Listen to people talk and you'd think only two people are involved in buying an album—the bride and her mother. But what happens if the person making the decisions is the guy? How do you sell to him? Well it's been a while since I got married but I'm a guy … let me think: If the first time you think about me is when you finally realise that I'm blocking your sale, too late! You needed to start paying attention a lot earlier. But let's start at that point anyway, and work backwards… 1. If you ignore me while doing that sales job on my girl I'm probably not going to be happy. There's been a lot of ignoring me going on recently by everyone from wedding planners and florists to priests and parents. I know it's her day, and I love her … but I've got an ego, and now you want me to spend … how much? 2. If I was as interested in girly stuff as she is, the dress and the flowers, the pretty details and the fairy tale, chances are I'd be going out with a guy. Don't make the album just a souvenir of all that stuff, like one of those frilly bedrooms that makes a real man feel an intruder. 3. How can the album appeal to me? Emotion's great if it's authentic. I don't like fakery, that's all. Our friends' pictures on Facebook and Flickr capture the emotion and connection and fun. Put them all together and I'd get the story of the day … sort of. I don't want to lose that, I want you to distill it into a real story … beautifully told … to last. Something that shows both of us, both our families, tells both our stories, and captures the significance of the day. Without me feeling like a stage prop in someone else's dream. 4. Your sample albums need to meet the same test, or you lost me when we first called. If I can get an emotional tug from someone else's photos there's a good chance I'll love my own. 5. And finally, I'm not a "man", I'm me. She's not a bride, she's my bride. I hope you got to know us both before the wedding, because your real magic is to treat us as individuals. Not to mention that it's easier for us to buy from someone we know. Cheers, Ian ;)