Perhaps one of our most decor-related wedding creations right after our big day was this shadow box that I whipped up to capture the cheerful spirit of our special day. All it took was a bit of leftover yellow fabric from our table runners, a festive printed lemon and lime napkin, our stamped place cards held down with river rocks, our lemon topiary invitation, our save the date photostrip, our gladiolis bulb favor bag complete with another photostrip (that reads ” plant one… on us”), and the post card that we had made from our favorite wedding photo (which we sent out to all of our guests as a thank you note).
Two years later it’s still proudly displayed in our laundry nook in front of two larger white frames (which we use to obscure the pipes and plugs on the wall behind our washer and dryer) with nothing but simple tan wrapping paper inside. Sometimes the best art is in the gift aisle on clearance at Target!
We also framed a few of our favorite photo strips (three per frame) above the console table in the living room among some other black and white art to create a little mix & match gallery:
So what about you guys? How have you memorialized your special day in your home? Any fun art projects to share? Any giant wedding portraits above the fireplace? Any hand-made albums out there? Do tell.
Kristi W. says
Hey Sherry, if you don’t mind me asking – where did you get the cute jar that you keep your clothespins in? I’m looking for something like that. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kristi,
Target! So many reasons to love Target…
xo,
s
Abby says
We recieved a simple, wrought iron like, frame that holds three 8x10s in a row horizontally. We printed three photos of us – in the middle is a portrait and on each side is candid. We love it.
Since I made all the invites, etc, I plan on putting together a shadowbox like yours but haven’t gotten to it yet.
Jenny @ Words On Wendhurst says
I love your little shadow box! I have a shadow box for wedding stuff, but it is still on my two do list, and we are celebrating our 3rd anniversary in one month! However, I did complete a scrapbook of our wedding the first year, so I consider that quite the accomplishment!
Jenelle at This Lady Blogs says
I think you should paint a monogram in the center of the tan wrapping paper in the frames…
Linzerella says
My husband and I aren’t fans of huge wedding photography, so we designed a few thoughtful wedding touches.
My hubby is a graphic designer, so created a beautiful, modern hardcover book for us to enjoy – sits on a credenza with a few other favourite design books.
And we also took the wording from our amazing ceremony, and created a beautiful word cloud from Wordle – I had it printed in soft greys and reds, and it actually hangs in our bathroom! Whenever we have guests over, they always comment on it. It’s an awesome way to remember our special day.
Carolyn says
I LOVE that yellow rug!
LauraC says
We only ordered two 8X10s to hang on our walls. A more “formal” one that we do keep in the living room and a more romantic, casual one for the bedroom. We still keep some 4×6 snapshots out too, but the 8X10 is as big as it gets; no giant wedding photo for us.
Autumn says
Hi Sherry,
I love the color of your living room walls. What’s it called?
Also, love the shadow box idea. What a great way to remember your special day!
Autumn
mallory says
We accidentally took the key to our palapa (think grass hut) home with us. 2 years later it is still hanging next to our front door where we hang up our car keys. Here is where we got married and honeymooned: http://www.hotel-lagunita.com/ if you are interested :)
patti says
i love what you guys did with your wedding memory stuff. i’m about to blog about one of my favorite things we did at our reception…we had a polaroid camera loaded up with film and each couple or family or guest was asked to take a photo and then we had coordinating paper pre-cut for people to write a special message to us. i have it all in a nice scrapbook. i love looking back at it and seeing what people wrote and the funny photos they took. so fun – that was our version of a guest book.
Meredith says
Totally unrelated question I just thought of when I got to your pic above including your big front window: I know you used two sets of identical blinds to span the whole window, which is also what I’ll probably end up doing with my big bay window. My question is, where’s the pull cord for the lefthand blind? I just realized that I don’t want a random cord hanging down in the middle of my window, but you don’t have one, so where did you hide it?
Thanks!!
Julianne Hendrickson says
I thought long and hard about what I wanted to keep from the wedding–I love flowers, so I chucked up the money to have my bouquet dried and preserved in a shadow box. I love it! It hangs in my bedroom above my jewelry box and I see it every day. It could also go on a shelf or console table, etc. I just wanted to make sure I saw it ALL THE TIME since I spent money on it…good money. But, it was so worth it!! They included Danny’s boutineer, a scaled down version of my bouquet, and the pearls that were wrapped around the base. I will have to get a picture of it and send it along :)
Chantel says
We have 5 8×10 photos that were framed the same that are throughout our home, and we have a matted photo from out engagement that our wedding guests had signed (the matte) in our bedroom. It is fun to look at who was there, (half of them I can’t remember I was so excited) We have been married 8 years this year…I love your photobooth idea it is so neat and unique.
Tiki says
I haven’t done a thing with my wedding photos, but I’ve actually been wanting to make a shadow box from some of my wedding stuff as well. Did you just glue everything down?
YoungHouseLove says
Autumn- The living room is Glidden’s Sand White which isn’t available anymore by swatch but they should have the formula available in the computer to whip up a batch for you at Home Depot.
Meredith- Since we don’t lower or raise the bamboo blinds (we’re far away enough from the street and other houses to be ok without the privacy) we just tucked the string that would have hung down in front of the middle of our two blinds behind the top of them (and tied it in a bow before we did it so it wouldn’t just drop down low enough to be seen on the other side). Hope it helps!
Tiki- Yup, I used craft glue and even a little duct tape when necessary to hold everything in place. Two years later nothing has slipped!
xo,
s
Julia says
Hi youngsters! I’ve linked this comment up to my blog (a post on one of my favorite artworks in my house – my Great Grandmother’s keys that I framed.)I’m also having a giveaway this week. Maybe you’ll like the giveaway. :o)
Megan says
It’s sad, I don’t have one picture from our wedding day up in our house. I never got around to ordering them from our photographer and although we have hundreds from the disposable cameras and friends, I still don’t have any. I do, however, have our invitation framed. I also have a few other objects that we used but am thinking about getting rid of some (fake flowers…). I’d enjoy some photos, but I have come to hate my hair that day, which is really sad because everything else was great. Maybe a nice shadow box like you created would be a good idea… too bad I didn’t think of doing one of those super popular guest book mats that are everywhere now.
Jen Z. says
love the shadow box. I’ve been waiting to do one for 2 1/2 years now :(, but I just haven’t made the time. I have to go out and buy a shadow box, because I still have all the things from our wedding waiting to be displayed. We made our menu cards, directions to the church & reception, seating cards, table numbers and I have the invitation (bought). It’s just all waiting for me to do something with it. You have inspired me. Our home needs a “touch of personal” to make it more of a home and this is a great idea. We also need to put pics in frames. I think Ikea is calling me right now. ;-)
Kelly says
I love the lemon/lime theme of your wedding! Makes for very attractive decor :)
We have a few of our favorite photos framed around the house, and I think that’s it!
jbhat says
I’m still reeling from the shot of your rings (well, Sherry’s) from the Alaska post. Your rock is gorgeous. (May we have a close-up to wrap up wedding week?) One thing that a friend of ours did was commission one of his artist friends to do a sort of architectural rendering-style drawing of our rings, which our pal then framed and presented to us on a small easel. It turned out beautifully and is one of my favorite wedding gifts.
Pam says
We used a Target (!) shabby chic off-white tablecloth as the “guest book” – took it to Embroid.Me to get our monogram stitched on first (also in off-white, so all neutral), then stretched on frames; folks used fabric paint markers (Michael’s) to sign. It now hangs on a wall in our family room (I was going to use it as a tablecloth, but loved the way it looked on the frames, as art, after all!).
Stinky says
I have a huge bridal portrait of myself that we had over the mantel for a while because we didn’t what else to do with it. My hubby said it wasn’t fair to have a shrine just to me. So the picture came down…it’s wrapped up and under the guest bed…and still nothing over the mantel. Ha!
alison says
In lieu of our wedding picture, we had our fav epic created into a pop art:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3636/3668134464_e20afa8f35_m.jpg
Kerry says
OK, that shadow box is a ridiculous number of awesome creative ideas all in one place. Your wedding must have been amazing!!!
Great job!
Johnna says
Sherry,
Where did you happen to find the shadow box? I am looking for one that is white – slightly larger to showcase my husband’s first baseball glove. I got a solid wood one from Michael’s & painted it, but it looks AWFUL! Any thoughts?
Only if you have time!
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Johnna,
We actually snagged that shadow box at Target back in the day. Hope it’s still there! Other places to look might be bed Bath & Beyond or Micheal’s (they get new stock so you might find a white one if you check back).
xo,
s
Shannon says
I gotta agree with Kerry above, the shadow box is so awesome! Every little detail looks soooo good together. We have one measley picture from our wedding up in our house bc I get wierd about too many pics of us around the house :) But this is a perfect idea to show off all the cute little things that I obsessed over!
Laura says
I just stumbled upon your awesome blog a few days ago, and I’m LOVING it! Love your designs, love the wedding/honeymoon stories… all of it! You guys are just beyond cute and talented!
Enough gushing… keep up the good work!
Cheers,
LJ
Sally says
We were married at a Quaker meeting house, and although we are not Quakers (my husband is Jewish and I’m Christian), we opted for a Quaker wedding certificate as well. Here is an example of one:
http://www.calligraphica.com/certificates2.html
Ours was done in beautiful calligraphy by a friend on acid-free paper and all of our guests signed it. We had it framed and it hangs in our front hall.
Natalie says
I have a shadow box with just a love letter in it held by 4 pins. It was written to me by my husband when we were just engaged. I always love to read it because he talks about how much fun it’ll be when we get married, have kids, yadda yadda…and 5 years later, it still is!
Krysten says
We have 2 8x10s and 4 5x7s that hang in our living room around a sign that says, “And they lived happily ever after.” Every time I’m sitting in our living room, which is a lot, it’s nice to look at those pictures and remind myself of that amazing, wonderful day.
Natalie says
This is such a cute idea! I’ve been thinking of doing something similar. I accidentally ordered Save the Date magnets for everyone on our list – instead of one for each family – so we have about a million extras! I think it would be fun to use them as a backdrop in a shadow box like this. Thanks for the inspiration! :)
Tiki says
Awesome! Ok, I’m totally going to make mine now. I don’t know why I’ve put it off for so long :)
Sarah says
Thanks for sharing your wedding anniversary moments! We were recently married and I too made a shadowbox…taken from inspiration from my wedding cake which was topped with my all time favorite flower – hydrangeas (white and green). So I took some of the flowers from the topper and dried them, the cake had green ribbon around it which was our color and I included the flowers, with the ribbon and some of my favorite pics in a shadowbox. I love to look it. It too reminds me of that beautiful day! I love remembering my wedding so much that I’m starting to overload every section of my house with different pics. Even I think it’s too much. Was thinking of creating a collage somewhere within the house in order to consolidate. Any suggestions or tips? Congratulations on your anniversary!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
Hmm, what about a nice little album or leather memory box to store some of the pics. Heck now that they’re digital and so easily reproduced, you could leave a bunch of your favorite photos out on a silver tray on your coffee table for you (and guests) to thumb through. That could be cute!
xo,
s
r8chel says
So do you ever actually use those clothespins? Do you have a secret clothesline hidden in your backyard? :) I love the smell of line-dried sheets…
YoungHouseLove says
Hey r8chel,
While nothing would make me happier than line dried sheets, those clothespins are actually left over from our shoot with The Nest magazine. They left them behind and we thought they looked so charming in our laundry nook we love displaying them as wash-related “vase filler”.
xo,
s
Brent Ellis says
I just moved to Richmond and I love your blog! Can you tell me where you got the “wooden” shades/curtains that hang in your living room and in your laundry room? Thanks a bunch!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Brent,
Welcome to Richmond! We’re glad you found our blog. As for those bamboo blinds, we snagged them at Walmart of all places (super cheap and available in a bunch of sizes). Hope it helps! We also have a room by room source guide so you can see where we got every item in our house by clicking the “house tour” tab under our header and following the link over to our source guide!
xo,
s
jane says
hi, i was wondering how or where you printed your invitations and rsvp cards.
thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jane,
We printed them out right at home with a color printer (an hp officejet all-in-one) and some heavy weight paper (100 lb to be exact- purchased from Office Max). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Marian says
My husband and I started the tradition as well of taking our picture in a photo booth on our annivesary beginning when we were first married. We’ve now been married 5 years, and I have all the pictures now including our three kids!! I’ve been looking to frame them, and love how you did it in your living room. Do you mind sharing how you put them in the frame? Are they just glued directly on top of matboard? Did you do anything else special? I’d love to know, thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Marian,
We actually just used double-stick tape to hold them down in a simple row on crisp white mat board and they look great (with about a half-inch of white space between them). Hope it helps! Your photobooth tradition sounds adorable- especially since you now have your three kids in the photos! Happy hanging…
xo,
s
Amanda says
I would love to know what size frame you use? Is it an 8X10?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s 12 x 15″ – hope it helps!
xo,
s
Samantha says
I too decided to do the shadow box with wedding things… however I haven’t gotten around to it :( All the stuff is in a little box, I just need to frame it!
I also received a blank scrapbook from MIL to make a wedding book out of, which I have yet to do. I need to print more pictures to put in there.
But I have taken bits and pieces from the wedding and scattered them around the house. There were things we didn’t keep, but the ideas are still being used. Like beer bottles as vases. They capture the light so nicely. We’re also using my handmade table runners as decor in the dining room.
Also, in Beaverdam there’s a July 4th parade every year. The theme this year was to use recycled materials in all your entries. My dad is the president of the Beaverdam Ruritan, and one of his cohosts of the parade remembered that I DIY’d almost every little detail in the wedding. They actually used my leftovers as decorations for the awards and Miss Beaverdam setup! That was the best way we’ve showcased leftovers, yet :)
shelly says
i just want to say that your website is such an inspiration!
love all the wedding DIY projects! =)
lots of love from Sydney
Mimi says
Hey youngsters! Your website has definitely got our minds entertaining the idea of a wedding in our new backyard as well – thank you for the inspiration! I’m writing wondering what creative plans you might’ve had in your back pocket, if any, for the different weather possibilities? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re lucky that Richmond is famously dry in July so we didn’t have much of an alternate plan other than if the ten day forecast showed rain we would have 9 days to rent a big tent or even move things to a restaurant instead. Instead, it showed no rain at all for most of the month, so we’re thankful for that!
xo,
s
Daniel Smith says
I love the idea of incorporating wedding memorabilia in your living room. It creates a nice accent to your house.
Jess @ Reclaimed Marketplace says
Your wedding was fabulous! It was both classy and fun without all the fuss and expense. You looked adorable! You and I got married just a few months apart. Cody and I were married 10.5.07. We were married on the Today Show! lol a little different experience but also sooo incredible!
karen B says
Hi Love your blog and all your ideas! I cant figure out how to order a custom letter Magazine monogram from your shop!
We have been married almost 4 yrs and need to step up with our wedding photos too. we have 1 hanging!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Karen,
We actually no longer offer them (we closed down our print shop a few months back since we could no longer keep up with it). Thanks so much for your interest though. And if you check out the Artsy Ideas category on our Projects page you can find out how to make a magazine monogram on your own. Good luck!
xo,
s
Erica Ann says
Oh, I have to share! We had a home made chuppah at our wedding (kind of like these: http://laurenandanthony.blogspot.com/2009/06/seating-and-chuppahs-and-cake-oh-my.html) We now use it as our bedposts. So romantic…
YoungHouseLove says
That IS romantic! Love it!
xo,
s
Amanda says
I was wondering if you could tell me (assuming you remember) where you purchased your glass coke bottles for your wedding? And if they were 355ml bottles?
YoungHouseLove says
We got them wherever we found them on sale (once at a local butcher shop, once at costco, etc). We just saved up for them and amassed a few cases over the course of a few months. Hope it helps! As for the size, they were the little ones that are the size of vintage coke bottles (they looked so cute and old fashioned).
xo,
s
Michelle says
Hi guys, Just wondering if you are still selling the letters that you used in your big P artwork. I’m having the hardest time find the letter Z. I wanted to recreate one like yours for a wedding gift.
thanks
Michelle
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry- we closed down the print shop a while back. Good luck though!
xo,
s
Daphne says
We made a photo book through shutterfly, though I’ve saved everything to make a shadow box. I’ve also photoshopped the lyrics to the song I walked down the aisle to onto a photo of our first kiss as husband and wife. We got the cd and copyright to our photographer’s photos and I love that we can do things like that with them. I had it printed on metallic photo paper and custom framed (it’s 10×15, I didn’t want to crop too much!) I also plan to have a silhouette of us under the tree we wed under printed onto a large canvas for our house one day. We were married last summer and the tree we married under was just uprooted in a huge storm, so the owner gave us a branch, and I don’t know what to do with that yet. Any ideas?
Stevara says
Hi Sherry,
Are you all still selling the customized monograms?
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry, we haven’t done that for years :)
xo
s
Sharon says
My favorite wedding related thing displayed in our home is a print of us from our engagement pictures that my Sister (our photographer) framed for us and had at the wedding for people to sign on the mat.