above photos by Charity Maurer 
 
 
Justin Douglas was not only a client of Align's for the past 8 years, he was also a dear personal friend. I first met Justin when he reached out to me via email after moving to Phoenix from Austin. He was an up and coming film photographer who was eager to learn and network. We met up for lunch and I knew I wanted to be friends with him instantly. His energy was so positive, his smile lit up his whole face, and he was so encouraging -- a total charmer. Our friendship developed from there -- he assisted me and loaded film at my weddings for a little over a year, even though he was far too talented to do so. He came to church with me a number of times and we had many meaningful conversations about how God was working in our lives. When I was pregnant with our little guy Beau, he offered to gift us a maternity shoot on film in the desert. I will forever cherish those photos.  
 
The last contact I had with Justin was an email I received from him just 8 days before his death and it was a link to download the photos below for this album design feature. I can't believe he is gone. Justin passed away on a lake in a boat/swimming accident. The wedding industry has been rocked by the news. He was so young and such a bright light and he will truly be missed.  
 
It's so hard for me to even write this post because I so deeply don't want it to be true. But I wanted to honor Justin and his memory by sharing what I knew of him and how he impacted me. I believe this is one of the best ways to grieve. 
 
Justin was excited to share this album that we recently completed for him, so I want to do that now. He was truly talented.  
 
This album is a 12x12 Align Legacy Book covered in our Cobblestone Linen with clear debossing on the front. It turned out so beautifully and I know Justin's clients will cherish it forever!

To see the design in full, click through the slideshow: 
 
 
 
I will never forget you dear friend!

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Design by: Sarah (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

Kelsey and Liam are the dynamic husband and wife duo that make up New York-based KELI Photography. They are new to the Align family this year and we are SO THRILLED to be able to introduce you to their amazing work and share the very first album design we created for them! 
 
Oftentimes there is a bit of a learning curve with trying out a new service, but this is what Kelsey had to share about her experience:  
 

THE DESIGN PROCESS!!! Oh my goodness I could go on and on!!! 
 
Align made the design process so unbelievably easy, flawless and enjoyable! From start to finish, the process was very straight forward. Their website guides you in the perfect direction to help you make the best decision for your clients. They provide so many amazing options for pricing, design, styles and everything in between!  
 
The Hands-off Service was the best decision of my life and made the entire experience stress free! With having so much interaction and communication with our clients prior to their wedding, it was nice to offload all album communication and design work so I wasn't a part of the process at all, taking lots of stress away from me and providing me with more time to focus on other work! Sarah was so helpful answering any and all questions along the way and she created the album in record time, making sure our client was happy with all decisions! I will be using Align Album Design forever!!! 
 

 
AHH! Yay!! You can imagine the happy dance we are doing after receiving that review! Without further ado, here are some of our favorite spreads from this stunning design:

To see the album design in full, click through the slideshow: 
 
 
 
Thank you Kelsey & Liam for allowing us to work with your beautiful images!

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Design by: Sarah (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

Designing albums for New Jersey based wedding photographer Lauren Kearns is such a delight! Not only is Lauren's work stunning, but her story-telling aptitude, love for simple clean designs, and variety of posing makes her designs come together seamlessly.  
 
This springtime golf club wedding looks like it was practically perfect in every way. We love the beautifully styled details and the way they are interspersed with venue scene-setting photos and Lauren't beautiful portraiture throughout the design. 
 
Here are a few of our favorite spreads:

Click through the slideshow to see the full design: 
 
 
 
Thank you, Lauren, for allowing us to work with your beautiful images!

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Design by: Sarah (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

We have had the honor of working with Ashley Maton with Bow Tie Collaborative since 2017! Ashley photographs some of the most stunningly elegant southern weddings out of her home base in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband Bill.  
 
This wedding took our breath away! In a time when so many weddings are being postponed or cancelled due to COVID restrictions, we were encouraged to hear that this couple was able to proceed with their wedding this past September at The Sutherland Estate and Gardens. It looks like it was an incredible celebration of their love! 
 
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this beautiful design:

Click through the slideshow below to see the full design: 
 
 
 
Thank you Ashley for allowing us to work with your beautiful images!

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Design by: Sarah (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill

Niki Marie is a Detroit-based wedding photographer who has an incredible talent for creating some of the most iconic black and white wedding photos we have ever seen! We typically do a happy dance whenever she submits a new album design order because we know we're in for some serious inspiration and a design that comes together flawlessly! 
 
Niki shared that this particular wedding is an all-time favorite of hers, and we can see why! The veil, the vintage car, the stunning couple! It's pure MAGIC! 
 
Here are a few of our favorite spreads from this design:

Click through the slideshow to see the full design: 
 
 
 
Thank you Niki for allowing us to work with your beautiful images!

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Design by: Sarah (View More) // Design style: Classic (View More) // Blog post written by: Melissa Jill