Your wedding day is going to be filled with some of the most emotional but whirlwind experiences of your life. So much happens so quickly and in a sequence, which means that finding creative and meaningful ways to capture those once-in-a-lifetime memories is essential.
While professional photography is a given, as is videography, why not take it a step further and make preserving your memories fun and personal? Here are 10 unique ways that you can make your wedding memories last forever.
- Create shared photo albums for your guests. One of the easiest and most interactive ways to collect candid moments is by inviting your guests to contribute their own snapshots to shared photo albums from the reception. You can ask them to kindly not take pictures of the venue in terms of the actual ceremony, but for the after party, tell them to have at it. You can set up a digital album online and display a sign at the reception encouraging guests to upload their pictures. This method gives you a behind-the-scenes view of the wedding that you might not actually get a chance to see as the bride.
- Rent a video confessional booth. You can give your guests the opportunity to offer some marital advice or say something more personal than a signature in a guestbook. A video confessional booth works like a mini studio where guests can step in and record heartfelt or funny messages for the couple. Some may give you some well wishes and others may give you one-liners and jokes, but these clips make for an emotional, funny, and meaningful keepsake that you’ll treasure forever.
- Hire a live wedding painter. A live wedding painter is a unique form of entertainment and a stunning way to remember your ceremony or reception. The artist will set up at the venue and paint a live scene from your big day, typically the ceremony or the first dance. The result is a one-of-a-kind piece of art that captures your likenesses but also the atmosphere and the emotion of the moment. It’s a keepsake that is timeless and adds elegance to any home.
- Ask your guests to use a custom hashtag. Social media is a treasure trove of candid memories, but so by creating a unique wedding hashtag and encouraging guests to use it when posting on their socials, you can create an easily searchable gallery of your wedding day from dozens of different lenses. Make sure to print the hashtag on signage, programs, or table cards so that everyone remembers to tag their content after the wedding. You’ll have a fun collection of images and videos to scroll through that evening, and they’ll pop up every year.
- Choose a voice note guest book. Move over traditional guest books because the voice guest books capture so much more than just a signature. It captures audio messages from your guests, like a voicemail meets wedding keepsake. These devices are usually styled like vintage Rotary phones, and they allow guests to leave personal voice notes for the couple. Nostalgic relatives will probably share stories and friends will offer funny impressions and personal voice notes for the couple. This audio format will capture the tone and emotion in a way that writing never can.
- Use a drone for your wedding day. If you want to capture your wedding from a breathtaking angle, why not use a drone camera? They’re perfect for filming sweeping aerial shots of your venue, your guests, and your surroundings. Whether you’re getting married on a beach, in a vineyard, or at a scenic Mountain Lodge, drone footage will add cinematic flair to your wedding memories. Make sure that you hire a certified drone operator though, so that everything is compliant with local regulations and ensure safe, high-quality footage.
- Have your flowers preserved in resin. Your bouquet and flooring arrangements are some of the most beautiful and fleeting elements of your wedding. Instead of allowing them to wilt, preserve them in resin. You can create coasters, ornaments, paperweights, or even frame displays, and resin art keeps your blooms beautifully intact for many years.
- Have a wedding time capsule. Imagine opening a box on your 10th anniversary filled with mementos from your wedding day. Your vows, a bottle of wine from the reception, the invitation suite, and more can be put together in this capsule. It’s a thoughtful, nostalgic way to relive your day years down the line. You can ask your efficient or a close friend to collect messages or tokens from the day and install them in a sealed box with a do not open until label.
- Make your own highlight reel. Instead of relying solely on a professional videographer, create your own wedding highlight reel with short clips from friends and family. You can ask your guests to take short 5-10 second videos during the day. Compile these into a montage set to your favorite song or your wedding dance song. The wedding will have a raw, spontaneous nature to it and you’ll be able to capture that in the footage.
- Use Polaroids. You can give nostalgia a modern twist by setting up a Polaroid or instant camera station throughout your venue. With extra film, fun backdrops, and even guest book pages, you can have people stick their snapshots next to personal messages. The beauty here lies in their imperfection, because overexposed shots, funny poses, and quick snaps become timeless when they’re preserved physically.
Your wedding is so much more than just a day. It’s a collection of wonderful moments, emotions, and stories that you’ll want to remember for the rest of your life. Choose a few of these suggestions, or all of them. The ones that feel the most meaningful to you will be the ones that help you to create a tapestry of memories to revisit again and again.
