Re-creating Your Wedding Memories
by Patti Coombs
If you are like me, creating your wedding album is
one project you've been putting off doing. My wedding was very special,
and I wasn't quite sure how to begin preserving those memories (not
to mention that my wedding was over two decades ago!). But once
I got started, I found it was easier than I thought. Read on and
follow these simple tips to create a beautiful wedding album that'll
be one you return to over and over again.
Turning Back
the Clock
Whether you got married two years ago or twenty, the process of
re-creating the magic of that special day can be a little daunting.
If you take some time to do your "homework" before you
create your scrapbook, the process will be smoother and the result
will be a complete album of your big day.
1. Assemble everything you have that has anything
to do with your engagement, wedding, and honeymoon. Don't
just collect pictures and invitations from your wedding -- if
you can find canceled checks or bills from the caterer or florist,
file them too. You may also want to gather photos that don't necessarily
relate directly to the wedding. These photographs may include
seemingly insignificant items, like wallpaper, that may jog memories
of your first date or even the moment your husband got down on
his knees to ask you for your hand. This will work wonders if
you're going back a couple of decades.
When collecting items, I've found that setting
up a desktop file holder or using a sturdy box, such as the Memory
Box from Highsmith (800/554-4661) or the Photo Case from Cropper
Hopper (800/826-8806), are great options. I keep the file in a
convenient place so I can easily file an item when I come across
it.
2. Ask family members and friends to share
personal pictures, slides or mementos from your wedding and the
time surrounding it. You can easily make prints and return
the originals.
3. If possible, track down the photographer
used at the wedding. With any luck, he or she may still have
the negatives of your prints. If you're having a difficult time
finding the photographer, don't give up. Check with the Chamber
of Commerce, local business organizations, or other photographers
to see if they have any information about your photographer.
4. If you are able to locate the negatives
of your pictures (either from a professional photographer or family
member), make sure you take the negatives to a lab that is equipped
to process older negatives. Because these are your precious
wedding pictures, you may want to consider getting lab recommendations
from a professional photographer.
5. Solicit help from family and friends who
attended the wedding. This will be one of the most useful
tools in re-creating your magical day. Like most brides, I was
so nervous, excited and completely caught up in the moment that
I hardly took the time to focus on the little details of my wedding
day. To help flush out these details, I gave family and friends
a sheet of questions, asking them to write down their memories
of my wedding (see sample questions).
If you're working on a friend's wedding album or even your mom's,
this questionnaire will be instrumental in telling the story behind
the relationship and wedding day.
6. Most importantly, record your own memories.
As with any memory recollection exercise, just write down
everything you remember first, then go back and sort and edit
the information.
Reprinted with permission from Creating
Keepsakes. This article originally ran in a special wedding
issue of Creating Keepsakes Magazine.
