Its important to decide what your goal is before you enthusiastically approach your first page. Would this scrapbook only tell your wedding day tale or do you want it to include everything from the engagement to the honeymoon? Decide on a look and feel (romantic, vintage, clean) as well as on the color scheme before you start this exciting project.
The most popular way is to go with your wedding colors, but it might be interesting to add a bit of extra color, for example if your wedding colors were white and lilac, you can add silver and a deep purple to this, even a slight touch of pink. As long as the colors don't overpower your photos - the extras should be subtle in order to make your photos the primary focus (the majority of the memorabilia can be stored in a nice memento box). You would not want to look at this in 15 years and scream, therefore its better to keep it simplistic, which will definitely guarantee a timeless and elegant look.
It would be wise to do your planning before you hit the shops. This would include how many pages your album would be, what photos and memorabilia you would like to use etc. To create a personal, intimate feel, use the more spontaneous photos for scrap booking, the more posed photos can be framed or sent to family members, the remainder of the photos can be stored in a separate album. It is a good idea to print a duplicate set to work with. This would give you peace as you are working, knowing that your originals are safe.
Memorabilia you might want to include:
- Wedding and bridal shower invites
- Fabric from your dress (as well as any other fabric samples)
- Receipts
- Bridal registry
- Napkins
- Any form of printed material (menu, song-list etc, congrats and thank-you cards)
- Honeymoon tickets and extras
- Congrats and thank you cards
The foundation of a scrapbook is the journaling, sit down somewhere where you won't be disturbed and go back to that special day. What did you feel when preparing for this big day, when the minister declared you husband and wife, sitting at the reception looking at your guests? When writing, be real and be yourself. We so often forget these very special moments, this way your memories will be preserved as long as you both shall live.
Bring in some of your friends or family's thoughts - ask a few people you are close to, to write down a sentence or two on what it was that stood out for them on this day (supply them with nice paper or a colorful pen). Start the book with a dedication page: why you are creating this scrapbook, why your wedding day was such a special day etc. Some other pages you can add are: what I remember or what I was grateful for or even what didn't matter at this stage. As women, we often plan this day and want it to be absolutely perfect, but when we are in the moment, we realize that that is so not the point of this day.
Get Cool Scrapbooking Supplies
As you create your book, be real and true - don't only choose the perfect pictures. Being real when choosing your photos and writing your love story will show throughout your book. And most of all, enjoy making this book and enjoy this season!
Scrapbooking Tools, Supplies & More all at Joann.com:
- Love Quote Stickers
- Memories in the Making Memory Page Kit
- Doodlebug Page Kit 12''X12''-Essentials Love Spell
- Keepsake Kit Handmade Pages 12''X12''-Love
- Metallic Accents
Black Scrapbooking sites:
Essense: Essense Vibez
Lisa: Ethnic Scrapbooking
Sasha: Sassy Sasha
Tanisha: Girl Lemme Tell You
Terrie: Scrap Evangel
Vee: Creative Blessing
For info on wedding photographers in South Africa go to SA Wedding Photographers