7 Wedding Memory Ideas To Remember Your Special Day

Your wedding day is a special occasion that you want to remember forever. 

Dad walking the bride down the aisle. The first dance as husband and wife or (husband and husband or wife and wife). Grandma crying with joy at the words “I do.”

Wedding memories happen for more than one day. There’s a story behind how the happy couple met, your engagement, and your future. Wedding memories should incorporate more than the marriage ceremony and reception. You want to remember the big day and all the memories before and after it, and you want to share those remembrances with loved ones and friends.

How do you preserve all the memories of your wedding?

Here are 7 wedding memory ideas to remember your special day

#1 Save Those Pre-Wedding Memories

Your wedding day is a big deal, but it wouldn’t be happening without some of those pre-wedding events. A journal or wedding memories album that captures the special moments before your wedding day will be a valuable keepsake in the future. 

Here are some ideas to make your wedding more than a day and save your story as a couple:

• Take some time to document when and how you met, your first date, and any funny stories you share.
• Ask your family for memories about you as a couple.
• Tell the story of your engagement.
• Consider taking engagement photos.
• Save the engagement announcement, if there is one.
• Don’t forget about photos and memories from bachelor and bachelorette parties and wedding showers.

And since you were a couple before you got engaged, make sure other special memories are kept alive like your first kiss, the first time you said “I love you,” the first time you met family or friends, or the first holiday you took as a couple. 

#2 Include the Wedding Destination

If you’re planning a destination wedding, take some time to save memories from before your wedding day. If your wedding will be held somewhere far from where you live, get some photographs from home, which will document the area that you’ll return to as a married couple.

Your engagement photos, for instance, could be taken at a landmark near where you live. Photograph your trip, including the time before you leave for the wedding. How about a photograph of the bride packing her dress, or the groom helping her into a cab at the airport? Travel and leaving home are part of a destination wedding, so that should be part of the wedding memories too. 

When you arrive at your destination, save mementoes like a hotel brochure, local map, or a hand-made souvenir. There are likely some local and unique spots that you can include in wedding day photos, too. If your wedding is close to home, you can still save photos and mementoes of the wedding venues.

#3 Be Prepared on Wedding Day

When it comes time to commemorate the big day, there’s so much to think about that your photo shoot can get overwhelming. Rather than risk missing a shot that you really want taken, do some preparation before the wedding. Make a list of the special wedding photos ideas that you will want included.

What did you choose for something old and something new? What does the bride’s bouquet look like? Did grandpa fall asleep during the speeches? You want to capture it all.

If you hire a photographer or videographer, work with her or him to create a wedding photos list and plan ahead. Build in time to travel to landmarks, include any unique or funny photos, or a pic of your puppy at the ceremony. 

Don’t forget the more “common” events that are part of any wedding, like the bride, groom and wedding party getting ready; the wedding dress and rings; the walk down the aisle; the vows; the first kiss; the first dance; the supper and reception. 

There’s a good chance you’ll cry, so it’s OK to get a photo of those candid moments too.

There are also formal group shots of the bridal party, family and others. With your list in hand, you won’t have to worry about it on your wedding day, and you can enjoy your event knowing you’ll get all the photos you want.

#4 Ask Guests to Contribute

Add to your own memories by asking your guests to contribute theirs too. 

Here are some ideas.

Rent a photo booth, which allows guests to pose for pictures that you get to keep. A photo booth lets your guests have some fun with photos that you get to keep. You can also ask guests to share their “serious” photos of the day too. Or, include signage that features a unique hashtag and ask guests to post pictures on social media for all to see. 

Have a keepsake box at your reception and ask guests to bring mementos, letters or photos, or a special note to the new couple. A guest book could include a request to write a memory of the bride or groom, or a piece of marriage advice. There are even companies that make coasters that serve as a memory card, allowing guests to write notes at their table. 

#5 Save Special Mementoes

Your wedding day will include some special mementos that you will want to save. There’s your invitation, ceremony program, and cards from guests. There may be some decorations you want to save.

Keep a copy of your vows, and the lyrics from the song that became your first dance. You can even write a journal, with special memories from before and during your wedding, as well as the honeymoon. Even those who choose to elope will want to document their day.

#6 Document The Events After the Big Day

After the wedding comes the marriage, with more special times worth documenting. Save your honeymoon memories, whether it happens immediately or at a later date. Take photos of your return home, or your move into a new home. 

And of course there are wedding anniversaries to celebrate every year. In fact, you’ll be able to look back on the memories of your big day every year as a special way to commemorate your anniversary. There will be special holidays together and maybe eventually a baby will join the family.

Even the small, everyday moments are worth capturing, as much of life is about the times in between the big events. It’s worth saving the story of your relationship and not just the day of the wedding.

#7 Bring It All Together in One Place

It’s difficult to reminisce about your wedding when the keepsakes, photos and videos are in different locations. Your guests’ photos may be on social media, while you have pictures on your phone and your photographer provided you with a digital copy. Your paper mementoes are likely in a box and your guest book is another separate souvenir.

What is the best way to create a wedding memories album? By using a digital tool like memoryKPR to bring it all together. This easy-to-use platform lets you create a digital memory book for your wedding. Come up with a cute or catchy title for your memory book, such as “Happily ever after starts now” or “You're the peanut butter to my jelly.”

You can add chapters for different events, like the engagement and honeymoon, or have a completely separate story “book” for each event. You can then share what you want with family and friends, and even on social media. You control the privacy of your stories, as your data is never shared, and you always have access to download your stories. 

It’s easy to upload files and most formats are supported, including JPEG, PNG, MP4, MP3, WAV, and more. You can add photos, videos, audio files, screenshots and more. Record audio right into the story, or upload from your library. For instance, rather than printing the lyrics from the song of your first dance, add an audio file to your story book.

You can also include journal notes, pictures of cards and notes. With the new memoryKPR app, it’s easier than ever to build your story books. Start it on your tablet, add photos from your phone, and go back to write journal notes using your laptop.

On your wedding day, you can use memoryKPR to easily gather photos and other memories from your guests. Remember when weddings included disposable cameras at every table, which guests would use to snap photos that the bride and groom then printed for an album? This is easier for you and your guests.

Create an album with permissions for contributors. Then leave cards with a QR code for the album around the wedding event. Guests can scan the code and contribute to a collaborative memoryKPR album, uploading and viewing pictures and videos, titles, captions, voice notes and more. 

With a QR code and some instructions, you can even re-create a photo booth by simply asking guests to have some fun with their photos. If you choose to post wedding photos to social media, you can add to your story book by importing directly from Facebook and Instagram. You decide who contributes to it and who sees it.

When the “book” is done, it’s simple to share with family and friends for everyone to enjoy. You simply send a link by email, or you can choose to share it on social media. memoryKPR makes it easy to create a full story book or several books that will ensure you remember all the special moments of your wedding day, as well as the memories before and after the event.

Epilogue

A wedding day is a big celebration, whether you invite 10 guests or 300, or you elope and celebrate on your own. You want to remember all the special moments of your wedding day. It’s also worth saving the story that happened before the wedding, and the special moments that follow.

Protecting and preserving those special memories doesn’t have to cause extra stress and work. With our 7 wedding memory ideas to remember your special day, and an easy-to-use tool like memoryKPR, you’ll be able to cherish your wedding for years to come.

Ardith Stephanson is a freelance writer and journalist who shares some of her own stories at theardizan.com