What's Inside Your Custom Wedding Keepsake Magazine

A Complete Table of Contents Guide

A common question about my wedding journalism packages is why they are priced according to interviews and not page number. The answer makes sense to a seasoned reporter, but not to the average engaged couple.

As your wedding journalist, I preserve your wedding memories by attending your event, but the largest bulk of my time is dedicated to scheduling, carrying out, transcribing, and organizing interviews. 

I believe that every couple should have their core moments retold: their meeting, their proposal, their families' advice, the events and all the details… It’s gathering all that insight and emotion from others that determines the length of your magazine. The more sources, the more information, and the more I can add to your stories. That’s what drives the content.

That only clears up a little bit, though. What is a “moment highlight”? Why is it different from an “event highlight”? What is a “quote page”? Let’s get into the weeds.

All photography by Joslin Wyatt

The Table of Contents: The Index

The first page is the Table of Contents itself. This is where you’ll be able to find stories by page number and glance at what each one details. You will also find photography and story writing credit on this page.

The Issue Introduction: The Basics

This is a short blurb that introduces who you are, what is in the magazine, and what the reader can expect to learn about the newlyweds. It alludes to the roots of your relationship, briefly touches on your life, previews wedding day details, and gives an official summary, so to speak.

Your Meet Cute: A Love Story in Your Own Words

You know your love story best, so I hear it directly from you and your partner. I’ll ask you questions about your first impressions of one another, what you did on your first date, how you felt going into that situation, and how you ended up making everything official.

The Proposal: Every Detail, Start to Finish

This story is similar to the love story, but focuses entirely on the proposal plan and details. I want to hear about the process of choosing a ring, if there was any suspicion about when it would happen, how everything went down, and who was involved.

Bride / Groom Profiles: What You Love Most About Them

This is one of my favorite parts of creating the magazine. I separate you and your partner to ask more intimate questions about what you admire about them, how you knew they were the one, and why they can’t wait to marry you.

The In-Laws: Their Side of the Love Story

In this story, I use quotes gathered from both sets of parents to hear about their first impressions of your partner, what it was like to watch you fall in love, and why they’re looking forward to adding another member to their family unit.

Vows: Your Private Promises

This is just an easy way to re-access your vows without having to pull the originals out of a frame or your bridal box. Savor the sentiment without the hassle. I also ask each partner to re-read their vows and assess if there is anything they would like to add or an introduction they’d like to write to make it more personal.

The Pre-Ceremony: Guest Arrivals

One of the best parts of attending a wedding is the anticipation and excited discussions taking place before you walk the aisle. It’s also the first time you encounter something you can’t be a part of firsthand. I’m there to absorb their energy, eavesdrop on their reactions and predictions, and take copious amounts of notes to accurately reflect every moment.

The Ceremony: The Main Event

They’re usually pretty short and sweet, but every one of them is unique and that deserves to be reflected. From wet eyes to vow ad-libs and dropped rings, I’m writing everything down so you can laugh at it all later.

Cocktail Hour and The Reception: The Atmosphere

I lump these two together because they’re the more lowkey events of the day - the drinks, the dinner, and the party are all major details, but it’s when the timeline begins to get a bit more relaxed and you’re actively interacting with your friends and family. If you’re taking time for photos during cocktail hour or sunset, you don’t have to worry about something major happening while you’re away with your videographer and photographers. I’ll document it for you.

A Toast: Cheers to Many Years

Similar to your vows, this is something that doesn’t get revisited very often if at all. Your videographer might get a clip of it, but how often will you sit down to pull that up and enjoy? When it lives in a magazine on your coffee table, it’s easy to open up and reminisce on. Plus, you’re hardly absorbing anything day-of and these toasts are something you’ll wish you had saved. Unfortunately, not everyone writes theirs down, so I’ve taken to recording every one just in case.

Your Special Thanks: Gratitude for a Perfect Day

From your heart to their eyes, you can thank your parents, write heartfelt notes to those who supported your journey, and mention all the ways they contributed to making your big day so special. This is especially sweet if you’re planning on gifting your magazine to loved ones.

The Vendor List: A Directory

Never forget the small businesses and wedding professionals who went above and beyond to curate an event that feels so much like you. This is an easy way to reference standout vendors who you might want to recommend to your engaged friends or family in the future.

A Letter from The Editor: From the Outside Looking In

This serves as the first person guest perspective and gives me a designated space to write my thanks and appreciation to you for allowing me to be a part of your wedding day. I’ll give you a recap beginning to end including the special moments I took note of, the guests I got to interact with, and my overall experience that day.

For Upgraded Packages:

Quote Pages: Love from Your Friends and Family

This is kind of like a Q&A - I’ll ask your friends and family for their specific wedding advice to you, their favorite memories, and other questions that encourage them to reflect on their journey alongside you.

Moment Highlight: The Unscripted Seconds

This is an unexpected and brief exchange that doesn’t exist on your timeline – things like a veil being knocked off during a kiss, a funny ad-lib in the ceremony, or other unexpectedly sweet moments that naturally unfold at weddings.

Event Highlight: The Traditions Worth Documenting

These are the micro events included with traditional weddings – the cake cutting, parent dances, bouquet dedications, etc.

Additional Events: For Special Editions

These features are only available in special edition issues and would include morning-of prep and bridal/groom suite behind the scenes content. The Weekender would also include a rehearsal dinner, welcome party, sendoff brunch, or other similar events that happen over the span of 2-3 days. Coverage is limited to two additional events for 3 hours each.

Still have questions about what goes into your magazine? Submit an inquiry here — I'm happy to walk you through what a custom issue could look like for your wedding day.