New Wedding Ideas to Save Money and Still Capture all the Memories

Your wedding is more than just the sum of the photographs and the gifts... isn't it?

This is the event you have dreamed of all your life. This is the moment that defines a new beginning. This is the time when two singles became 1 family. Shouldn't you capture more than just a few photos and scraps of paper?

How about capturing the memories, complete with the emotions that made it so memorable?

Pictures and names in a book are a good start, but they do little to help you feel all the emotions that were flooding the air during that time. An image can't tell you what mom was thinking as you put on the wedding dress, what dad was saying just before he gave you away or what any of the guests wished for you in the future.

Here's 2 new ways to make sure you capture all the parts of the memory forever... and save some money doing it!

Wedding Wishes:

Remember, our goal here is to not only capture the moments on film, but to really capture the emotions and feelings as well. How do you know what your friends and family are thinking unless you ask them? The questions is, how do you do that when you may not have the time to talk to everyone there...?

How about a Wedding Wishing Well or Bowl? This is really a great idea, and it won't even cost you much time or money. All it takes is a small wooden wishing well, the kind they sell for flower planting, a couple of good ink pens and some note cards. As an alternate, get a big round fish bowl to use in place of the Wedding Wishing Well.

The whole idea is to provide an opportunity for guests to wish the Bride and Groom all the best and happy tidings for the future. And the best time to do this is at the reception... where there's plenty of time and everyone is more relaxed.

Just set up a small table out of the way from the main party. Place the well or fish bowl in the middle and the note cards and pens all around. Then, don't forget to tell the guests about it and prompt them once and a while to be sure and get by the table before they leave.

Everyone needs a little prompting now and again. And, it also shows that it's important to the couple that they capture their personal thoughts.

For a more formal presentation, the note cards can be placed into little matching wedding stationary envelopes that match the Bride's color theme and/or wedding stationary.

Another alternate that fits in well with outdoor weddings is the Wedding Wish Tree. Instead of the wishing well or bowl, a tree is used instead to collect the wishes. There are many types of Wedding Wish Trees and lots of price options. You can purchase metal ones, plastic trees or even fashion your own using blooming branches from your garden or a florist shop. Of course, you can even use a tree in your garden or at the outside location.

The only thing critical is the way you attach the completed memory wishes... you don't want to harm a live tree. My best suggestion is a supply of color matched ribbon strips. Just have your guests roll the finished notes and tie them to a limb with one of the ribbons.

After the wedding events are over, the real fun begins. Now, just take the notes and use them as captions and journaling in your wedding album scrapbook. The notes can even be torn on the edges or framed as embellishments in your wedding scrapbook. That part is up to you.

Any of the wedding wishes that you don't have photos to go with can easily be made into a collage of thoughts and wishes and placed in a page all to themselves. It also makes the perfect opening intro to your wedding memories scrapbook.

The Typewriter Guest Book:

I heard about the Typewriter Guest Book from Martha Stewart. It was featured as her latest discovery for a guest book alternative. I had to admit, I loved this idea for really capturing peoples thoughts and feelings right there at the moment it happened.

All you need to do is to look for an old-fashioned, "inexpensive" typewriter. I have no doubt that you'll find one online (check e-Bay), at a flea market or at your local thrift shop... just make sure it works.

Come the wedding day, set it out on a table in the entry area of the wedding or wedding reception. You may want to put it out at both if you have guests that are only attending one or the other. Now, just load the typewriter with matching stationery.

You could also use long sheets of legal sized paper or even a paper roll, but the drawback to that is that it makes it hard to fit into your scrapbook wedding memory book later. The pages would have to be cut to fit.

Of course, if you plan on cutting them out into individual journal notes... it makes for less paper changing. Digital Scrapbooker can even scan in the pages and cut and paste at will. I actually kind of like that idea...

Now, as your guests arrive, all they do is to type in wedding wishes to the Bride and Groom along with their name and any other sentiment that comes to mind.

The important thing is, no matter which wedding idea you use, is that you are not only capturing images, but the thoughts and memories that go with them. That is what is really going to make your wedding album scrapbook a cherished keepsake rather than just an album of photographs.

Best wishes and a lifetime of happiness...