Wedding Scrapbooking Tips

by aisledash staff, Posted May 10th 2010 5:00PM

Harper Collins

Over the course of your engagement, you probably collected a great deal of wedding inspiration; and you've likely taken dozens of photos to document every special moment, from his proposal through your honeymoon. Instead of storing your mementos in a shoebox or a spare drawer, preserve your keepsakes in an archival box or create a wedding scrapbook to document your trip from "I will" to "I do."

Darcy Miller, editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings and author of Our Wedding Scrapbook, shares her expert tips on how to create a beautiful, sentimental wedding scrapbook.

Document the story of how you met. Photos, little trinkets and stories get lost and forgotten over time, so it's important to keep everything together and record these important events. It will also be fun for your kids to read one day!
Save one copy of every element of your stationery suite for your scrapbook, from wedding announcements, save-the-date cards and wedding invitations to programs, place cards and even thank-you notes.
Keep a copy of your local newspaper from the day you were married. It will let you recall what was going on in the world on your big day -- everything from world events to what was on TV or playing at your neighborhood cinema.
Be sure to keep a copy of your vows for your scrapbook -- after all, that's what it's all about. Also, hold onto a few blooms from your bouquet and press them in wax paper between two heavy books; put the preserved flowers in glassine envelopes and include ribbon or any other elements that adorned your bouquet. This is a lot nicer than having a big, dead, dry arrangement in your home.
And those index cards with scribbled notes for your toasts? Instead of throwing them under the table when you're done giving them, hold onto them for your scrapbook. I wish now that I could read the toasts my parents gave each other at their wedding.
Hold onto your honeymoon itinerary and keepsakes. A great thing to do is to mail yourselves a postcard while you're there.
Create a list of gifts you give each other on your anniversary to record how you've celebrated your special day throughout your years together.

It is important to document your wedding for your own keepsake and for future generations. Whether you use a scrapbook or some other form of archive, whether you fill pages with memories and images or just jot some notes and preserve a few photos, do what feels right for you -- but do it!