Wedding keepsake ideas: what to keep and how to store it
Keep the invitation, order of service, a few flowers, the cake topper, guest cards and a fabric offcut. Store paper flat and fabric padded, and photograph the objects for the book.
Most wedding keepsakes have to be gathered in the last hours of the day, when nobody is thinking about them. Ask one person in advance to collect the paper and small things before the room is cleared.
Afterwards, split what you have into what lives in a book and what lives in a box. Flat paper suits pages; flowers, a topper and fabric need a box, with a photograph in the book.
Make the memory book together
Invite people to send photos and their own words, then choose what goes in the book.
| Keepsake | How to store the original | What goes in the book |
|---|---|---|
| Invitation | One copy flat in an acid-free folder, out of the light. | A second copy or a scan, with the envelope if it has a postmark you want. |
| Order of service | One copy kept flat; unfold it if it was folded for the day. | The cover and the page with the readings or music. |
| Menu and place card | Flat, in the same folder as the invitation. | The place card beside a photo of the table. |
| Bouquet | If dried, keep in a separate box after checking for moisture and shedding. | A fresh bouquet photo and a photograph of the pressed or dried arrangement. |
| Cake topper | Cleaned, wrapped in tissue and padded so it cannot move. | A photo of it on the cake. |
| Dress | Check care for the fabric, then use a suitable box with any folds padded. | An offcut or ribbon in a clear pocket, and one full-length photo. |
| Guest book or cards | Boxed together and flat until you decide how to show them. | A few pages or cards, or a separate cards book. |
| Vows and speeches | The printed copy or the speaker's notes, kept flat. | Your own vows in your handwriting; a speech only with the speaker's agreement. |
| Confetti or a favour | Photograph food or plant-based favours; store other objects separately from paper. | A photo and a factual label naming the maker or material, if known. |
Brief a collector before the day
Give them a flat box or large envelope and a short list. Put spare copies of the stationery aside yourself before the printing is handed out, so there is one copy to keep and one to cut.
- Two copies each of the order of service and the menu.
- A place card and the table name card.
- A few flowers only if you want to dry or press them.
- The cake topper, once the cake is cut.
- The guest book or the box of cards.
Flowers
Photograph the bouquet fresh if possible. If you want to press or dry flowers, choose that method while they are fresh; photograph the result before packing it.
Use a separate container for dried flowers and check they are fully dry before closing it. In the book, use photographs or a copy of a pressed arrangement rather than loose petals.
The dress and other fabric
Ask about care for the garment's actual fabric and trim before cleaning. The Western Australian Museum recommends a roomy conservation box and padding any folds with acid-free tissue.
A small piece fits in the book: an offcut from alterations, trim from the veil, a ribbon from the bouquet. In a clear pocket it shows the true colour, which photos often do not.
Paper, sugar and things that spoil
Keep one invitation flat and untouched. Use the second copy or a scan on a page, so the original never gets glue on it.
A sugar topper or icing flower attracts insects and softens in damp air. Photograph it and keep only toppers made of something else, wrapped and away from paper.
Pages to make
Before the day
Choose the collector and give them a box, envelopes and the list. Set aside spare copies of every piece of stationery.
On the day
The collector takes two copies of each paper item, a few flower stems and the topper before the room is cleared, and keeps the box somewhere safe overnight.
The first week
Photograph and then press or hang the flowers, clean the topper, and arrange cleaning for the dress. The flowers cannot wait; the rest can.
Book or box
Sort the objects into flat paper, textiles and other items. Photograph them for the book and give each group a suitable separate container.
Questions
What do you do with a wedding dress afterwards?
Choose whether to keep, sell, donate or remake it. If storing it, check care for its fabric and trim, then use a suitable roomy box with padded folds.
How do I keep my wedding bouquet?
Choose whether you want a photograph, pressed pieces or a dried arrangement. Store dried material separately from the paper keepsakes, and use photos of it on the pages.
What should go in a wedding keepsake box?
Things that do not lie flat: the topper, dried flowers, the dress, favours, the ring box. Put a contents list on the lid so you know what is inside without unpacking.