Ten-year-old confetti bombs, school day reminiscence and a touching message from the groom’s late father were just a handful of special memories found in a Perth married couple’s wedding day time capsule.
Close to 100 family and friends joined Daniel (34) and Lorna (38) White for their special day at the Huntingtower Hotel on August 31, 2012. They shared messages on the night that were locked away, in a box.
Fast forward 10 years later the happy couple have their own family, with the additions of their two sons Nathan (8) and Milo (4).
And throughout all these years, the time capsule has sat in a corner of their attic full of messages of congratulations and surprises, neither of which Daniel or Lorna had set eyes on before.
There was even a copy of the Perthshire Advertiser from August 2012.
“We were both very excited [about opening it],” beamed Daniel.
“We started talking about it to other guests whom we remain friends with and they remembered and became excited and anxious trying to remember what they had written.
“Once the box had been put away, it was always in the back of our minds but we were never actually tempted. A few friends and family never thought we’d manage but that just made us more stubborn in making sure we did wait.”
And then, on their 10th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 the pair sat down and opened the capsule to take a step back in time.
“There were a lot of happy 10th anniversary messages,” Daniel said.
“Some people made predictions about how many children we’d have, if I were to be bald and stated that at the time of writing if certain celebrities were still alive.
“We stored a newspaper from the day which highlighted a building project which till this day hasn’t been built.
“A menu, speeches, acceptance letters, unable to attend letters and just anything related to it [were also there].”
Among the couple’s favourite items found were a couple of confetti bombs and Lorna’s messages from friends reminiscing of her days passing notes at school.
There were also “beautiful drawings” from then – young cousins – and intoxicated friends.
Daniel’s father and Lorna’s mother have since sadly passed away in the past decade – but left behind treasured memories for them both.
Daniel added: “My personal favourite is the fact my mum had written a card and she specifically wrote: ‘I’ve written this on behalf of your father and me as he is drunk and you know what he’s like’.
“However, two envelopes later we found a card from my father which he had obviously kept hidden from everyone, even my mum, passing on his best wishes.”
Daniel wholeheartedly recommended that other couples about to tie the knot allow guests to fill a time capsule for them on their special day.
“This is so amazing,” he said. “It’s like taking a step back and reliving the memories again.
“I would suggest, though, that people put in photos (from the night and loaded on a USB maybe) and more items.
“My wife also had the foresight to put in little silica bags to avoid the paper spoil from potential dampness.
“Thank you for being part of our lives and having a lasting impact on who we are.
“Maybe it’s the magic of the capsule but I can count on one hand the amount of people that we don’t speak to anymore as everyone means a great deal to us and that is clearly reflected in the messages.”
