Happily Honeymoon Scrapbooks

What's the best thing about getting married? Commitment, companionship, champagne... and a carefree honeymoon! Whether you splurge on an extravagant trip or just take a few days to de-compress from the wedding and practice calling each other "Husband" and "Wife," your honeymoon is a special time you'll treasure throughout your married life. Your smile is wide, your hopes high, and your dreams endless. A honeymoon scrapbook helps capture the details of this special trip and keep that elated feeling in your heart. I didn't make my honeymoon album until a few years after my wedding, and am so happy to finally have a beautiful display of my favorite trip. Don't wait to make yours! You'll love the feelings each page brings rushing back. Here are a few tips and tricks to making a hip and happy honeymoon scrapbook:

Before you set sail

If you're reading this article before you set off on the honeymoon, take the opportunity to plan ahead. Along with several outfits you'll enjoy being photographed in, you might want to bring:

• A folder, box or other waterproof, bend-proof container for saving memorabilia.
• A journal for jotting down your thoughts and anecdotes throughout your trip. Try to write a little each day, on the beach or at night before you go to sleep. If you can get your new hubby to also journal his vantage point, you'll have the material for a His & Hers album. Note to the wise: husbands are known to be at their most cooperative on their honeymoon. If ever there is an opportunity to get him involved in your hobby, this is it. Seize the scrapbook day!
• You won't forget your camera of course. Make sure to also have enough memory cards or film, batteries and a converter if you are traveling abroad. Beach bound? Consider an underwater camera.
• A list of some of the photographs you want to capture, or
• A Me & My Honey keepsake, which includes a wedding, honeymoon and anniversaries scrapbook and storage suitcase set with the signature Let-Me-Tell-You design that provides inspiration, a stylish format and creative ideas for what to capture.

On your honeymoon trail

Throughout your honeymoon keep your eyes out for items that will add color to your layouts and help tell your honeymoon story, such as:

• Local magazines or newspapers
• Hotel giveaways, such as plastic room keys, stationery or notes from the staff
• Ticket stubs
• Receipts for memorable expenditures
• Paper menus from fun meals or recipes for drinks or food you love
• Matchbooks, business cards or napkins from establishments you enjoy
• Maps
• Brochures
• Postcards
• Labels or pretty wrappers from bottles or local foods
• local stamps and currency, if you travel abroad

Tip: If you can't take it with you, take a picture of it instead!

The important detail

When you get home from your honeymoon, whether or not you can get started on your album right away, take the time to organize your photos and memorabilia, picking out the best and setting aside the rest for supporting roles, future albums or, for those you'll never use, picture heaven (a.k.a. the garbage). It's also a good idea to review your journal and fill in key dates, memories and anecdotes you want to make sure to remember.

Telling your honeymoon tale

Once you've organized and assessed the volume of your honeymoon mementos, you're ready to choose an album and get started. Some people like to keep things simple. Others like to add a creative angle. Here are a few different approaches for laying out your pages:

Me & My Honey

I used the Let-Me-Tell-You Me & My Honey keepsake kit from EK Success for my honeymoon album. The set comes with a gorgeous storage suitcase, matching travel stickers for decorating the suitcase after each trip, clever caption stickers and a 4-part album divided into a wedding section, a honeymoon section, an anniversaries section and an "All Yours" section. The album's beautifully designed pages provide inspiration for recording everything under the sun. For example, there are pages for the proposal, the wedding vows, the honeymoon itinerary, daily honeymoon adventures, the family tree, plans for future trips, and major anniversaries, to list just a few of the creative topics. There are also interactive questionnaires such as "Married Truth & Share," as well as picture sleeves for storing extra pictures.

Chronological Order

If you choose to work with a blank album, a simple and savvy way to organize your honeymoon scrapbook is in chronological order. Create layouts for each day, with pictures, notes from your journal and relevant memorabilia. If you gathered local newspapers, you could cut out the date as the title for each page. You might also challenge yourself to create a layout page per day.

Best and Worst

If you're the couple that either loves things or hates them, and has strong opinions, this is a great album style for you. Create one page for your best and worst meals, one for your best and worst excursions, one for your best and worst outfits, and so on and so forth.

He Said / She Said

If you want to make this project interactive, take turns creating pages or split each layout in half and give your perspective on one side, and his on the other. You'll be surprised and amused by the disparity of some of your comments.

Travel Guide

If you travel to an exotic location, or are the type of people that really like to explore and enjoy a new area, you might lay out your album as if you are writing a travel guide. Include the history of the location; suggestions and ratings for accommodations, excursions, hotels and restaurants; travel tips; historical facts; weather; and travel information.

Whatever style you choose, you can't lose if you just have fun with the process, and follow your heart. So what are you waiting for? Your honeymoon scrapbook is just a few love-ly layouts away.

Karin Sella Sloan is the creator of Let-Me-Tell-You, and the author of several products, including Me & My Honey, and the gift scrapbook set Bride-to-Be. For more information, bridal shower ideas and bridal resources, visit her website www.let-me-tell-you.com.

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