To Have and To Forever Cherish Your Vows - A Wedding Keepsake

Vows are an incredibly special part of any wedding ceremony, of course, and they become so much more special when you and your partner write personalized vows.

Source: Heart Shaped Lock Box

It’s easy enough to save these vows by putting them in a photo album or in a box of other important papers, but it is just as easy for them to be forgotten there. More likely, they will get lost in the day-to-day shuffle, and it will be up to the two of you to remember the words.

Your wedding vows are important, though, and should be kept somewhere equally special. Your vows are the most heartfelt profession of your love you’ve likely ever spoken. They should continue to serve as a frequent reminder of the promises you made to each other. This white and gold heart-shaped lockbox is a beautiful way to save your vows. During your wedding, after you each say your vows, place the written vows inside the box and lock it.

Source: Locking Vows Inside

During the reception, display this unique keepsake on the head table in front of you. After the wedding, the box can be displayed somewhere in your home, on a dresser or the mantel, for instance, and your vows of love will always be within easy reach.

Source: Heart Box Display

The best thing about this lock box is that it stores and protects the emotions you felt about each other at one of the highest peaks of your relationship. These feelings deserve to be held on to and cherished. just as you hold on to and cherish each other. Every time you look at this box, you can be reminded of those emotions. Any time you are struggling or maybe have forgotten how your wedding day felt, all you have to do is unlock the box and read through your own words and relive some of the best moments of your relationship.

You could even make a tradition out of reading the vows together on your anniversary, and add new vows to them as your relationship grows and evolves.

Source: Writing Vows, Writing With Daughter

If you have children at the time of your wedding, you could write a letter to them as well, a parental vow of sorts, and keep that in the heart-shaped box, for them to read when they’re older. Or, if they’re old enough at the time of the wedding, you could have them participate in the vow-writing so their own words can be included in the lock box along with their parents’.

This elegant vow box is an exquisite, romantic supplement to a wedding ceremony and to a bride and groom’s devotion to each other, and will keep the written vows alive and fresh far longer than a memory could.

Elizabeth graduated from The University of Findlay with a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing. She now resides in Portland, Oregon where she is employed in the real estate business and is particularly enjoying the local cuisine. As a writer, Elizabeth believes in a quote from one of her favorite TV shows: "We have only two jobs on this Earth. The first: to learn. The second: to cope." A deep desire to learn struck Elizabeth when she was young, and now she hopes to help you cope by sharing information, and helping you apply the knowledge. Weddings and event planning can be overwhelming; sometimes it's okay to take a little advice from a stranger on the internet.

Tips for Keeping Wedding Day Memories Fresh

If you are like most brides, a lot of your wedding budget is allotted to favors and mementos for your guests. You are probably working hard to think of ways to make the day memorable for them. It is great to do this for your friends and family, but don't forget to make sure you have everything you need to keep your wedding day memories alive for yourself as well.

The most obvious way to capture memories in this day and age is with a camera. You will want tons of pictures. It has become quite popular for couples to leave a disposable camera at every table for guests to take snapshots throughout the night. You will also want to make a detailed list for your photographer to make sure you get all the pictures that you want. You can even include a list of candids you might want them to capture, like the flower girl dancing or the bride chatting with bridesmaids before the ceremony.

Aside from photographs, you will want your own keepsakes to place on shelves or tuck in a scrap book. Keep this in mind while you are planning. For example, when you go to your florist ask about bouquet preservation. When you are choosing your cake topper, pick something you might also like to put in a shadow box or on a mantle as an everyday reminder of your commitment. Instead of a guest book, you could opt for a signature frame. This is usually a large mat that guests can sign with ink pens or permanent markers. There are also engravable signature frames like the one shown here. These come with an engraving pen that guests use when signing their signature or special message into the frame. Choosing a frame instead of a book allows you easier access to the memories of well wishes from your guests.

Throughout the day, tuck a few items that you will want to keep into an envelope or bag. This could be a personalized beverage napkin for your scrapbook, or a few of the flower girl's petals to dry or preserve. You will want to do the same on your honeymoon. Other things you will want to save could be the notes you wrote for your speech or your vows. The rough draft with lines scratched out and replaced is a perfect way to recall exactly what you were feeling when you wrote it. You could also ask your best man and maid of honor if they would mind handing over the notes for their toast or giving you a copy. Make sure you get a good keepsake box or scrapbook for all of this before hand. This way the items can be put in their proper place immediately and won't get lost or forgotten.

Most people get their dresses preserved and keep their hair piece, jewelry, and groom's accessories safely tucked away over the years. These are brought out on occasions when you are feeling nostalgic or cleaning out the attic. But wouldn't it be nice to keep them in your every day life? You can do this by creating a large shadow box or wall hanging. The one pictured here was made by The Heirloom Shadow Box Company. These both preserve and display the items in an artful way behind a glass frame. You can even have soft lighting installed within the box to create a real show case for your most precious items. If the idea of framing the dress doesn't appeal to you, you can still have a collage of your program, invitations, flower petals and several other small items framed in a much smaller version.

Tangible reminders of your wedding in your every day living space or carefully preserved in an easily accessible scrapbook will put that wedding day joy right at your fingertips!

~Jenna