You know that feeling when you find a crazy cool new shop (like Great Harvest Bread Company!) and you want to tell all your friends about it? Like “how on earth have people gone on with their lives for so long without knowing of this shop’s existence??” That’s how I feel about Align!

I first heard of Align when I stumbled upon Melissa Jill’s website, and then again when my sweet friend Katelyn blogged about them! At the time, I convinced myself that I was doing just fine with album design on my own, but I was sort of lying to myself.

Was I managing to get by? Yes. But was I serving my couples as BEST as I possibly could? No. It was taking me 2-3 weeks to get back to my brides with album corrections, and that’s not ok. My couples are EXCITED about their wedding albums, and by me taking way too long to get their revisions done, I was slowly letting the air out of their tires. Plus, even if they’d had an amazing experience with me prior to album design, I was souring that experience by leaving them with a not-so-awesome last impression. Not wise business management.

So I finally gave Align a try last Spring, and from the first album I was hooked. I held my breath and sent over my first order, and from start to finish, it took a week to complete their book. We’re talking initial design, three rounds of review, and delivery- one week. I was FLOORED, and completely sold on outsourcing my albums to Align! It helped that my bride was totally on her game with getting her corrections submitted, but still: album design these days is always, ALWAYS faster and more efficient now that I’m outsourcing. I can’t imagine going back to my old way of doing things!

The longer I own a business, the more I realize the value in recognizing your weaknesses and working to make those strengths. With my limitations (being a sole-member business, legitimate diagnosis of ADHD, and a general lack of organization), there are certain things I’m just never going to excel at. Album design was one of those, so rather than shrugging my shoulders and saying “screw it, my clients will just have to deal with it,” I made the decision to outsource. It does mean I spend a portion of my profits on the design fee, but it also means I’m able to serve my clients BETTER. Leaving them with a sweet taste in their mouth when all is said and done is more important to me than saving $100-$150. Plus, the time I used to spend agonizing over design (which is NOT a forte of mine) can now be aimed at things like TAKING PICTURES. You know, the thing I originally started my business in order to do?

SO! The good news for you guys is that Align offers HALF OFF your first design with them with the code “1STORDER”! So if you’re unsure about the whole outsourcing thing, this is the perfect excuse to give it a try. Check out a few more of my favorite spreads from this year!