You spend months, maybe more, planning your wedding and then, just like that, it’s over.
But whilst the day might have sped by in a glorious blur, there are things you can do to preserve the details of your special day for years and generations to come. In this article we’re sharing four of our favourite ways to preserve your wedding day memories.
1. Keep your wedding cake
The top tier of a wedding cake has traditionally been saved by newlyweds to be eaten on their one-year anniversary or first child’s christening (which back in the good old days, was within the first year of marriage). It’s a tradition that held firm throughout the years whilst fruit cakes were still a popular choice for weddings – fruit cake stores exceptionally well.
These days most couples are opting for less traditional wedding cakes, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be saved. And even if you don’t do it for tradition’s sake, keeping your cake is a way to be less wasteful. If you choose a large, multi-tiered cake, you’re almost guaranteed to have leftovers.
Your cake baker is the best person to ask for advice when it comes to saving your cake. They’ll know what ingredients are in it and should be able to give you an idea of how long your cake will freeze for. Most cakes can be safely stored in the freezer for 3-6 months. And the key to storing your cake for the recommended time, is how you store it.
Follow these steps to safely store your wedding cake:
- Avoid cutting into the tier you plan to save – usually the top one. This means that when you cut your cake, you should position your knife on the tier below and cut from there.
- Instruct your catering team or wedding planner to remove all ornaments and flowers from the cake (especially fresh flowers).
- The cake should then be stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator to keep it fresh. This is particularly important if your cake has buttercream icing – firming it helps with the wrapping process.
- As soon as possible the next day, wrap your wedding cake in freezer-safe plastic wrap, pressing it into the cake as you go. Every inch of the cake should be covered firmly. Repeat the process with two more layers of plastic wrap, followed by two layers of foil.
- Store your wrapped cake in a plastic zip-lock bag or airtight container in the freezer.
To thaw your cake, pop it into the refrigerator for 24 hours. And then, 3-4 hours before you plan to eat it, remove the cake from the refrigerator, unwrap it and leave it on a plate to come to room temperature.
Here’s a fun tradition twist! Don’t wait a year to eat your cake! Save your cake for your first date night as a married couple after you return from your honeymoon. Or enjoy it on your one-month anniversary.
2. Preserve your wedding flowers
If you’ve invested time, care and money into choosing a beautiful bouquet for your wedding, it makes sense that you won’t want to say goodbye to it at the end of the day. And you don’t have to. There are a multitude of ways that you can preserve your bouquet so you can enjoy it for many years to come. You can choose a professional preservation company such as bloomingkeepsakes.com.au to do it for you, or do it yourself.
How you preserve your bouquet will depend somewhat on what flowers are within it and how it has been constructed. You’ll also want to consider where and how you would like to display it. Will it become an artwork in your home or something you tuck away in a treasure box? Also think about any other florals you would like to save from the day.
Once you’ve considered these questions, talk to your florist before your wedding day. Your florist knows your wedding flowers well. And a good florist will be able to give you tips on how to preserve them – they may even offer this as a service. And just keep in mind that you’ll get the best effect if you preserve your flowers as soon as possible after your wedding day.
To inspire you to preserve your bouquet and other florals, here’s a few popular methods:
- Preserve a small selection of flowers in a glass ball. Your selection of flowers will be freeze dried before being placed into the ball. The ball makes a gorgeous ornament for your home, or a great paperweight for the office.
- Frame your bridal bouquet. This method involves your bouquet being separated and dried. Your dried bouquet will then be reconstructed and encased within a frame. This method is suitable for other wedding flowers too, such as the groom’s buttonhole or your flower crown.
- Pressing is a lovely way to preserve your flowers and it’s something you can do yourself. Start by selecting the flowers you would like to press and then place them in a flower press or between some heavy books. Some flowers respond better to pressing than others and in some cases you may find that pressing single petals works best. Your florist should be able to guide you on which flowers to choose. Your pressed flowers will look beautiful pasted to card-stock and framed.
- Start with dried flowers! Dried flowers will keep beautifully for years if you look after them. Store them out of direct sunlight and dust them regularly (a hairdryer on the lowest setting works well for removing dust).
3. Preserve your wedding day attire
Many couples choose to preserve their wedding day attire. A preserved wedding dress is a beautiful keepsake that you may want to pass onto someone else. Or if your dress was less traditional, you may wish to wear it again to another event one day. The same goes for suiting.
Whilst you can preserve your wedding day attire yourself, the best results will be achieved by choosing a reputable dry cleaner who offers this service. It’s very important that your attire is cleaned professionally before being stored too. Unseen stains are what lead to yellow stains that eventually turn brown.
Once your wedding dress or other wedding day attire has been professionally preserved, it will be wrapped and stored in a box. Keep the box in a cool, dark space.
4. Preserve your memories
Memories of your wedding day are special keepsakes you can take with you anywhere. Of course you’ll have photos, perhaps a guest book, even cards that you can keep and look back on. But what about a special scent – a scent you can wear whenever you choose to be reminded of your special day.
Whilst you may already have a favourite perfume, I recommend choosing one especially for your wedding day. This way whenever you wear it in the future the smell will take you back to that once in a lifetime day. But do try the scent out before your wedding day to make sure it’s one you can fall in love with!
One more way to preserve your wedding day memories
My final way to preserve memories of your wedding day is to enjoy planning it and then being fully present on the day itself. And that’s something I can help you with.
For help planning a memorable wedding day why not schedule a free chat with me so I can hear all your ideas for your big day.
