A scrapbook of a wedding is different than a photo album of a wedding. I believe a photo album is to showcase the photos taken at the wedding. I believe a scrapbook of the wedding is to share the story of the days/years leading up to the wedding and then share photos of the event itself.

The following suggestions are just that, suggestions. There is no right or wrong in creating a scrapbook. It is my goal to provide some thought starters to creating a wedding scrapbook.

Consider starting with a few photos of both the bride and the groom as children. Add a few photos of them as teens and then some photos of the couple during the dating process.

During the planning stages, often banquet rooms are looked at, dresses and tuxedos are looked at, and invitations are looked at. Taking a few photos of the various planning days are great additions to the scrapbook. If the bridal shop will allow it, it can be fun to take photos of the bride in each dress she tries on.

When you decide on a banquet room, take a few photos of the room empty. Take a few photos of the building housing the banquet room.

Once a menu is decided on, save a copy of the menu provided by the banquet room. One event I helped with, we actually made the menu ourselves. We wanted guests to know what was being served that night and so we included our self made menu in the scrapbook.

Youll also want to save one copy of all of the following:

An invitation
An R.S.V.P. card
A place card
A thank you note
A copy of the guest list

If you order candy bar wrappers, or any other wedding favor, save one for your scrapbook. If you use a D.J. or a band, save one of their business cards, or one of their brochures, to include in your scrapbook. If you hire any other type of entertainer, again, save a business card or brochure.

As you plan your wedding, it can be fun to journal the days. There will always be mishaps along the way and as you are celebrating your first anniversary, you will laugh over the mishaps and the other notes you took as you planned.

When the R.S.V.P. cards come in, often times folks will write personal messages. Save those. Just like a high school yearbook, its fun to go back and read what others wrote, several years later. And now, the day of the wedding has arrived. Its time to take those photos that youll want for both your wedding photo album and also your wedding scrapbook.