There's a quiet moment that follows most weddings. The day is over, the photographs are in, and life goes back to normal. If you were married with me as your celebrant and photographer, you might wonder what comes next for the story we told together.
The answer is that it can carry on. The Love Story Registry is open to past couples, and if that's you, you can claim your free year.
The Day Is Over, the Story Isn't
Most of my couples think of their wedding or elopement as the main event, and it absolutely is. But a marriage runs for years, and each anniversary is a chance to look back at the chapter you've just finished. The registry is my way of making sure that moment doesn't pass unnoticed.
I wrote about the idea more generally in my post on the Love Story Registry. This one's for those who've already said "I do" and aren't sure whether it's too late. It isn't.
What Arrives on Your Anniversary
Each year, on your anniversary or another date you'd like to mark, the registry sends you three things, as described on the Love Story Registry page:
A commemorative letter from the person who worked alongside your love story, with writing that marks your marriage and the journey it's been on.
Handpicked imagery, with Polaroids and postcard-sized pictures chosen from your love story album, placed inside the letter.
Bespoke flowers, delivered to your door in step with your other keepsakes. The scent of the wild flowers is meant to bring back the nature you moved through on your day.
It's a small parcel with a lot of memory in it. Because the letter comes from the person who worked alongside your love story, it reads as a personal note, not a form message, and the pictures come from your own album, so every item belongs to you.
Claiming Your Free Year
Past couples can claim their free year. If we've worked together, you don't need to have signed up at the time, and you don't have to remember to ask again later. Once you're in, I add your date to my calendar so that something arrives when it should.
If you're not sure whether you're eligible, ask. I'm always glad to hear from past couples, whether it's been a few months or a few years since your day. After that, it stays simple. There's no recurring billing, and you pay only for the year you want to mark, so it's easy to decide, year by year, whether you'd like it to continue.
Why It Suits Couples Who Are Already Married
When you're newly married, everything is fresh. A few years in, the details start to blur. A letter that retells the little parts of your story, and pictures taken from your own album, bring them back at exactly the moment you'd like them. They're also a good excuse to sit down together, open the parcel and talk about the day, wherever it took place. Keep each letter and, over time, they build into a quiet record of your marriage, told in chapters.
It isn't only for wedding anniversaries, either. The page describes the registry as being for engagements, anniversaries and milestones, so you could mark another date that matters to the two of you.
Making the Most of It
If you're thinking of joining, a few small ideas might help. Choose the date that means the most to you, whether that's your wedding anniversary, the day you got engaged or the day you first met. Decide whether you'd like to open your parcel together, perhaps over breakfast or a glass of something fizzy. And think about the story you'd like the letter to remember, because the more I know about your chapter so far, the better I can write about it. You can use the registry page to sign up, and you're welcome to message me with any questions first.
The Album Behind It
Everything starts with your love story album, which is where the handpicked pictures come from. If you'd like a reminder of how it works, the Love Story Album page explains it. If you're curious about how other couples' stories have turned out, you can find them on the Real Love Stories page.
The registry is included with my experiences, so couples who book one with me already have it. Couples thinking of an experience for the first time can look at the Plan Your Experience page to see how it all fits together.
If you were one of my couples, claim your free year and let me keep the story going.