Who doesn’t love a nice guest book? For guests, it’s a way for them to leave a personal message wishing the happy couple their best on their big day. For the bride and groom, it’s a time capsule of sorts, transporting whoever opens it up back to that special day that can never be replicated, but can certainly be re-lived. Of course, there is no rule stating that a guest book need be a book exactly. And with the advances in technology, guests can now leave messages via social media as much as they can via a book. So to provide guests with an innovative and engaging way to leave their well-wishes for the special couple, here are some of our favorite alternative guest books for brides and grooms who want a book that matches their personalities.
As we’re so often inclined to mention in this space, one of the key ingredients to any memorable wedding is to give it your own unique personal touch. And what better place to start than the guest book when it comes to thinking of new ways to customize your wedding decorations?
One good place to start is to consider your wedding theme, if you have one selected. For instance, if you and your significant other love baseball and have chosen a light baseball theme, then fill a wicker basket full of new baseballs (or old ones that are unmarked) and have each guest sign their own baseball. Or if you’re both photography fanatics, then purchase some vintage or new polaroid cameras and in the area where guests would typically sign the book, have a backdrop where they can take pictures of one another. Since the picture develops so quickly, they can then leave a message in the white space beneath or even draw a unique border around themselves!
Another common wedding book alternative is to use a board game of some sort, or a variety of board games that guests can play with and leave a message upon. From Jenga sets at every table to a large Scrabble board, think of the game that best reflects your collective personality. Or if you’re more of a puzzle couple, provide guests with their own custom puzzle, replete with a picture of you both, that they can leave hundreds of little messages and drawings upon.
A whole other idea is thumbprint art, which is quickly becoming a cottage industry in its own right. While there are plenty of designs online, if you or a family friend is good at drawing, consider drawing a mason jar to catch yellow-thumbprint signatures. Or have your guests create a rainbow bouquet of balloons or a field of wild flowers. If creating a work of art is your cup of tea, another idea is to give your guests quickt patches that they can write messages on and design. Then, once you return home you have a little arts and craft project in sewing all the patches together to create a one-of-a-kind wedding book quilt.
Ultimately, the only limit to coming up with an alternative guest book idea if your imagination. From wine bottles to old books and and antique postcards, there are truly an endless array of options at your disposal. So have fun with it and choose an alternative wedding books that truly captures a unique aspect of your relationship.
