Wedding Guest Book Ideas & Alternatives

Wedding Guest Book Ideas & Alternatives

When it comes to weddings, the most valued and unique part of your day are your guests.

Whether your guest list is small or large, the people that you choose to invite and be a part of your big day are the best parts of your wedding! Two brides & two grooms could plan the exact same wedding, but their guests would be what set the days apart & made them different!

It makes sense then to want a record of who all attended your wedding and helped to make the day fun! That’s where Guest Books come in. A traditional Guest Book is simply a list of names. It’s not super fancy & is usually very plain. There isn’t much about them that begs you to pull the book out years after your wedding. After all, it’s just a simple list of names.

 There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the traditional Guest Book.

It serves it’s purpose & does a good job at it! However, with brides & grooms wanting to personalize every single moment of their wedding day, it makes sense to re-think the Guest Book as well. Couples these days are all about breaking away from tradition!

There are so many different & unique ideas that are wonderful spin-offs of the traditional Guest Book. Today, I want to highlight some of the ways my KAP Couples have chosen to personalize this detail of their wedding day!

1. Create a scrapbook or photo album with dating & engagement images – just be sure to leave plenty of white space for guests to sign their names & leave little notes to the bride & groom!

This is one of my favorites – mostly because I love engagement photos! And, I’m partial because this is how Derrick & I chose to do our Guest Book. I love that it’s still in book form, but it begs to be opened since there is so much more to it than just a list of names! There are photos that tell a beautiful story and there are well-wishes & happy thoughts from your guests – why wouldn’t you want to pull this book down off the shelf & look thru it every once in a while?

SPIN-OFF: For a bit of a spin on the book idea, Paige & Andrew had their guests sign a coffee table book filled with amazing landscape art.

2. Have your guests sign a piece of artwork that will hang on display in your house.

There are so many variations to this and I love them all!

A picture frame with a big thick “signing” mat – There is ample space for guests to leave little notes & in the middle, you put a printed wedding photo.

“Leaf Your Mark” – I’ve seen these big tree posters at several weddings & I absolutely love them! There is room for each guest to sign a leaf & it’s a beautiful piece to display when the wedding is over!

Personalized Art – Eddie & Courtney had their guests sign this really awesome board. They provided different metallic markers and it reflected their wedding colors.

“Sign A Heart” – This was a beautiful piece – the hearts were actually folded, so they had dimension. Like the leaves of the tree, each guest was asked to sign a heart!

Monogram – You can never go wrong with a monogram of the bride & groom’s first & their last initial! Monograms are coming back big time! What a fabulous statement this would make on a gallery wall!

Thumbprints – Another beautiful spin on a Guest Book is to collect thumbprints from your guests! Thumbprints act as the leaves on a tree, or balloons (like a hot air balloon, but with lots of tiny balloons instead of one big one!) I love that there are no rules! Fill your tree with green thumbprints, or use your wedding colors!

A Signing Plate – This one requires a bit more foresight & planning – not only do you need special pens to write on the plate, but it needs sealed afterward. I’m not sure if I’d ever be able to bring myself to using it, but it would be beautiful to display!

Stones –  Have your guests write their names on a stone & use it to fill a vase! Definitely different but what a cool item to set on a mantel or to display on a shelf!

3. If your wedding has a certain theme, you can double your guestbook as fabulous decor!

Guest “Log” – For rustic chic weddings – these are so on theme! A slab of wood is provided and guests are asked to sign & leave a little message for the newlyweds.

A Vintage Typewriter – Most of us have probably never typed on a typewriter before, even though we’ve all seen them in the movies. How fun it is to plunk out a message to the bride & groom and enjoy all the sounds & smells of an old typewriter! Just be sure to let your guests know that typos are perfectly welcome!

4. Be specific on what you want your guests to write.

Sometimes a little direction goes a long way. Most guests have wonderful intentions on writing lovely little notes, but sometimes when they pick up the pen, their minds go blank! How about asking them specifically for something?

What are their best wishes & highest hopes for the couple?

Have them fill out a fun questionnaire.

What is the best marriage advice? 

Create a bucket list for the bride & groom.

There are so many fun ways to spice up the traditional Guest Book!

Did you do something unique at your wedding? What fun alternatives have you seen used at weddings you’ve attended? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!