I’ve been thinking a lot about guest books lately. And Chatham and I, as you know, are striving to be original and creative with our wedding day. But if I’m going to do something custom I have to do it quickly!! There’s only 8 weeks to go! AHHHHH!!!
We want our wedding day to be a direct reflection on our artistic talents and quirky personalities and although having a guest book is a very traditional idea I think there are ways to make it unique and different. I know that Chatham and I will probably never open a book that guests have signed, it will just collect dust. And we probably wont hang a huge picture of us in the house – not because I don’t love that idea, but because our walls are already jam packed with artwork.
I do really love the idea of being able to incorporate your guest book into your everyday life though, as a constant reminder of all the people who love you and supported you on such a momentous occasion. I want all our guests thoughts, well wishes and advice to be a permanent fixture in our home, so I went on the hunt to find some fun ideas. Snippet and Ink, The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, and The Wedding Bee all had tons of great ideas, so I think I’ve probably only just scratched the surface of guest book possibilities. I’m still not sure what Chatham and I will choose to do, but hopefully the following will help you decide!
Photography Ideas:
-
Ask guests to bring photos of themselves with you, either of you (As I doubt long lost cousins will have pictures of themselves with the both of you!) Supply craft book photo corners in your wedding colors and a blank photo book. Guest can then adhere their pictures and write the memory that corresponds to the photograph.
-
You can also do the same thing but have a trusted guest snap a Polaroid of each of your guests on the wedding day. They can then post the picture in your guest book. That way no one will accidentally forget to bring a photo and no one will miss out.
-
Set up a photo station with chalk boards and different colored chalk. Guest can write their well wishes on the chalk board and take some funny photos with it.
-
My girlfriend Emilie had a great photo booth that printed the old style, four photo strip. Outside the curtain was a box of costumes. Everyone took their turn having a blast in the booth. It printed 2 copies so that the guest could keep one and then paste the other in a guest book along with personal messages. It was a total blast.
photo credit Martha Stewart weddings
Personal Memorabilia:
-
One couple I stumbled across had their guests sign square pieces of linen with fabric marker that will then be made into a quilt. I thought it was such a cute idea to be able to snuggle up under the love of all your friends and family.
-
Bring a piece of equipment from something that you both love to do like ski, snowboard, surf, water ski . . . etc. You can find a funny old vintage piece or just one that you love and have guests sign them/it with permanent markers. You can then mount them to your wall as art. Gabe and Katherine are big skiers and they found a fun pair of old skis for us all to sign. It was great because it was a direct reflection of the couple. My sister-in-law used a surfboard as that’s their big passion and had tons of different colors to use to sign it. Make sure you use a thin tip permanent marker so that there’s room for everyone to sign.
-
Chase and Jesse, who’s wedding I posted a few months ago used an old chair lift from Sun Valley and painted it bright blue. After all the guests signed it they mounted it on their porch. Such a cute idea. If you’re not lucky enough to work for a ski resort and have access to random chair lift pieces, you can find gems on Ebay that reflect you as a couple.
photo credit: theknot.com & Martha Stewart weddings
More Traditional:
-
I love the idea of using a typewriter. Find and old typewriter and leave guests a stack of personalized stationary beside it. They can then slip the paper into the typewriter and leave you a wonderful vintage looking note.
-
Have a picture of you framed with black mat. Have the guests sign the black mat in silver metallic for a dramatic effect. You can then frame the piece and be able to see all your notes without the fuss of a book.
-
Give your guests each a pre-stamped postcard from the location of your wedding. Set up a mailbox on site that guests can drop their postcards in. Then when you return from your honeymoon you’ll have tons of mail with loving notes. So sweet!
-
Supply guest with cards and envelopes. They’ll be more inclined to write really personal messages if they’re private. Leave a big vase next to the cards and envelopes that people can drop their notes into when they’re finished.
-
Attach ribbon to two walls in your reception location. Supply guests with small brightly colored paper and clothes pins. They can attach their messages to the ribbon to create a long line of bright notes. It will work as added decoration as well.
Does anyone have any of their own guest book ideas they’d like to share?
