Only 28% of Couples Display Wedding Items — Here’s How the Rest Handle Wedding Storage

Whether you’re flipping through a photo album, catching a glimpse of your wedding dress in the back of the closet, or stumbling upon a pressed flower from your bouquet, wedding items have a way of instantly transporting you back to the memories and emotions of one of the happiest days of your life.

These keepsakes hold sentimental value beyond their physical form, which is why finding the right storage setup matters. After all, weddings are expensive, and those items represent a significant investment in both time and money. Yet, a majority of couples don’t even display their wedding items at home.

As life moves forward and home needs change, finding creative solutions, like under-the-stairs storage, helps keep these items safe.

To better understand how people preserve these special items and to offer helpful insights on protecting what matters most, SelfStorage surveyed 1,029 married Americans about their wedding storage habits and priorities.

Key Findings

81% of Americans Keep Physical Wedding Albums

They say a picture’s worth a thousand words — which may be why a majority of Americans (81%) keep physical wedding albums, and 66% say those albums transport them back to their special day. They capture the little looks, the big emotions, and the love that made your wedding day unforgettable. 

Even in today’s digital age, tangible memories still hold immense value — many couples consider their photo albums irreplaceable, and losing them is something they would deeply regret.

While these albums bring joy and hold deep emotional value, they also come with practical challenges: prints, albums, and framed photos are fragile and take up space. One way to protect them is with a dedicated memory box or climate-controlled storage, helping preserve those memories over time.

In addition to photos, other wedding keepsakes couples hold on to include: 

• Wedding dress/suit
• Guest book 
• Wedding invitations
• Personalized wedding items, like cake toppers
• Something borrowed/blue
• Wedding favors
• Centerpieces
• Wedding decorations

Only 28% of People Display Wedding Items at Home

Over half of couples store their wedding keepsakes at home, but only 28% display them. While these items hold emotional significance, many people keep them tucked away for practical reasons: limited space in a small apartment, concerns about damage, or because items like photo albums are prone to wear and tear and bulky, making them difficult to store or display.

For the 28% who choose to display their wedding keepsakes, popular spots include:

• Living rooms: Central spaces to display memories you want to share with guests, like photo albums or guest books 
• Bedrooms: Perfect for sentimental items that hold deep emotional value to you both, like vows, dried flowers, or a favorite photo
• Hallways: A perfect spot for wedding photos, adding a personal touch that tells the story of your life and shares meaningful memories with guests

As time passes and space needs evolve, knowing what to do with these sentimental treasures becomes harder. A common struggle for 42% of Americans is feeling pressured to hold on to items, even when they no longer have the space or desire to keep them.

If you’re looking for ideas on how to organize your small apartment to fit wedding items, simple storage hacks can help you find room for everyday essentials and cherished wedding memories.

66% of People Plan To Keep Wedding Items Forever

For many, wedding items aren’t saved for practicality — they’re kept for the emotions they hold. Sentimentality and emotional value are the top reasons couples choose to hold on to their wedding memorabilia, with 66% saying they hope to keep them forever.

Whether proudly displayed or tucked safely away, these keepsakes — like photo albums, preserved bouquets, handwritten vows, or custom décor — become timeless symbols of love, commitment, and the memories that shaped their special day. 

An organized storage unit can help preserve those cherished items, keeping them safe and preserved without taking up valuable space at home.

57% Would Regret Losing Wedding Photos Most

Photo albums are among the most treasured wedding items, but they are also among the most fragile and susceptible to damage. This may explain why over half of couples would most regret losing their wedding album. 

Whether it’s because they don’t have digital copies or simply due to the irreplaceable sentimental value, physical photo albums can fade, warp, or mold over time, especially if not stored properly.

But wedding albums aren’t the only precious keepsakes at risk. Many couples would also regret losing items like guest books and wedding dresses or suits. 

These items are just as fragile — guest books can deteriorate, pages can tear, and ink can fade; wedding dresses and suits are prone to fabric degradation, stains, and can easily become damaged if not properly preserved.

Wedding Storage Tips for Preserving Memories

Since many couples want to keep these items forever but not everyone has the space or setup to do so, here are useful, space-saving solutions to keep your wedding memories protected, whether they’re on display or in storage.

• Invest in a quality storage box or memory chest that shields items from external factors like dust, moisture, and physical impact at home.
• Use a specialized photo album or box for photos designed to preserve and protect your wedding pictures from damage or fading due to light exposure.
• Store items in a cool, dry, dark place — such as a closet, attic, or drawer — to protect them from heat, humidity, and light.
• Use flat storage for bulky keepsakes (like dresses or guest books) to avoid creases, bending, or any other damage to larger or delicate items.
• Consider a digital backup for photos and videos in case anything happens to your physical copies. If you didn’t receive a backup after the ceremony, you can hire a professional to create digital copies of your physical photos or scan them yourself.
• Use vertical storage for space efficiency when you have limited space. Options like shelving units and vertical storage cabinets help maximize space while keeping your keepsakes organized and protected.
• Label everything clearly with stickers, markers, or tags to easily identify your wedding keepsakes, especially during a move or if they get misplaced.
• Consider a climate-controlled storage unit for long-term storage to protect sensitive wedding items from temperature fluctuations and humidity, which can cause damage like warping, fading, or mold growth.
• Use acid-free tissue paper for delicate items like wedding dresses and suits to preserve their condition and prevent degradation.
• Use a fireproof safe to protect important documents like your marriage certificate, wedding vows, invitations, or other sentimental papers from fire or water damage.
• Vacuum-seal smaller items such as accessories, garters, pressed flowers, or fabric swatches to protect them from dust, moisture, and environmental damage.
• Rotate displayed items to minimize wear and fading from prolonged exposure. Creating a self-storage inventory helps you keep track of what’s on display and what’s safely stored, making it easier to rotate keepsakes and ensure nothing gets forgotten.

If some of these tips aren’t practical in your current living space, self-storage offers a safe, secure solution with climate-controlled units. This is an easy way to preserve your wedding keepsakes without cluttering your home or risking damage from cramped, improper storage, especially for items that are vulnerable to temperature or humidity changes.

SelfStorage provides a convenient, easy-to-use platform that connects you with trusted storage providers in your area, making it fast and stress-free to keep your wedding items protected for years to come.

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Methodology 

The survey of 1,029 married American adults ages 18 and over was conducted via SurveyMonkey Audience for SelfStorage.com, LLC on April 11, 2025. Data is unweighted, and the margin of error is approximately +/-3% for the overall sample with a 95% confidence level.