyceum / Bridge Point Church. Disregard the big logo on the corner of each page, I have to put that on anything that I post online or else someone will steal it and claim it as their own. It’s not on the actual album.
Sometimes with a wedding album, you will see an image that doesn’t make sense. :) Why are the groomsmen holding up their fingers? Well, it was an homage to the late father of the groom. The story goes that he would drive around town and everyone who knew him would wave… but all he ever did was raise one finger. It’s funny the things that people remember about you when you are gone and hearing these stories is one of the reasons I love photographing weddings in Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Not the first time I’ve had dogs in the wedding pictures. Won’t be the last. :)