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16 Creative Photo Book Ideas


Lots of good reasons to make your own photo album.

It’s a fact. Photo books make people happy. The magic of opening up an album made by you (or someone you love) stirs up those warm, fuzzy feels. Plus, they look pretty on our coffee tables or shelves when not in use. Every mighty photo book starts with a strong theme, so we’ve rounded up a few of our favourite photo book ideas to get you inspired. From dedications to your furry friends to tributes to far-flung adventures, here are 16 good reasons to create your own album.


Papier Personalised Photo Book, Memory Book, Mother's Day


Mother’s Day/Father’s Day Book

Chocolates, flowers, socks and beer are old news. Shake up Mother’s Day or Father’s Day by surprising mum or dad with a gift they’ll hold onto forever. A photo book filled with images of you growing up with mamma or papa (plus any siblings) is a guaranteed tearjerker and sure to get you in the good books for at least a year.


Milestone Birthday Book

Big birthdays call for extra-thoughtful gifts, which makes personalised photo albums a choice gift for anyone celebrating a milestone number. They’re sentimental, personal and super easy to create, plus they go down well with all ages. In other words, you never have to fret about an 18th, 21st or any other important birthday present ever again.


Leaving Work Present

For colleagues you genuinely like, cufflinks or bubbly won’t quite cut it when it comes to wishing them well in their pastures new. Enter, our photo book – a lovely leaving work present indeed. Fill your co-worker’s with things like shots of the company sports day, that time they won the office bake-off and snaps of the whole team having a ball at the Christmas do.


Papier Personalised Holiday Photo Book


Holiday/Honeymoon/Travel Book

Photo books are great for treasuring the sights you’ve seen whilst on holiday, honeymoon or travelling abroad. You might want to try one of our landscape designs – they’re best for scenery shots. And don’t forget the captions. You’ll want to remember the names of all the different places you’ve visited and the people you met along the way.


Hen Party Book

What’s the point in taking hilarious, slightly humiliating photos of you and your fellow hens if you can’t save them in a book that’ll haunt you forever? With most photo books, you’ll deliberate over which shots catch your best side, but the beauty of a hen book is anything goes. The funnier, more unflattering shots you stick in there the better – it’ll give you and your friends a laugh for years to come.


Year Review/Class of Book

Collecting memories from the last of your school or uni days will give you a nostalgic souvenir to look back on. Just be sure to leave enough white space around shots for your classmates’ comments. Oh, and you don’t have to be a student to appreciate the ‘yearbook’ idea. Why not round up a loved one’s 2018 in pictures for an extra-special Christmas present?


Papier Personalised Wedding Photo Book


Wedding Photo Book

Wedding photo books make beautiful keepsakes of your (or a loved one’s) big day, especially when you add cute captions like the name of the first dance song or the flavours in your wedding cake. They’re also a thoughtful gift for bridesmaids, mother of the bride or anyone else who played an important part in your day.


Will You Marry Me? Book

Looking for a creative way to pop the question? Try filling a photo book with pictures of you and your other half, saving the last page for the words ‘Will you marry me?’ A proposal photo book is a keep-forever treasure you can open up time and time again to relive that magical moment you got engaged.


Engagement Book

A thoughtfully put-together album makes a special gift for your new fiancé or fiancée. Or if you’re hosting an engagement party, consider creating an album that doubles up as a guest book. Just remember to leave white space around images and a few blank pages, so friends and family have space to scribble little notes and best wishes.


Anniversary Album

Show your partner how much they (and the special memories you share together) mean to you by taking them on a photographic trip down memory lane. Round up shots from your most Instagrammable holidays, unforgettable gigs and the general good times to create the most thoughtful gift you’ve ever given. Sentimental surprises are always a winner.


Papier Personalised Baby Photo Book


Baby Book/1st birthday

When you’ve got a teeny tiny person making new faces, crawling for the first time or rockin’ that comedy baby grow you just bought them, every second feels like a picture-perfect opportunity. Baby photo books are perfect places to house early moments for newborns, or a special present to commemorate a little one’s first year on earth.


Celebration of Life/Memory Book

Looking back on precious photos offers a way for us to feel close to the nearest and dearest no longer with us. Gather memories of a loved one to create a meaningful memory book for you or someone special. And don’t feel obliged to choose serious photos. Crazy, funny photos are good too – it’s a celebration of life.


Pet Photo Album

Photo books aren’t just reserved for humans. Whether it’s a dedication to your dog, a tribute to your tortoise or an homage to your hamster, personalised albums are a sweet way to celebrate family pets. A perfect present idea or a rather good solution to all the animal pics clogging up your camera roll.


Papier Personalised Photo Book for Valentine's day or Galentine's Day


Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day Book

What’s more romantic than a book filled with photos of you and your true love? Yes, this may come off a little scary if you’ve just started dating, but if you’re in a long-term relationship, our guess is they’ll not be able to resist you after such a thoughtful gift. Shots of you and your bestie will go down nicely for Galentine’s Day too.


In-joke gift book

Sometimes it’s nice to celebrate our friends’ weird and wonderful ways, and photo books come in very handy here. Whether you reference their next-level crush on Paul Hollywood or their unshakable obsession with pug dogs, give a friend a giggle with an in-joke photo album.


Just Because Book

Birthdays, Valentine’s and Christmas are good reasons to create photo books, but when someone in your life is just really great that’s an equally perfect excuse to surprise them. They might’ve brightened your rainy day or been a friend for years, whatever it is, salute them with an album that’s been lovingly made by you.

Decided on the perfect theme for your next album? Start creating your very own photo book right here.

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