Bow & Arbour’s Wedding Zines®

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Bespoke wedding albums that tell the story of your wedding in the most meaningful way. Bow & Arbour’s Wedding Zines® are anything but your average photobook. They capture your love story in a way that is thoughtful, timeless and beautifully designed. Keep reading to find out all about this incredible business and where they found their inspiration.

 

What was your inspiration for the business?

We had a genuine need! In the weeks after receiving our wedding photos we were at a loss as to what to do with them. We had invested over $3,000 in wedding photography and we felt that we needed to share our photos in a meaningful way. The big issue with a conventional album was that we would only get one copy, and it was quite limiting in terms of the number of photos featured. We felt like keeping them exclusively digitally was also a waste.

Eventually we came up with the idea of a high-end, boutique style magazine of which multiple copies could be printed. We tested the idea with a few friends and our own wedding and it was extremely popular. We then set about trademarking the term wedding zines® and here we are!

How did you go about starting up?

With a great idea under wraps and two complementary brains, specifically one graphic designer and one CA, we worked some long hours and did some side hustling to bring wedding zines and Bow & Arbour to the world.

We also made a concerted effort to find archival, environmentally-certified paper stocks, which we really believe speaks to the Bow & Arbour brand and what we stand for. Additionally, we spent time designing and producing bespoke packaging so that spare zines could be stored securely, and in something aesthetically pleasing.

What are you offering that is different from the rest?

Many things! Dot points will probably work best here

  • We have finally given couples the chance to order a wedding album on a retail basis – a wedding album is a keepsake, and so it should be exactly what the couple wants.
  • Following on from the last point, what we do is bespoke. Creating a wedding zine is a collaborative process which ensures your wedding story is told in exactly the way you want.
  • Our wedding zines® feature up to 400 photos, which is a number that allows the full wedding day story to be told. We also believe wording to be a vital element in bringing imagery to life, and we have no limit as to how much a couple can include. (Psst, we even have favourite poems and quotes to recommend ) – do we want to mention this already?
  • YOU GET BETWEEN 2 AND 10 COPIES! Just imagine that – some of our best reviews have been from Mums, Dads and grandparents, which says it all really…
  • Wedding zines are visible 365 days of the year – put one on your coffee table so that visitors to your home can really share in the memory of your big day. And if your coffee table copy gets too much attention, you can whip out one of the spares or simply order another print run! Again, all things that aren’t possible with a normal wedding album.

Everything up to and including your wedding day is a story. Great photographers will capture the essence of that story. BUT – too many of those stories are never told and never shared. By some estimates, as many as 80% of couples don’t get around to buying or compiling some kind of wedding album. They inevitably end up lost in the cloud of our busy lives. Wedding zines give you the opportunity to change that.

What gets you out of bed every day?

There is truth in the statement that a picture is worth a thousand words – we’re continually inspired by the photos we receive from our couples and our job is made easier by having them. We find it enormously rewarding to be entrusted with a keepsake as significant as a wedding album, and we thrive on the challenge of making each and every wedding zine the best it can possibly be.

What do you love about your job?

We love print, design and a good love story – especially when it comes to documenting your wedding day. This is not to say there’s anything wrong with digital, but there is something about the finality of print which fits so perfectly with a wedding.

We’ll come right out and say it – couples have deserved a better wedding album for a long time. In our opinion, there has always been a gulf in the quality of wedding photos, and how they are eventually displayed and shared. There is craft in conventional albums, but they are limiting in terms of the number of photos featured, and in that they are not easily shared or enjoyed. We’re glad that we’ve been able to change that and bring wedding day memories to life – and so easily for everyone too!

What does marriage mean to you?

It’s the most significant marker of love and for us it has been enormously empowering. Perhaps love’s greatest power is its ability to bring two people together in devoted harmony. And it is that very harmony which creates the sort of fortitude needed to lead a life of balance, poise and magnanimous achievement.

Tell us about your favourite experience as a business owner?

A little lump still develops in our throats when we check final zines for quality before sending them to their forever homes. That’s probably because our wedding zines do such a good job of telling a story and evoking some kind of emotion in any viewer or reader.

The other great thing about a new venture is that we are constantly refining and innovating our product and offering, so keep expecting more from us!

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out in the industry?

It’s a privilege to work in the wedding industry and its collaborative nature is genuinely uplifting – honour that, and you’ll be fine

Credits

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