Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins

Friday’s Top Five

…guest book ideas!

Having a guest book is something Ive debated now for awhile. Why have a whole book where only 10-12 pages get filled in? What do you do with the rest of the pages, and where does it go after? I think for some people its just about having the name in a book for a memory, and that’s completely fine- it just wasn’t what I was looking for. Here are five guest book ideas I was contemplating up until last week when I finally made a decision.

1. Vase/Pottery Guest Book
I really like this idea, my only hesitation with the size of our wedding was running out of room on the plate/vase. Quite honestly, I didn’t want more than one signed vase, so I opted out of this. However, I can see this being great for smaller weddings, bridal showers or even baby showers.


2. Thumb Prints
Have you seen the matted photo frames where everyone signs their name? I group these into the same category, name/thumb- it’s all the same to me. However, since I’m not really the type of person to put our name/date/etc around the house, I decided this probably wasn’t the best option for us.
3. Keepsake Box
I made one of these for my girlfriends wedding. Basically I cute all the cards, decorated them in a different manner and people were asked to share stories, etc. about the bride and groom. I know at the table I was sitting at, we each filled out 2-3 and it was fun to write silly/heartfelt mementos. She said after the wedding, her husband and her really enjoyed reading them.
4. Personalized
Maybe you have everyone sign a guitar, maybe a basketball or just something that signifies your and your boo’s relationship. Maybe they fill out a Madlib (which are hilarious). Just think of something personal, grab a permanent pen and have people sign away!
5. Photobook
With all of the photo websites online, this option is quite easy and affordable with a coupon. This is the option we decided to pursue for our guest book. Ive been wanting to create a photo book with our engagement photos for some time, so this gave me the perfect opportunity to use them. I just chose layouts with plenty of white space for writing- Shutterfly actually has pre-made guest book templates that you can utilize. It’s not the most “creative,” but i figure even if not one signs it, at least i have a great book with our engagement photos!!
All photos used in this post from Google images or Pinterest
Of course, there are so many other great ideas floating around on Pinterest etc. What idea do you like? Did you have a guest book at your wedding?
Don’t forget to enter my Gosia Meyer giveaway here and check out Gosia’s website http://www.gosiameyerjewelry.com!
Happy weekend lovelies!

Comments

  2. AvatarLisa Evans says

    I love the photobook idea. I could not even tell you where our guest book is and if we even still have it. LOL It's one of those things that I really probably would do without if I got married these days because the photographer takes pics of everyone there so you know who was at your wedding. My fave pic from my photographer was my Grandma and Grandpa(who are both now deceased)doing the Macarena. 🙂

  5. AvatarNatalie Hodak says

    my hubby is very handy, so he made a giant thick picture frame [with a big H for our last name and our wedding date burned into the wood] and we have everyone sign it! it came out awesome and the hardest part is picking a favorite wedding picture to display!

    thesecondbestareveryexpensive.blogspot.com

  8. AvatarA J says

    I like the photo book, a lot of my friends have done that. I've also seen a big letter (I believe you said your new last name will start with a C?) where everyone signs it. Or pick your favorite engagement photo and have everyone sign the matting around it.

    -AJ
    FitTravelerAJ.blogspot.com

  9. AvatarJenn says

    I really love the keepsake box idea! All of these ideas are really awesome. The photo book is a great idea too. I've been trying to think about a guest book as well. Thanks for the great inspiration!

  12. AvatarKate Harvey says

    Instead of a guest book we had our guests write notes to us that we are going to read on our one-year anniversary! (There was a sign that told them this, so they knew we would be reading their notes in 1 year). We can't wait!!

  17. AvatarShawna Walker says

    I think the thumb print is super original. Defiantly have a place where there will be the persons name and the print because I have been married for 14 years now and I have to look up who came to my wedding when we are reminiscing.

    Cute idea, my friends have the matted picture frame with everyone signatures on it with a great picture of them and it just gives it a personal touch.

    http://www.living-thesuite-life.blogspot.com

  25. Avatarvodkainfusedlemonade says

    WE had our guests sign our engagement picture but we also had a guest book. I need to find it. It's nice to have. Love your ideas. Any one of them would be great. Good reminder when you look at it, of how much people love you guys and that they shared in your special day.

    Agi:)

    vodkainfusedlemonade.wordpress.com

  26. AvatarYou&I says

    love these ideas, all of them! I'm not married haha, but for my next birthday I'm thinking of having a keepsake box or a pretty tree which people can hang notes on for me to remember the event xx

  36. AvatarMegan Maddison says

    We did the photobook idea. I used lots of our engagement photos so it was nice to have as a guest book but also as a keepsake for our engagement photos!

    Hope you made a great decision!

    Megan
    budgetfashion101.blogspot.ca

  38. Avatarsmk053078 says

    I love the photo book idea. Another great idea is having a photo booth at your wedding. Each guest gets two copies. One for themselves and one to put in a book with a message that they write. I wish I would have had that at my wedding. So cute!

  40. AvatarAlways Maylee says

    We had a photobooth at our wedding, and the guests kept one copy and the other went into our 'guest book', where guests would leave messages under the pictures they just took. It was cute and fun and I still look through it! 🙂

    xo, Yi-chia
    Always Maylee

  41. AvatarMeredith says

    I had a guest book at my wedding, but I really like the idea of having everyone sign a photo book. It's something you'll keep and look at regularly. And it's something other people will enjoy looking at.
    Meredith
    createthatoutfit.com

  60. Avatarmeghan says

    We did a photo book and I am very happy with it. It's on a side table, and we look at it when we want. We're not the type of people to hang our names and wedding dates around the house either, so this was the perfect option for us. I did get a frame to put our invitation in next to a wedding picture to put out.

  67. AvatarRachieCakes says

    We made custom bag-o boards in our wedding colors, and made one "mr" and one "mrs" so people could write us each messages. It was so fun to read after and we'll always have it to play in the back yard!

    xo Rach
    rachiecakes-rachael.blogspot.com

  69. Avatarpearlsandlaceblog.com says

    When it came to deciding what sort of guest book to have for our wedding, I really loved the fingerprint tree. I ordered ours from Etsy, it was hand drawn and looked beautiful! We received endless compliments from our guests on how unique it was and everyone loved putting their fingerprint on it. I'm probably the furthest from crafty but I really liked it. All of the options above are lovely so which ever you choose, I know you won't be disappointed!

    xo jen