There are gifts that you will never be able to top. The gifts that combine heart, originality, and creativity all into a one-of-a-kind only-for-that-person kind of gift. That’s how I feel about this photo book Birdie and I made for her daddy two years ago. I wish I could just re-give it to him every year.
The idea began out of our own history – which involves two weddings, separated by a year and a continent. We first eloped in Scotland. We came home, told no one but our parents, and continued to plan our American wedding for the following year. It was at that second wedding – at our favorite architectural salvage warehouse in Minneapolis – that we shocked everyone with the news that we’d already been married for a year. It was an amazing time! And it’s a story we love sharing with Birdie, who craves hearing more about her parents and our lives. Kids thrive on family stories like these – besides, she wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for those events.
I decided to take Birdie to some of the most important locations from our courtship. From our first date at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, to our elopement in Edinburgh, to our wedding at Architectural Antiques, our honeymoon in London, and ending with a photo of all three of us now. She was just learning how to make a heart with her hands, so she posed in every location with her hands held up in a heart – or sometimes a diamond when her fingers wouldn’t follow her commands! (she was only three!) We used photos of Edinburgh to document that location (versus flying over there), and found a sculpture by Dale Chihuly that was similar to one we saw on our honeymoon in London to help stick to the theme. I gave it a rough story too: Birdie was exploring each of the locations (sometimes with map in hand!) and discovering how it all happened. It was so humbling to stand with her in the same locations Aaron and I were in years before, literally seeing the fruits of our labor. Even if you don’t make a book, I highly recommend the grand tour for your own family.
Every family and every couple has a unique story of how they came to be. All you need to do is pick the locations that have the most meaning, grab your camera and the kiddos, and make your own book. We used My Publisher, but there are so many great photo book services out there – whether it’s Blurb, Minted, Pinhole Press, or Shutterfly, just to name a few. The book itself matters less than the photos inside anyway. All you need to do is make it yours to make it important – then you’ll have a gift you’ll never be able to beat too!
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