An heirloom book honoring your daughter’s life before her wedding day is a memorable & meaningful gift she’ll cherish forever.

Your daughter’s marriage is a momentous milestone in her life, and in yours, and the Dear Daughter, on Your Wedding Day heirloom book is a beautiful way to celebrate it.

Here, seven reasons to honor your bride-to-be with this enduring gift.

1. It’s much more than a photo album.

While your heirloom book will likely be filled with photos of your bride-to-be and those closest to her, it offers much more than an album of photos to flip through. Beyond a beautiful layout, you can expect the book to reflect your family’s values and experiences, with stories told in your own words.

2. It’s a gift she won’t expect.

Your bride-to-be will be showered (literally) with gifts leading up to her big day, but most of them will likely be items from her registry. And while there’s nothing wrong with new dishes and towels (who doesn’t need those?), there’s also something special about presenting her with a gift she’s not expecting—especially when everything else about her wedding has been planned down to the last candlestick.

3. It puts meaning back into the milestone.

An heirloom book allows you and your daughter to take a step back and gain perspective on what you’re truly celebrating. It’s easy to get caught up in the details of planning a wedding—the food, the photographer, the flowers!—and lose sight of the meaning behind it all. By taking time to reflect on everything that’s led your daughter to this point in her life, you’ll be celebrating the woman she’s become and helping her embrace the joy that comes with starting a new chapter.

4. The process is rewarding for you.

Helping to plan your daughter’s wedding can be stressful, and creating an heirloom book may initially seem like one more thing on your to-do list. But you may just find that sorting through her childhood photos and reliving those memories has a calming effect. “The whole process was so cathartic,” says Susan Miller, who created an heirloom book for her daughter. “My husband and I loved looking back on Lauren’s childhood. It helped prepare us to watch her take that next step.”

5. It’s the one gift guaranteed to make her cry tears of joy.

The “Dear Daughter” heirloom book is intended to be gifted to your bride-to-be on the morning of her wedding or perhaps the evening before at her rehearsal dinner. Before she walks down the aisle, she’ll take a walk down memory lane with you—and that’s a beautiful thing (cue the happy tears!). As she steps into her new role as wife, she’ll use the wisdom and love you’ve poured into her book as the foundation to guide her on the journey.

6. It’s a way to honor one chapter and make room for the next.

As precious as all of your daughter’s childhood photos, drawings, and cards are, they will likely end up in the back of your closet or garage as time marches on. An heirloom book will help you consolidate these memories and honor them in a meaningful way as you prepare to embrace more cards, drawings, and photos from your daughter’s own children. Plus, the wisdom you provide will be a source of comfort and love for your girl for years to come!

7. It’s a gift she can share with her children and grandchildren.

Talk about a gift that keeps on giving! Long after those dishes and towels have been replaced, your daughter will have her heirloom book to share with her own family. The high-quality materials are meant to stand the test of time, so even after she’s gone, the story of her life told by the people who loved her will be there for generations to come.