As you might have read in Part One, I was stressing about thank-you gifts for our parents. And in addition to framed photos, we wanted to give them something that tried to capture the whole experience. Ever walk away from something special and think “Damn! I can’t believe I lost that invitation/program/other thing I would have liked to have as a keepsake of this occasion!” ? Well, we wanted our parents to have a little collection of all the things that went into the wedding. And this way they also got to have copies of the text for all the readings, song that were performed, vows, etc.
It was so much fun! We got to go through all of our stuff, all our planning notes, all our pictures, and then create a chronological recap of the wedding. It was like wrapping the whole thing up in a little (totally-inadequate-because-nothing-can-capture-the-feeling) package! I would definitely recommend people do this, if not as gifts then at least for themselves. It’s usually a given that you should try to at least get some of your pictures off of the computer and into a book or album or something, but putting together a scrapbook is a great way to keep all those little extras all together and easy to look at again: the stationery doesn’t end up in a box under the bed, you don’t forget the reading your sister did because you never printed an extra copy, etc. We also wanted to give them all the digital photos, the video of the ceremony, and the music from the reception (we made our own playlists and lots of people asked for copies of the music) – we figured we could incorporate the DVDs into the book, so that they could all be kept together and easy to access anytime.
Supplies:
- hardcover scrapbook
- self-adhesive photo corners
- scissors and/or utility knife
- ruler
- self
- spray adhesive (for DVD/CD sleeves)
- hot glue (for DVD/CD sleeves)
Possible Things to Include:
- invitations and RSVPs (we actually used the RSVPs that they sent back to us)
- photos
- ceremony program
- text from readings
- vows
- script of ceremony
- lyrics of songs that were performed
- the parents escort cards with their names on it
- their table number sign (or table name, as in our case)
- dinner menu
- DVDs/CDs: photos, video, reception music, etc.
The scrapbook we used didn't allow for adding photos or embelishment to the cover, but yours could!
Step 1
Plan the whole layout of your book first. Figure out what you want to use, and how you want to lay it all out. I found it was nice to have a mix of pages with just photos, just “paper”, and a combination of photos and “paper”. If you jump right in and start sticking stuff in without planning your whole layout, you’ll be disappointed later if there’s something you omitted or missed – and it’s a good idea to plan things out with a couple of pages to spare at the back, in case you end of wanting to reshuffle your layout in order to add something in. Also, if you are wanting to use decorative scrapbook paper, make sure to put that down before your photos, etc.
Step 2
Once you planned your layout and put all your photos, etc. on each pages where it will go, start from the beginning and put the photo corners* on each piece and place it carefully on the right spot on the page. More finicky folks will want to use a ruler and pencil to figure out their placement, but I’m inpatient so I just eyeballed it and was plenty satisfied with the results. Easiest thing to do is put the corners on first, then carefully set it down so you can move it without it getting fully stuck-on… and then once you’ve got the perfect spot stick it the four corners down firmly at the same time.
*There are lick-and-stick photo corners that are slightly cheaper, but using them in the past I’ve found them a little more difficult to work with. They adhere fine if you make sure to keep constant pressure on them until they dry – but I know I’m impatient and was trying to get these done fast so I didn’t want to have to wait for each one to dry. If you do go the lick-and-stick route, just remember to be patient! Also, you can of course just stick the photos, etc. right onto the pages, but we wanted people to be able to take things out and look at them and still have them as individual pieces, so the corners worked great for us.
Step 3
If you are wanting to add any other embellishments, go back through and add those. We kept ours very plain, but if it suits you there are tons of decorative scrapbook stuff at just about any craft supply place.
Also, you can put in things like pressed flowers from a bouquet or centrepiece, ribbon or pieces of fabric from garments or the ceremony, a seal using the wax from your unity candle, etc. But these are good to put in after the photo and “paper” elements of your book.
Step 4 – DVD/CD Sleeve
Use a CD case booklet (or a CD itself) to determine the correct size for the cover of the sleeve. We used the font and feather graphic from our wedding stationary to make the covers of each sleeve, then had it printed it on the same heavy cardstock as our invitations. On the finished page, trace a rectangle with the printed cover portion to the far right (if you want your sleeve to open from the right) or to the far left (if youwant your sleeve to open to the far left. The finished cover size shouldl be approximately the size of the disc itself PLUS about 1/4 inch in height and width. So for your rectangle should be about TWICE the cover size + an extra 1/8 inch for the fold.
On the “top” and “bottom” of the cover part, trace two tabs about 1/2 inch in height and ending exactly at the disc+1/4inch mark.
Cut out. Score and fold down the middle of the rectangle. It should look something like this…
This is the first one I did - notice the fold is kind of wonky. They got better after this one. Just make sure you score it before folding.
Step 5
Score and fold the tabs back, fold your sleeve in half, and use hot glue to stick the tabs to the back half of the sleeve. If, like me, you’re going to permanently stick the sleeves onto the book, then you can stick the tabs outside of the back panel.
Use spray adhesive on the back of the sleeve, and press down firmly into your book. I used the actual back cover, so it would be more support than just a regular page.
NOTE: You can make sleeves like this to hold things other than DVDs/CDs in your book, too. Like a little envelope of rice or confetti, or pressed flowers from your bouquet, or a little hankerchief that was used, etc.
And that’s your scrapbook!
So easy. It takes a little planning, and a bit of time, but you (or whomever it is for) will so appreciate having all that stuff in one place to browse through.
beautiful!