J. ANNE

The airport in the Dominican Republic doesn’t have any air conditioning.  And it also doesn’t have any walls.  It is a large hut-like building with several palapas for a roof.  Huge fans move the air around, but palapas held up by wooden columns does not a building make.  Getting through ticketing, security, customs, and onto the other side of this glorified tent might end up taking two hours due to the incredibly laid back mentality of the island workers; however, once you make it to the other side you are rewarded by a generous helping of duty-free shopping.

I meandered through the perfumes and cigars when I was struck by something beautiful.  It was right in front of the watch cases.  A lazy-susan of paper.  Christian Lacroix Papier to be exact.  And I might have almost dropped my passport and dive lunged towards the display.  Okay, maybe a bit dramatic.  But when Janelle said… “Oh yeah, that’s right… you love paper!” as she sauntered passed me… a smile surfaced on my face that may have resembled something closer to a cartoon cheshire cat.  I do love paper.  And more so, I love well-designed paper.  Which is why it has taken me so long to finally fall in love with an album company, and to feel like I’m married to a product for my couples.

I design the spreads within the album myself (which is one of my faaaaavorite parts of the wedding process), and then the album is printed and bound by a company called Madera Books.  After I receive the book from Madera… secretly… I never want to give it to my client.  I am bound by a contract to do so, but the actual exchange of the album is always a bitter sweet moment for me.  And I also have to resist the urge to buy a duplicate album to keep as a “studio sample”… I use air quotes because having a stack of other people’s wedding albums on my bedside table would hardly meet the definition of a studio sample.  In fact, if my couples knew that I was staring at their faces before I went to bed at night… running my fingers across their embossed names on the leather front and spine of the book… smelling the flush mounted spreads… well, I might not book another wedding.  Evah.

So… I resist the urge to order the duplicate every time… but after you see the photos below, you might think about ordering a copy of David and Francesca’s wedding album for your own bedside material. {wink}