For all the cinematic moments and emotional fireworks of the big day — the first look! the dizzying dance party! the actual fireworks! — when it comes to reliving your wedding memories a few years (or decades) down the road, it really is all about the little things. That’s why we asked some of our favorite Etsy sellers, Etsy Blog contributors, and creative geniuses for the small keepsakes and cherished mementos that reliably bring back that matrimonial magic, time after time. Read their sentimental, inspiring, unique, surprising, and altogether romantic answers below. What keepsake from your wedding means the most to you? Tell us in the comments.

Photo by Jodi Levine/Super Make It
“I made my own bouquet from handmade crepe-paper flowers, and although I started working on it months before, I found myself on the night before my wedding with only half the flowers made! It was finished in a rush with the help of a few of my dearest friends and bridesmaids. The bouquet — which looks (almost) as fresh as it did on our wedding day — reminds me of the sweet and generous friends that helped me make the last few flowers on that warm summer night before our wedding.” — Jodi Levine, crafter and author, Super Make It!
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“Ash and I got married pretty late in our relationship — after two kids, two businesses and two houses. It was super important to us to include our boys in the wedding ceremony, so Ash made them tiny wedding rings which we gave them during the ring exchange. And then we were super mean and didn’t let them wear them, because we knew they’d be so sad if they lost them (and so would we).” — Laurel Hilton, co-owner (with her husband, Ash) of the handmade wedding band shop Ash Hilton
Shop Personalized and Custom Jewelry
“My husband and I eloped, so we didn’t have much of a traditional wedding day, but one thing I cherish is a sort of journal entry/note where I wrote down our packing list on a piece of stationery paper. We were super excited to be moving to a new apartment together and combining all our stuff into one place. I’m a big lover of stationery and making lists and writing notes, and having that document draws me back to a different time in my life; it is always neat to see.” — Deidre Kindall, felt floral designer and founder of Sugar Snap Boutique
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“As a self-proclaimed pack rat (read: hoarder), there is much I treasure from my wedding. I crafted many of the details, from the linen runners to the invites to the table numbers, so that makes it even harder to let any of it go. For place cards, I made ceramic rocks and stamped each guest’s name into the wet clay. I made two for me and my betrothed that simply said bride and groom. Now they live on the shelves by our bed, and my daughter loves to pick them up and ask me the story of our wedding day.” — Amanda Kingloff, crafter and author of Project Kid: 100 Ingenious Crafts for Family Fun
Find Reception Decor Ideas
“We have our wedding cake topper displayed on a shelf above our bed, so we can see it at the start and end of each day. Though it’s just a humble plastic bride and groom, my mom painted the bride’s bouquet to match our wedding colors – so it not only serves as a reminder of our special day, it also reminds us of all of the friends and family members that helped in big and small ways to make our day extra-special.” — Nikki, the discerning homewares collector behind Wise Apple Vintage
Shop Wedding Cake Toppers
“The week before my wedding, I forced my sister to help me hand-cut enough confetti to fill 100 individually-printed glassine envelopes, which I then painstakingly sewed closed with a breakage-prone metallic copper thread. As it turned out, our guests didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to open the envelopes, so now we have dozens of unused confetti packets stashed around our apartment. I’m actually so thankful for this, because it never fails to to remind me that the party didn’t end on our wedding day, and that the ultimate DIY project — marriage — is just beginning.” — Kasia Wisniewski of jewelry and accessories shop Collected Edition
Find Ceremony Decor Ideas
“We asked my now mother-in-law, who’s skilled at sewing, to make us a ring pillow. I actually gasped when I saw what she had created, because she went above and beyond. She embroidered the pillow with a penguin motif — which we had used on invitations and day-of paper goods — and the result was fun, modern, and exactly matched the vibe of our day.” — Etsy Blog contributor and weddings expert Jaime Buerger
Shop Wedding Party Accessories
“My favorite wedding treasure has to be our super sweet and simple silver bands. I think we paid $35 for both of them.” — Rachel Faucett, DIY blogger and designer, Handmade Charlotte
Shop Wedding Rings
“The woman who made my wedding dress used a scrap of the leftover lace to make me a sachet filled with lavender and rose petals. I still have it in my lingerie drawer and intend on keeping it forever!” — Justina Blakeney, designer, author and boho style guru, The Jungalow
Shop DIY Wedding Supplies
“I didn’t really wear much jewelry on my wedding day, just the bracelet my husband proposed with and a killer pair of earrings. The earrings were chandelier style, adorned with pearls and rhinestones that caught the light all night. I love that they felt current but timeless, too — a perfect match for my wedding style. But the best part is that I have re-worn those earrings on our anniversary (and a few other occasions) every year since.” — Lauren Kay, Senior Style Editor, The Knot
Shop Wedding Jewelry
“The keepsake we treasure most is our wedding program. We designed them and had them letterpress printed by a friend. We love being able to read through it now and relive the day, step by step, as it was almost 13 years ago! It lists all of our close friends and family as well as attendants and readings, reminding us who was with us that day. A great keepsake all-around.” — Julia and Chris Roberts, wedding paper goods designers and co-owners of Starboard Press
Shop Wedding Paper Goods

Photo by Diana Fayt
“My favorite keepsakes from my wedding day are the rocks that my dear friend, ceramics artist Diana Fayt, painted for every guest (including a special set just for my wife Clay and me). She meticulously hand painted over 100 rocks just for our wedding day, and she called them ‘100 Stones for Love.’ Each table had stones on it, and people could choose their own to take home to remember the day. Clay and I still keep ours on our bedroom dresser with other mementos from the day.” — Artist, illustrator and author Lisa Congdon
Shop Personalized Touches
“We’ve been married 14 years next month. Our wedding was such a special day because of what it began: our union. I walked down the aisle in a perfect dress — it was simple, shiny and white, and my mom made it. So much love wrapped around me that day, I was like a carefully, beautifully wrapped gift ready to share all I have forever with the man of my dreams.” — Sarah Clark, of handmade furniture and bag shop Kith & Kin
Shop Wedding Dresses
“Sometime after our vows, the pastor gave my husband and I each half of a one-dollar bill. I don’t remember his speech, but I do know that the half one dollar bill symbolizes our unity together as one, in marriage. To this day, we both still have this keepsake as a reminder.” — Jewelry designer and Etsy seller Cindy Liebel
Shop Keepsake Boxes
Lead image: Custom puzzle by Double Trouble Puzzles
61 comments
Francine from HomespunHeartofMine said 2 years ago
What a GREAT article, Valerie! Such imaginative ideas for creating memories that will last a lifetime! I'm sure many of these inspiring finds will be used by couples planning for their big day!!! :D
DeUno from DeUno said 2 years ago
So beautiful! Great ideas! Thank you for sharing!
Sue from SuesAkornShop said 2 years ago
Lovely! Great ideas.
Megan from MegansMenagerie said 2 years ago
Love. My dress and rings are my favorite keepsakes!
Elizabeth Mazurkiewicz from CrossStitchElizabeth said 2 years ago
Very, very beautiful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rachel Bingaman from BingArt said 2 years ago
Beautiful ideas :) A small little glass ketchup bottle is my favorite keepsake- hahaha! I got it from our hotel on our honeymoon which was crashed by a hurricane. That storm sure made for some incredible sunsets after, amazing memories, and wonderful inspiration for my own work. Just celebrated 10 years, too!
ACR from IntoTheBluePaintShop said 2 years ago
I LOVE that wedding dress! Gorgeous!!
ACR from WoodsyWools said 2 years ago
Lovely !!
Andrii from OakKitchenBoards said 2 years ago
Beautiful -:)
Marisa Haire from HaireBows said 2 years ago
I'm getting married in 9 days and this is so sweet it's making me cry! AHHH!
Pavel Chernykh from tagilcity said 2 years ago
Beautiful dress)))
Jeannie from heartfeltwhimsy said 2 years ago
I enjoyed this article. I really love those painted rocks! And the gorgeous dress... And the paper flower bouquet... oh, I guess I love it all! :-)
LivingVintage from LivingVintage said 2 years ago
Gorgeous Inspiration.
Relly from RelsFindsNapaValley said 2 years ago
Awe... I treasure all the memories. I like this article by Valerie Rains, with all the great ideas, a collection of precious things.
Dorothy from JewelrybyDorothy said 2 years ago
Lovely!
Christina from TheWildPlum said 2 years ago
Well done! I, too, (especially) adore those "stones of love"!
Renee from RandMhandmade said 2 years ago
Wedding season is almost here..so many great idea's!!!
Priscilla from Gardenmis said 2 years ago
Gorgeous ideas! Nothing better than thoughtful keepsakes :)
accentonvintage from accentonvintage said 2 years ago
Wonderful stories!
Ana R. from ongoodroads said 2 years ago
Cute article. Love all the stories!
Snazzy Living from Snazzyliving said 2 years ago
love it.
Sally from SallysVintageKitchen said 2 years ago
Beautiful! Great ideas.
nlbgrammy from Qt2t said 2 years ago
Thanks for sharing your wonderful memories!!
Cristy Ramos from ArtisanBathandBody said 2 years ago
Love this! <3
Nicole from Crackerjackarma said 2 years ago
terrific collection ! its that time of year ~*~
Valentina . from Exclusive72 said 2 years ago
Great ideas. Lovely!
Jafeth Moiane from handicraftafrica said 2 years ago
Great ideas!
Jennifer Serene from ViennaIsLove said 2 years ago
Little love note and advice cards are my favorite keepsakes!
NeatoKeen from NeatoKeen said 2 years ago
Lovely finds, Valerie. After 35 years of marriage, my favorite keepsake is my hubby!
maxbel88 from MOMdecorShop said 2 years ago
Our wedding was a year ago and we often remember it with pleasure)) But the main and most memorable moment was our honeymoon on the beautiful island of Crete .
TheGlowingSkin from TheGlowingSkin said 2 years ago
Who's the model with the jewelry? Don't know how much keepsakes we do keep, but the photography makes you want them all.
Ingrid Fines from iamfinebydesign said 2 years ago
My most treasured Wedding Keepsake is when the Decree of Divorce became final@
Soap Sista Peters from CHEROKEEWEAH said 2 years ago
Wedding Keepsake was definitely my gown. I didn't want to take it off. I love the lady in the pic with the red lipstick and wedding earrings, a classic beauty. Thanks for sharing! Soap Sista
Hajira Gibb from HajiraKG said 2 years ago
Great ideas. Thank you for sharing :)
allwood1 from AllWoodToo said 2 years ago
Love the painted rocks...
Marijana Fraska from ArmellaMeaJewelry said 2 years ago
Lovely ideas!
Richard from LeedsRadio said 2 years ago
@ Ingrid Fines I was about to say the same thing!
VT from HandmadeTrend said 2 years ago
So many fabulous keepsake ideas. Still, the wedding dress is my favorite.
PI Photography and Fine Art from PIPAFineart said 2 years ago
Great ideas, thank you for the share Valerie.
TreasuredMemoryLane from TreasuredMemoryLane said 2 years ago
Awesome ideas! Thank you for sharing.
Parkpoom Nuntalit from RayOutLab said 2 years ago
Great ideas.
StillVintage from StillVintage said 2 years ago
Beautiful cake topper.
Karen from happiewitch said 2 years ago
My marriage is the keepsake I treasure most. Afterall, it brought me, so far, 34 years of companionship, friendship, love and kindness. It gave me 3 beautiful children and 5 amazing grandchildren.
unflappableproducts from unflappableproducts said 2 years ago
gone are the days of Jordan Almonds in netting-these are beautiful memories shared-
carains said 2 years ago
My precious husband presented me with a lovely 'wedding bells' charm, with our names and the date and time of our union on the back. Still treasured, 50 years later.
Emmaline Bride said 2 years ago
My favorite keepsake from my wedding is our cake topper. I scoured for weeks trying to find a figurine couple that looked like us. Finally found one I loved! 8 years later, it has a broken piece that was glued together but still sits proudly in our china cabinet. :)
Nikki from WiseApple said 2 years ago
This is just so sweet! Loved reading about everyone's keepsakes! <3
Brendan McCarey from PaintedClans said 2 years ago
Really nice. only finding out about etsy blog now. I make Wedding & Anniversary Gifts myself. Hand painted coat of arms in a modern twist.
Walter Silva from WalterSilva said 2 years ago
Inspiring information here!
saumya srivastava from MonalisaHandicrafts said 2 years ago
Nice..
David and Shelley DuVal from CMWrapNShipSupply said 2 years ago
Lovely! Weddings are such happy events. I love going to them. My keepsake that I treasure from my wedding is our cake topper. It is next to our bed on a shelf.
Hila Welner from hilawelner said 2 years ago
Romantic blog So preaty
Faith Wellman from DoodleTimeDesigns said 2 years ago
Our reception was at my parent's home - the photographs take me back in an instant - to 32 years ago!
Susie Burns from waycooldesigns1 said 2 years ago
Our wedding keepsake book will always take me back to that special day. Thank you Way Cool Designs for making our favorite memory of our wedding day.
Karen Whistler from ForeverYoursGarters said 2 years ago
The garter I made for my husband. He has it in his closet so he can see it every morning when he dresses and every night when we get ready for bed.
Denise Elliott Jones from DeniseElliottJones said 2 years ago
nice!
YOUNG from IONstudio said 2 years ago
AWESOME!
Jo Coulson from jocoulson said 2 years ago
I carried my grandmother's beautiful crystal rosary at my wedding. Because that was so special to me, I think that may be one reason why I create rosaries to mark those special events (or special people) in our lives. I'm amazed at the heartfelt and emotional reviews I receive in my Etsy shop.
tietheknotshoppe from TieTheKnotShoppe said 2 years ago
I would say the biggest keepsakes of any wedding is all the photographs you'll take and hold on to. Please view my shoppe for fun and exciting items such as cake toppers, paper items, signs, and decals to make all your photos shine and last for years to come. https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/TieTheKnotShoppe?ref=hdr_shop_menu
Laura from PetalAlley said 2 years ago
I made my headpiece and the bouquets for my wedding which were the inspiration for my etsy shop. I love having something physical other than pictures and memories to remember it by!
Jackson Barnes from NakedWoodenWorks said 35 days ago
amazing!