Live in the wedding moment forever with these tips to preserving your wedding day.

Once the wedding day has come and gone, many brides find themselves with a bit of nostalgia. While you may not be able to preserve the butterflies in your stomach from the moment you first saw your beloved waiting for you at the altar, you can preserve many of your most cherished wedding items. We put together a list of ways to keep your wedding alive for years to come. We’ve even consulted our expert destination wedding planners for tips for destination brides!

Sand Ceremony- A sand ceremony is similar to the tradition of lighting the unity candle – with a beach-y flare. Just like a flame, the mixture of sand is impossible to separate much like you and your loved one. The groom pours sand of one color into a glass vase and the bride pours in sand of another color. The two-colored sands mix and create a beautiful swirl of love, color and commitment that looks great on the mantle above your fireplace.

*Sandals destination wedding planner tip- The wax seal that we place on top of our sand ceremony vase is only temporary. Your sand will move around if your pack the vase in your suitcase. Your sand ceremony vase will be labeled with your name and wedding date and packed in a box with a “this side up label”. We recommend you carry your box in your carry-on luggage or in your purse if it’s big enough.

Freeze Your Wedding Cake– On your one year anniversary after you’ve walked down a pretend aisle with your freeze dried bouquet and your wedding dress (we’re sure you’ll be able to still fit in it) you can literally re-live your wedding day with the re-cutting of the cake. If you’re planning a destination wedding, your wedding planner will give you the option of saving the top tier of your cake to take home with you. You can also collect this after your WeddingMoon.

*Sandals destination wedding planner tip– When you request the top tier of your cake to be frozen, we will take it and freeze it until the icing is firm (fondant icing firms up really nicely). Then we wrap it two layers deep in plastic cling wrap and place it in a box to be frozen until you’re ready to pick it up. We recommend you pick it up about an hour or two before your departure. Your cake will stay frozen; even our UK brides have their cake survive the long flight home. Once you are home we recommend wrapping the entire box in another layer of plastic wrap and one last layer of foil before you place in the freezer. When you’re ready to defrost, unwrap it and place it in a cool oven. Do not turn the oven on, the cake will defrost nicely and will taste just as fresh as the day it was frozen.

(Photo Credit: framedforlife.com)

A Framed Collage – Imagine hanging a mahogany-framed picture box with a black and white photo of you and your husband on your wedding day along with a wedding invite, his pressed boutonniere, and your garter on your bedroom wall. A framed collage of cherished wedding items may also prove to be a valuable keepsake for your children one day.

Love Notes- We’re pretty sure every bride has wondered what goes through her husband’s head the morning of his wedding. Is he super nervous and scared or relaxed and at ease? Why not have both you and your husband write a love letter to each other describing how you both feel the morning of the wedding. Take some alone time before you begin getting dressed for your wedding and write down your honest feelings. In a year, on your wedding anniversary, read them to each other for the first time. Read your hubby’s love note whenever you’re feeling a little nostalgic or just need a reason to remember why you married him in the first place!

*Unfortunately US customs does not allow passengers to bring animals or plants into the United States from the Caribbean so you won’t be able to send or take your original bouquet back with you. However you could have a replica bouquet created and freeze dried for you back in the US or you can simply preserve other elements from your wedding (i.e. your garter, invites, handkerchief, veil etc).