How to Avoid Wedding Day Memory Loss

The Trick to Remembering EVERYTHING about your wedding day

You’ve probably already heard and read plenty of wedding planning advice, but I know you haven’t heard this tip yet!

After my younger sister, Shae, got married this fall she reached out to me with the most unique and dare I say it, most important piece of wedding planning advice I’ve ever heard. Her advice is so easy and free, yet I’d never thought of it before.

Wedding Day Memory Loss is a Real Thing

Like all brides and grooms, Shae was warned by so many well-intentioned friends and family members that the wedding day goes by so fast that it will be hard to remember later. In fact, Sony recently surveyed 2,000 brides and grooms proved that this is not uncommon at all. They found that one if four people admitted to not remembering their wedding vows (yikes!) and 54% said they have wedding day memory loss. 

As sad as this is, as a wedding photographer and former bride, I can attest to this myself. Your wedding day will fly by. Despite having taken a moment or two to “slow down and soak it all in” as all wedding blogs advise, I only remember bits and pieces throughout my own wedding day. A few minutes of rest doesn’t make up for a day full of wedding day chaos, so most of my memories stem from the photos that were taken. I’m so thankful for these photos, but I know I’m missing a few precious memories from my perspective.

Shae, however, remembers most of her day. 

Her trick? Journaling.

Journaling After Your Wedding Will Help You Retain more Precious Memories of Your Special Day

Shae made it a priority to journal the day after her wedding to record everything she remembered about the wedding day while it was still fresh in her mind. 

Journaling helps to sort through your memories from your brain’s various regions (visual, auditory, verbal communication, etc.) and brings out the most important details according to this study. In short, writing about your wedding day will help solidify your memories, as well as give you something to look back on later or hand down to the next generation. 

Shae did say that writing about the long and detailed day was an overwhelming task. So she broke it up into three more manageable journaling sessions and said that it was much less intimidating.

If you’ve got a long plane ride to your honeymoon destination, this is the perfect time to break out a notebook and pen. These memories fade fast though, and she said it’s imperative to journal as soon as you’re able to.

Journaling Tips for Capturing Your Wedding Memories

Below are some tips from Shae to help you prepare yourself to do some journaling after the big day!

Practice

If you haven’t journaled before, it can feel a bit forced and awkward at first. There are so many opportunities to start journaling before the wedding that are meaningful and important – the proposal, dress shopping, the bridal shower, the bachelorette party, etc. Plus, it’s fun to look back on these moments too.

Set aside time soon after the wedding

There are so many parts of the day and the longer you put it off, the more those details will slip away. We found that writing on the plane ride to our honeymoon, and in the evenings we spent relaxing on the beach worked well for us. 

Break it up

You don’t have to write about your entire wedding day in one sitting. Personally, I broke up my journal sessions into “getting ready”, “first look and portraits”, “ceremony”, and “reception”. This allowed my mind (and hand) to be fresh!

Make it relaxing

After the wedding, the last thing you want is to feel like you still have things left to do. Don’t make it a task, but rather a way to relax, decompress, and relive your special day.

Capture what mattered most to you

Everyone has a different experience at their wedding and special moments that are most important to them. I thought my favorite memory would be our first look, but I was completely wrong. During his vows everything hit me. I did my best to put words to these thoughts and emotions so that I can one day look back and remember exactly how it felt.

Post-Wedding Journaling Prompts

Need some inspiration to get your journaling juices flowing? Below, we’ve shared some post-wedding journaling prompts to help get you started if you’re unsure what to write about:

• How did you feel when you woke up on your wedding day? 
• Who did you get ready with?
• How did it feel to put your dress on? 
• What exactly were you thinking as you walked up for the first look? 
• How did your partner’s face look the first time they saw you on your wedding day?
• Think about what it was like to walk down the aisle.
• Were there any vows that stood out to you? 
• Did you enjoy dinner? 
• What about dessert?
• How were the speeches, and did anyone surprise you with theirs? 
• Did you have any memorable interactions with family members or friends?
• Think about what it was like to be surrounded by the most important people in your life.
• Did anything happen that you could look back on and laugh about? 
• Was there anything that gave you butterflies on the wedding day?
• What gave you goosebumps?
• How did you feel as you made your grand exit?