Wedding days whizz by in an absolute blur so your mementos of the day will be incredibly precious as you look back. Along with more formal souvenirs such as photo albums and orders of service, wedding guest books provide a more relaxed, fun way to capture the voices of your nearest and dearest for years to come and there are loads of great ideas out there on how to use them best. Here are our top picks:
1. Postcards
Have some postcards printed with a heading like: Leave a message for the happy couple. Pop one of these & a pen at each table setting, ready for guests to cover with messages, doodles, memories, whatever they'd like! There's always a slow moment during a wedding when guests are looking for a distraction (Uncle Eric's speech, perhaps?) and this is the perfect thing. Assign an organised friend to go round and collect these before the tables are cleared and they're consigned to the bin, then you'll have a fabulous collection of musings to stick into your wedding guest book at a later date. NB, make sure you match the postcard size to your guest book so you don't end up having to chop off people's best lines!
2. Playing Cards
Still on the card theme, playing cards are big news in the world of wedding guest books right now. Get your hands on a few decks and simply get your guests to pick a card (or deal them one out randomly) and get them to write their message on its face with a black Sharpie, before sticking into your guest book. Ideal for short but sweet messages.
Still on the card theme, playing cards are big news in the world of wedding guest books right now. Get your hands on a few decks and simply get your guests to pick a card (or deal them one out randomly) and get them to write their message on its face with a black Sharpie, before sticking into your guest book. Ideal for short but sweet messages.
3. Instant Photos/Photo Booths
Mobile photo booths have been all the rage for a while now and their popularity doesn't look like slowing down any time soon. You can go the whole hog and hire a photo booth that will come complete with beautiful backdrops and props, or take a DIY approach and assign a friend (someone bossy is best!) who will collar guests as they arrive and take an instant snap of them. If you're doing it this way, consider leaving the camera(s) out as your bash progresses - the photos do tend to get funnier as the fizz flows! Either way, guests can stick their instant photos straight into your guest book along with a caption or message too.
4. Just Answer the Question!
If you're trying to dream up something a little different, why not get a wedding guest book with prompts written on the pages? It gives guests a bit of a steer and avoids endless 'lots of luck' messages when people aren't quite sure what to write. How about 'What song do you think sums up the happy couple?' or 'If Tom & Yvonne were a plate of food, what would they be?' We think you'll have a lot of fun with this one...
5. Self Portraits
When words run dry or inspiration fails to strike (common after 3 glasses of champagne), we suggest bypassing written messages and asking your guests to get artistic in your wedding guest book instead. Simply position your book next to a pot of pens and ask each guest to leave a self-portrait - these are guaranteed to give you a chuckle! And do insist that people name their works of art - the chances of you identifying anyone from them otherwise are vanishingly slim. Alternatively, get people to draw portraits of the happy couple!
When words run dry or inspiration fails to strike (common after 3 glasses of champagne), we suggest bypassing written messages and asking your guests to get artistic in your wedding guest book instead. Simply position your book next to a pot of pens and ask each guest to leave a self-portrait - these are guaranteed to give you a chuckle! And do insist that people name their works of art - the chances of you identifying anyone from them otherwise are vanishingly slim. Alternatively, get people to draw portraits of the happy couple!