My younger sister Megan married Jaden, the love of her life, on a perfect, hot July day in Deadwood, South Dakota back in 2015. The day took place at the very photogenic Martin Mason Hotel, where everything from the unique trinkets in each guest room, to the old hardwoods of the upstairs ballroom has a rich history.
For those of you who don’t know Deadwood - think Wild West meets small town Main Street with a Las Vegas flare AND a mountainous backdrop (it’s gorgeous, not to mention SUPER fun!) Gathered with 150 of their closest friends and family, Megan and Jaden said their “I do’s” and started their own history in this quaint, yet beautiful little city.
Main Street - Deadwood, SD
The day was filled with so many photo-worthy moments - starting with the gorgeous bride herself, to the first look, to the flower girl picking up the petals she had thrown during the ceremony, to the mullet headbands worn at the reception (yes, that happened!) and the list goes on…
After the couple received the zip drive of photos from their photographer, they shared them with family via email and a few more on social media. Unfortunately, that zip drive is where those photos remained for almost two years.
I knew my sister desired to have a keepsake wedding album, knowing she even tried a few times to put one together herself. But like many of us, Megan experienced some frustrations during that process… from which company to use and slow photo upload speeds, to the time she managed to get a few pages done, but then never got around to finishing it. Not to mention how daunting it seemed to have to design the entire album… (Does this situation sound familiar?)
In the end, ‘finish our wedding album’ stayed as a permanent line item on her to-do list. One that was continually bumped farther and farther to the bottom.
So, when I started working for Shortcake back in December, I knew the perfect client! All Megan had to do was decide on the size of her album (12x12) and the design style (pure essentials). She then shared the wedding photos with me via Dropbox and that was it - I took it from there!
Designing her album was so much fun! Getting to look through all the photos and remembering the day was bittersweet. It was such a beautiful and perfect day, but like all wedding days, it went by SO fast. I wish we could do it all over again...
It only took around a week to finalize the album design. Megan received an online preview and had a few edits for me to make. And after two years of trying, in a few shorts weeks - her album was no longer another task on the to-do list, it was off to print and becoming a reality.
A few weeks ago, I hand delivered the album to Megan and Jaden when we had both traveled home for the weekend. I just had to be there when they opened it. And that experience did not disappoint - the look on their faces as they flipped through the album was priceless. As each page turned, the memories (and maybe a few tears) poured out. We all shared stories of the day, and for a brief moment, got to relive ‘all the feels’ that family weddings bring.
I’m so grateful that I was able to help design and help relieve the stress associated with this album. The Mitzels now have one less item on their to-do list, and more importantly, an heirloom album which holds the memories of the first day of their family history.
Here at Shortcake, we understand that life is busy. We want to help finalize that album you’ve always wanted, and make it easy and stress-free for you during the process.
If you are reading this and have wedding photos in the cloud, on social media, or on a disc or zip drive, but haven’t had a chance to start (or finish) your album... please feel free to reach out. I would absolutely LOVE to help you make that album a reality, or answer any questions you may have about our process. (Click here to email me)
I look forward to working with you... (And seeing your gorgeous photos!)
-Whitney
Shortcake Albums is a custom photo album design service. Simply connect your digital photos or social media accounts, and our team of professional album designers will do all the work - sorting and organizing all your images and text, selecting the best photos, and laying them out into a custom book of your most special memories and moments.
From premium wedding albums to family yearbooks, baby albums, and more - you can enjoy your family memories again. Order your album at www.shortcakealbums.com.