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7 Wedding Day Items You Should Keep

Whether you’re already married or headed down the aisle, inevitably the topic of which items are worth of keepsaking comes up.

For the seasoned couple, you might be tired of hauling your 50 pound wedding keepsake box from house to house and want to know how to whittle down. For the newlywed, you might be worried of letting go a future wedding day item that you’ll regret.

Whichever boat you’re in, this list has you covered with seven wedding-day items that are worthy of keepsake status and, even better, don’t have to take up much room.

1. Bridal Bouquet

If you’re carrying a fresh flower bouquet down the aisle, you can preserve its beauty in a variety of ways.

Make a Shadow Box:

Dry out your bouquet and preserve it in a shadow box along with other wedding keepsakes (photo, ring pillow, etc.)

Press the Flowers:

Select the flowers you want and lay them out on clean parchment paper. Then take the paper (with the flowers inside) and place them between the pages of a heavy book. Put another piece of parchment paper on top of the flowers, then close the book. Weigh it down even more by putting more books on top of the book with the flowers inside. Leave for 7-10 days. Once the flowers are dry you can arrange them in a frame and hang somewhere special.

Make into Jewelry:

You can use the technique above to create jewelry like necklaces and charm bracelets. Visit your local craft store for jewelry trinkets that allow you to insert your pressed blooms. There are also a number of professional services that take your dried flowers and create beautiful works of jewelry art.

Transform into Clothing:

Imagine wearing your bouquet! Cara Mara Piazza works with brides to transform their wedding bouquets into robes, slips, intimate sets, and scarves.

Keep in mind: If you plan on tossing your bouquet, let your florist know beforehand so he/she can make one specifically for that moment.

2. Cake and Topper

Relive your cake cutting moment by keeping the top layer of your cake, freezing it, and savoring it on your first wedding anniversary. You can also collect your cake topper and put it in a shadow box or other special place that holds your wedding keepsakes.

Be sure and let your caterer or wedding venue know your plans so he or she doesn’t throw out the remaining pieces of the cake at the end of the evening.

3. Invitation

When you’re designing and ordering your wedding invitations it’s easy to forget that you might want one yourself. This goes for your save-the-dates, menus, programs, and any other paper products you might have. Choose one or all to keep and place in your wedding album.

4. Vows

Wedding vows aren’t just some words you repeat one time and forget about. They are an expression of your love and commitment towards one another.

Whether you’re repeating the age-old vows or you’ve written your own, have them printed on quality paper and revisit them every anniversary. For an even more personal touch with custom vows, save the original, unpolished scribblings on notebook paper you drafted as a reminder of the thought you put into creating them.

5. Accessories

The dress isn’t the only thing couples want to save from their ensemble. Consider the veil, ornate hairpins, the garter, heirloom-quality jewelry, bow ties and dress shirt cufflinks. All of these are small enough to keep for years without taking up much room.

6. Marriage License

Custom frame your marriage license in an elegant way, signatures and all, and display next to your wedding photos in your bedroom or somewhere intimate

If you’re already married, put a quick call into your local county recorder to find out how to order a certified copy just for framing. If you’re only engaged and not sure how to get your marriage license in the first place, find a local guide online that walks you through the steps to legally get married, like this one on how to get married in Arizona created by a local AZ wedding venue.

7. Music

Some couples create a wedding soundtrack to give as favors to their guests, but let’s be honest – you and your partner will cherish the songs so much more than friends and family. Keep that playlist for yourselves to enjoy every anniversary.

Your wedding soundtrack can include the first dance song, mother/father dance songs, ceremony music, and your favorite reception jams.

Then turn some of these items into your own annual tradition as you take a walk down memory lane. For example, on your first anniversary, share your saved piece of cake and a bottle of champagne, recite your vows again, and put on your wedding soundtrack and dance. On subsequent years, break out the photo album, toss on your songs and pop open your little keepsake box to let the memories come pouring back in.

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