Your wedding is one of life's most cherished events, and that means that saving that memory is one of the most important tasks that anyone can undertake. For some, this can make it almost a nerve racking experience.
That is until now...
Here are some tips that will make it a simple and memorable experience:
First, plan ahead! Don't wait until the event is over and you find you are missing things that could have really made the pages stand out in time. If you take the time to plan the outline of your book in advance, all the critical parts will be easy to list and check off as you collect them.
There are several decisions that when made in advance will save you time, money and worry.
For example, you'll need to decide whether this album will cover your entire wedding - from engagement through the honeymoon - or, will you focus on just the wedding day itself? Unless you are going to create your wedding scrapbook in digital form and have it made into a Realbook hardbound scrapbook, I would recommend planning on 3 or 4 separate smaller books. A hand scrapped wedding scrapbook, especially with lots of dimensional pages can be thicker and larger than will fit into any conventional binder or scrapbook cover.
By breaking your wedding scrapbook up into sections of time or events, it makes for a much more manageable scrapbook project. For instance, you might want to choose a 6x6 or 8x8 album project for the engagement, bridal shower (bachelorette/bachelor party), and other smaller events with fewer photos. Then you can create the 8.5x11 or even 12x12 for the main wedding event with all its photographs and mementos that come with it.
Digital highlight scrapbooks also make great gifts for the parents and in-laws... especially if you have them done as a real hardbound book complete with custom covers and dedication.
Now that you have the big picture all planned out, get it on paper. Get a small notebook or planner for each book and a container for the photos and mementos. Then just run through each of the events in your mind or with the bride if you are doing it for someone else. Jot down notes on special pictures you want taken. Also, don't forget to start listing out the embellishments from the events that you will want to collect to add inside the scrapbook.
Save things like a copy of the invitation, samples of the napkins or other colored papers used to decorate with. Don't forget the shower/party invitations and even the bill from the caterer; anything that might remind you of a special memory 20 years down the road. Some of the flowers from the church pressed and preserved are a definite must have.
Other things to consider are airline (honeymoon) ticket stubs, place cards and even gift lists or guest lists. Fabric patches from dresses are another thought.
Just let your mind wander and write down anything that comes to mind. You can always discard things... it's hard to come up with them after things are cleaned up and thrown out.
I find that color schemes generally take care of themselves with the wedding colors and party schemes used in the actual events. It's also the easiest thing to change based on how the actual event turns out. If you have done your pre-planning for the photos and embellishments that add meaning, you'll find the page colors will easily come together.
Remember that elegance and simplicity tend to go hand in hand. The wedding scrapbooks that stand the test of time are the ones that evoke emotions and memories on every page.
The more detailed your plan is and the more embellishments you collect from the events, the less money you're also likely to spend at the scrapbook store when it comes time to finish the project.
As each event completes, now it's time to go through your photos and memorabilia from those events.
For me, Scrapbooking, especially digital or computer Scrapbooking, is about telling the stories of our lives, so I love to work with the photographs that really tell a story. Sometimes the "Best" photos aren't what are best for the scrapbook.
While professional photographs are great and a necessary part of your wedding scrapbook, it's generally the candid shots and the unplanned moments caught on film that contain the most telling stories.
The flower girl hiding behind the brides dress or the ring bearer with a face full of cake are just a couple of examples that I've seen. Mom crying as she helps get her daughter ready to give away is another photo that couldn't have been planned. Photo's like these, even if slightly out of focus or poorly famed absolutely make the scrapbook wedding album worth having.
So, when choosing your photo images to include in the wedding scrapbook, choose the photographs for the stories they tell and the memories that they capture. Don't discard an important image just because it's not the greatest photo ever taken. Use the images that bring the biggest smiles when remembering this cherished event. And, don't forget to use your journaling to tell the whole story. While an image tells a thousand words... if it's not the whole story, the real memory is lost in time.
It is also a good idea to work with duplicates (copies) of your priceless wedding photos. You may find that you will want to use these photos again in the future, and you're certain to feel a lot more creative if you know that the originals, even the snap shots, are safely tucked away.
As for the memorabilia and embellishments...
Some would say to go easy on memorabilia and embellishments so that the images stand out and get most of the attention. They may also say that it can detract from the real story. I'm in total agreement and total disagreement all at the same time.
Too much of anything is distracting and takes up space better occupied by the photographs and journaling. On the other hand, much of this great stuff really is a major part of the story and just can't be left out and tucked away in a box somewhere.
The invitation and honeymoon ticket stubs for instance. It's all about how you got there and where it all took place. Small scraps of material from the wedding and bridesmaid dresses and flowers from the church are all about how it looked and felt. Ribbons from gifts and scraps of the gift wrap itself are all about who you shared it with and how they felt. So, while too much is not a good thing... if it has a part of the story to tell, then it absolutely needs to be a part of the wedding scrapbook.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Trust your inner eyes and heart to take the reins and then just let the story unfold as you go.
A few more notes on the journaling...
If you're going to really tell the story for future generations to come, then don't just concentrate on the 5 w's (who, what, where, when, and why) - but, focus more on the 5 senses. What do you and others remember seeing, hearing, thinking, feeling, tasting? If you were the bride, how did you feel as you were standing at the altar? What did you feel as you and your new husband exchanged bites of cake? What was the weather like? What did your father say to you just before he walked you down the isle?
A great tip I was given was to ask the wedding party to contribute their thoughts via e-mail or short notes. Ask them for specific memories..."the most memorable part of the wedding day was..." Don't hesitate to coach your guests and members of your bridal party to close their eyes and to use their five senses to jot down what they remember.
Remember, your goal is to not only collect the memories, but the emotions that made them so memorable.
Tips on Assembling the Scrapbook
Start the album with a dedication page. This is especially great if you are creating the wedding scrapbook for the new couple as your gift to them. Tell why you created the album and a few details of who you are and why this wedding was such an important day in your life.
If you are the bride and groom, then this really is your personal love story. Set the scene by letting the reader know who you are and why we should continue to read on.
Now it's just a matter of starting at the beginning and letting the story unfold as it really happened. Keep each page to a single part of the story. Don't mix the setting up with the ceremony or the party after. As you lay out each page, step back and ask yourself if the whole story or memory of each image is told correctly on the page. Does it make you smile, remember and most of all feel the way you did when it first happened? If it does... then you know your page is complete and your memories preserved in time.
Your wedding scrapbook, whether digital or hand scrapped, whether placed in a commercial binder or made into a Realbook hardbound book, will be one of the most treasured scrapbook albums in your home. Don't forget to enjoy the process of creating it!
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