So you are married, the honeymoon is over (in the literal sense), the thank you notes have been written, and building your life together has begun. So too has the reality you just inherited a lot of stuff! If you had a large wedding like we did, your home now has a large stack of wedding cards sitting in a heap somewhere. What should you do with those cards? While tossing them may seem like the quickest and easiest solution, there are actually lots of options!
1.Toss them
Ok, tossing them is of course a viable option, especially if you don’t like “stuff,” have the room, or feel no sentimental attachment to them. However, many people write beautiful, personalized, messages in wedding cards. There may be points in your marriage—for example an anniversary; the death of someone who gave you a wedding card; or even a marital spat—when you will want to re-read those beautiful words of wisdom and love. I say “If in doubt, don’t throw out!”
2.Store them
If you decide to keep your wedding cards (which I hope you do!) or just the ones with personal messages written inside (another good option) you can store them in numerous ways. First, keep them all together in one compact holder where they will not be exposed to air or moisture—like a Rubbermaid box or acid free box available at craft stores. You can even put other things from your wedding in the box—like petals from your bouquet to give the cards that everlasting “scent” of your day. Or spray the inside of the box with the perfume you wore that day. The box can be kept anywhere you want. Some popular places are: a hope chest; the basement; a drawer in the china cabinet; or on a coffee table (especially if you decorate the box or pick a really pretty one)
3.Scrapbook them
The word “scrapbook” can be intimidating to people who have never made one before. However, scrapbooks are not scary! They can be as ornate or simple as you want. You can do something simple (like I did) and buy a $5.00 old-fashioned scrapbook; a thing of ACID FREE glue (very important) and just glue all your cards into the book. Done. No extra stickers, coloring, decorating, etc. needed. Or, you can go all out. It is up to you! Having all your cards in some type of scrapbook is nice because they are all in one place and can be looked at very easily. Another idea is if you are making a larger “wedding” scrapbook with photos, your invitation, and other mementos, to include the cards in that.
4.Cut them up
For many people, the personal messages in the cards are what really matter and are worth saving. So, don’t feel afraid to cut up your cards, saving just handwritten messages and/or pretty parts of the front of the card. You can then do many things with your snippets of cards, like intersperse them in a wedding scrapbook or photo album. You can even make a collage with your wedding invitation as the center point and all the personal messages around it. Frame the collage and hang it somewhere special in your home.
5.Eat off them
This one sounds silly, but making placements out of your invitations is a really cute and unique idea. For each place mat, cut 2 pieces of contact paper approximately 12" x 18". Peel the backing off one piece and lay it sticky side up on the table. Arrange your wedding cards or pieces of particularly special ones on the sticky side of the contact paper. Press everything flat with your fingers. Peel the backing off the 2nd piece of contact paper. Place it sticky side down. Do not worry about lining up edges exactly or about wrinkles. Just press everything down as flat as possible. Then, trim around all edges with scissors. You could also put dried flower petals from your wedding bouquets in the placemats. Use the placemats on special occasions like your wedding anniversary or just for decoration on a table you seldom use (like your nice dining room table) What great conversation pieces they will make and if you happen to have a dinner guest who finds his/her message you will make their night!
I hope I have given you an idea or two for preserving your wedding cards. It may not seem like it now, but in time, you may be very glad you did!
No comments:
Post a Comment