Share a Memory Cards | Party Ideas by a Pro

the idea

Have guests take a trip down memory lane by writing their favorite memories of the guest of honor on share a memory cards

custom photo share a memory cards for birthday party with old photo of birthday girl as a child

the how

Choose from generic printable ‘Share a Memory’ cards or one personalized with a photo
Leave a stack of cards and pens on a table at the party
Display alongside a framed ‘Share a Memory’ or ‘Take a Trip Down Memory Lane’ printable instructions sign
Have guests leave completed cards in a personalized bucket, card box, or wooden keepsake box (see options below)
Have the guest of honor read out a few during their ‘thank you for coming’ speech to entertain guests

the why

This Idea

Conversation-starter; gives guests something to talk about and discuss with one another
Contributory; sharing a memory, anecdote, photograph, or well wishes allows guests to participate in something meaningful
Personal; celebrates the guest of honor and your relationship with them
Feel good; makes the guest of honor feel special, loved, and appreciated
Connection; people love to feel connected to the guest of honor or each other through something meaningful
Nostalgic; a walk down memory lane with friends and family is a wonderful way to celebrate a special occasion
Touching; gives people the opportunity to articulate things they might think, but rarely say
Discovery; allows guest to discover things they might not know about the guest of honor
Keepsake; creates tangible memories for the guest of honor to revisit in future
Thoughtful; shows you’ve made an effort to create something special for the guest of honor
Entertaining; guests will enjoy hearing what everyone else has written
Custom photo; opportunity to show the guest of honor when they were younger
Funny; guests may not have seen funny or embarrassing old photos of the guest of honor
Surprise; a great way to surprise the guest of honor with a box of memories at the end of the event
Inexpensive; a cost-effective party idea that won’t blow your budget
Bestseller; an idea that’s proved popular with my site’s visitors

personalized metal pail bucket with the name Emily on it

party activities

Engagement; essential for creating atmosphere and ensuring people have a good time
Circulation; activities encourage circulation, which raise energy levels
Atmosphere; keeping guests moving, exploring, and discovering creates a lively atmosphere
Mingling; activities help prevent guests clustering in corners with people they came with
Flow; giving guests things to engage with diffuses crowds, prevents bottlenecks, and helps flow
Introductions; allows guests who arrive alone or don’t know many people to connect with others
Ice-breaker; arrival activities let guests ease in gently before walking into a room full of people
Conversation-starters; funny, creative, or quirky activities give guests things to talk about
Interactive; allows guests to participate so everybody feels included
Bonding; a shared experience creates a bond and unites different groups as one; people that are all important to the guest of honor
Entertainment; activities keep guests entertained and prevents boredom or leaving early
Distraction; gives guests an excuse to change the subject or extract themselves from awkward conversations
Memorable; gives guests something to talk about, photograph, share, and remember
Experiential; guests leave feeling as though they’ve had an experience

black personalized birthday card box with the name Bailey on it

woman's hand placing a card into a custom wooden card box with the name Wilson on it

ADVICE FROM A PRO

Matt’s tip

“If you’re budget permits, I’d recommend choosing the custom photo ‘Share a Memory’ cards over the generic ones. Given these are likely to become a treasured keepsake, it just makes them look and feel a bit more special that the generic ‘postcard’ style ones.

There are lots of different options available for personalized metal buckets (see links below), but they tend to be either quite small or little expensive.

Therefore, a budget-saving option might be to source a regular bucket and opt for a custom text decal that you can easily apply yourself (see link below). For the text, I’d probably go for something like ‘Memories of Elizabeth’.

Alternatively, you could have guests pop their completed memory cards into a personalized card box, which lends a more elegant look (check out the link below to my post about customized card boxes).

Just remember to choose the appropriate ‘Memory Lane’ printable sign telling guests to drop their memories in a bucket / jar / box, depending on which you decide to go for.

I think these memories shared by friends and family would make a wonderfully sentimental gift for the guest of honor to re-read in the future. So if budget permits, instead of just having guests pop them in a bucket or card box, consider investing in a more special personalized keepsake box, such as the ones below, so that this activity can double as a touching gift that they’ll be sure to treasure.“