Memorable Guestbook Ideas
Photo Credit: Makai Creative
Long gone are the days of traditional white satin guests books with the built in matching pen and holder. These days, it's all about getting creative and choosing something unique that will carry sentimental value. As long as whatever you choose still functions as a place for your wedding guests to leave a warm message, some advice, or just a signature of remembrance, it’s function is essentially the same as the traditional alternative.
Below we’ve compiled a list of our favorite ideas we’ve used over the years. Hopefully they will inspire you and maybe even help you to come up with something awesome and one of a kind for your special day.
Polaroid Guest Book
A Polaroid guest book is probably the most common choice for our clients because it's interactive and a great alternative to a photo booth! All the guest has to do is snap a picture of themselves, place their photo in the book and sign around it! Many of our clients special order a book to match their wedding aesthetic. We absolutely love this company. Aside from a cute book, we suggest 1-2 Instax Poloriod cameras and 1 piece of film per guest (keeping in mind most guests will take photos as a group or couple). It is so much fun to look back on your day and remember who was there to celebrate with you.
Engagement Photo Book
Need an idea of how to use your engagement photos AND have a unique guest book? Look no further! We love when our clients get a custom photo book printed of their engagement photos and leave it out for the guests to sign like a yearbook. It’s a great way to utilize a bunch of your engagement photos that you may otherwise not have a place to display.
Photo Credit: Jayleigh Flood
Postcards
This is one of our favorites for destination weddings. Gather postcards from places sentimental to you such as your wedding destination (hello vintage Hawaiian postcards), hometowns, vacation spots, place of proposal, etc. They could be modern or vintage postcards depending on your vibe. At the wedding, guests can select their favorite, write a heartfelt message on the postcards and place them into the book with clear sleeves! If you want to avoid a book, you can buy a plain or customized mailbox and have your guest place them inside! We’ve also had clients designate a friend or family member to mail the postcards to them after the wedding. That way they can savor the messages from their guests one by one as they arrive in the mail.
Framed Vows
One of our creative couples had a genius idea that we fell in love with. They hired a graphic designer to layout both their vows in a style that matched the vibe of their wedding and printed out on a large 2X3 foot poster. Guests were invited to sign and leave messages around the boarder. In a way it was like the guests were signing as witnesses and supporters of their personalized vows. It turned out so beautifully and made for a great personalized piece that they later framed and hung in their home!
Photo Credit: Seeking Films
Recipe Book
As avid cooks ourselves, another ideal we love is having your guests share a recipe, either for a happy marriage OR an actual recipe on a card that fits into a keepsake recipe box. Along that same theme, one of our couples purchased a beautiful cookbook that included recipes they planned to cook together and had their guest sign the page of their favorite recipe! Now every time they open it to try a recipe, they also get to revisit the loving messages their guests left for them.
Guest Coloring Book
Photo Credit: Sarah Jual Photography
This may be one of the most creative guest books we’ve seen. The couple created black and white outline graphics of each of their guests and arranged them on a poster. Each person or couple was labeled with their name and invited to color themselves in - just like a coloring book! The outcome was incredible and was such a fun experience for everyone!
Video
A video message is a great substitute for a guest book! At your registration table you could have someone in charge of recording guests' messages or you can set up a tripod with a directions sign! There are even some photo booth companies who offer this as a service. This can later be turned into a video montage and would be an adorable addition to your wedding video!!
Destination or Hobby Keepsake
In the past we’ve had clients choose ukuleles, surfboards, wooden paddles, and even skateboards for this alternative style guest book. Guests can directly sign the designated object. We recommend purchasing pens that both contrast with the background and are super permanent! This idea is a perfect way to tie in your personality as a couple by incorporating something that has sentimental meaningful. It is also a functional element that contributes to the overall event design. Whatever you choose, make sure you consider how you are going to get it home!
Photo Credit: Chelsea Abril
Wine Bottles
We’ve seen this done a couple of times and absolutely adore the idea behind it! Guests are invited to sign special bottles of wine with a contrasting color of permanent marker or paint pen. We love when clients choose wines that carry sentimental value. Perhaps something you drank on your first date or a winery you visited together. You can get extra creative and customize the labels with the numbers 1, 5, 10, and 25 then open the bottles to drink on your first, fifth, tenth and twenty-fifth anniversaries! If you utilize them in that way, make sure to choose wines that age well!
Those are our top creative guest book ideas that we’ve personally helped clients incorporate into their celebration. We hope you’ve been inspired and come up with something special for your own event!
