Your Non-Traditional Wedding Guestbook Guide
There are SO many different things you can do for your wedding guest book. From a traditional book to a polaroid guestbook, there are always new trends and unique ideas couples are coming up with to ensure they remember their guestbooks forever! If you're tired of the same old wedding guestbook that will most likely sit on a shelf collecting dust, then this article is for you. I've taken some of the most popular guestbook ideas and compiled them into one blog post to help give you the information needed to create the perfect guestbook for your wedding!
What is a Wedding Guestbook? A guestbook is a book that your friends and family who attended your wedding will sign and write out their best wishes infor you.
What is the Purpose of a Guestbook?
The purpose of your guestbook is to give your guests a chance to write their warm wishes down as they help celebrate this special day with you. It's something that you can keep forever and pass down through generations.
Do I Need a Guestbook?
You certainly do not need a guest book, especially if you don't think it's important to have one. However, if your reasoning behind not wanting a guestbook is because you don't think you'll use it, then I'm here to give you some ideas for guestbooks that you'll love! Instead of opting to not have a guestbook at all, take a look at some of the ideas listed below to see if they fit your vision better!
Where Do I Put My Guestbook?
Guestbooks are typically placed at your entry table, which will be the first table guests see when entering your venue. Don't forget to have a guestbook sign so your friends and family know what to sign (especially if it's a unique item they're signing such as a boat oar or something) as well as extra pens and markers for guests to use.
Guest Book Ideas That Aren't Your Typical Book:
Ideally, you can have your guests sign anything, from a guitar, to a snowboard, even a surfboard! The sky is the limit to what you can use, if you can write on it, you can use it as a guest book. Here are a few guestbook ideas that aren't your typical book:
Bible
Pick a verse, write a note, then sign your name.
Polaroid Guest Book
This is becoming a very popular guest book option! Provide your guests with a polaroid camera and have them snap pictures to add to your photo album. Once their picture clears up, they can add it to the book and write a little note for you. (Be sure to bring lots of extra film!)
Quilt
Bring a quilt and have your guests sign off and write messages all over it. It'll be a great keepsake and can be passed down for generations.
Or bring fabric squares to have your guests sign, then sew them togeter after the wedding to make your quilt
A Board to Hang on the Wall
After guests sign it you can hang it on the wall in your home!
Jenga Tower
Have your guests sign the wooden blocks of the Jenga tower, you'll see the messages your friends and family wrote on your special day every time you have game night!
Date Night Jars
You can purchase blank date night cards and have your guests think of fun things for you and your spouse to do within the first year of your marriage! On date night you can randomly pick an idea a guest wrote out for you from your date night jar.
Globe
You can either paint the globe or leave its rustic natural color, but it is a great decoration for your new home! Especially if you and your spouse love to travel. You can even ask your guests to mark locations on the globe that they think should be added to your bucket list!
Cornhole Board
You can either make your own corn hole boards or make a custom one for your guests to sign. Regardless of how you go about it, it's a really cool guest book idea that will be a huge hit not only for your reception, but for your backyard barbeques!
Record Signing
This vintage look has become more and more popular throughout the wedding world, especially for all of the music lovers. You can even have your guest book sign read, "Please sign our records to be apart of our collection".
Audio Guestbook
Another up and coming trend, have your guests speak their well wishes into a phone that will record all of their messages for you and your spouse to listen back on through the years.
Christmas Ornaments
You can buy glass ornaments in your wedding colors to have your guests sign, and the best part? They can be passed down through generations and seen/read every Christmas! You might want to have a separate wedding tree though, because I'm willing to bet you'll have a lot of ornaments!
Shadowbox Art
Have you seen those cute frames where you drop a signed heart into it and they start to pile up like a game of plinko? That's what shadow box art is! Your guests will pick up a token to sign, then drop it into a clear frame to be displayed!
Jigsaw Puzzle
You can get a custom puzzle made that is plain for your guests to write on, or you can even get one with your engagement photos on it!
Piñata
Have your guests write notes and well wishes on a card that is then placed in the piñata. On your one year anniversary, bust it open to read all the notes your loved ones left for you!
Wine Bottle
Have your guests sign wine bottles to open and pour on your upcoming anniversary. Mark them 1-3 (or however many bottles you have that you'd like guests to sign) and make it known that each bottle will be opened on a different anniversary!
Game Board
I once had a couple that loved board games, so they brought a few of their favorite vintage games (Monopoly, Jenga, Puzzles) and had their guests sign those. Every time you break out your board game you'll see the lovely notes your guests left for you on your big day.
Pro Tip: Pinterest has endless guestbook ideas!
Tips and Tricks:
Make sure you have a sign guiding and directing your guests on what to do for your guestbook. Although you may have a polaroid guestbook and you may think it's pretty self explanatory, it's always best to have a sign directing your guests.
Have a family member greet guests before the ceremony and ask them to sign the guest book as they enter the venue, that way you are able to ensure guests are signing your guest book and no one is forgetting to
Make sure you provide lots of pens and markers