we reviewed our back catalog of royal weddings, as well as other online wedding sources we hold near and dear. scroll down to go straight to our shortlist of 20 creative wedding guestbook alternatives that are a little more exciting to read than a standard guestbook.
A wedding guest book no longer needs to be a pencil and bound paper. The shape and form of the traditional guest book has been transformed to accommodate changing wedding trends and tastes. Of course, the purpose of a guest book is to capture the names and well wishes of those special people who actually attended your wedding. however, we have seen many creative ways to achieve this goal beyond pencil and paper.
You are reading: Alternative to wedding guest books
Let me ask you, which wedding guest book idea is the most exciting?
- a standard hardcover book filled with blank pages
- a giant bottle of premium wine that guests can sign with a gold-colored felt marker
for love & the lavender wedding itself, we opted for #2!
l&l wine bottle guestbook
Below is the image of the exclusive love & lavender used at our wedding – a giant bottle of wine! my husband and I love to share a nice bottle of wine from time to time. So when Andrew went to Osoyoos for his bachelor party, he simply had to buy a bottle of Jeroboam wine from one of his favorite Canadian wineries (Road 13 Vineyards).
The plan is to let this particular red wine blend to perfection and then pop it open for one of our milestone wedding anniversaries surrounded by special family and friends. it is a meaningful guestbook that we can enjoy and share years later. let’s face it, four bottles is great to share between husband and wife, but I can only imagine the morning after.
When it comes to your own wedding guestbook, put on your brainstorming hat and pick something that’s meaningful.
- maybe you love wine like we do and want to use an even bigger bottle of wine
- maybe you’re a soccer coach and want your guests to sign a soccer ball
- or, if you both love art, your guests can sign a special piece of art
Whatever you choose for your wedding guest book, don’t have another dust collector sitting on a bookshelf.
creative wedding guestbook ideas
drum roll please! creativity and weddings are a natural combination. And when it comes to wedding guest book alternatives, we’ve seen some pretty creative and imaginative ideas here on the wedding blog over the last couple of years.
add a little fun to your wedding day with a unique alternative guestbook idea…let us know if you have a favorite once you’ve gone through the list!
place beautiful branches of cherry blossom, manzanita or magnolia in a pot. make cards with ribbons and ask guests to write their well wishes or advice and hang the cards on the branches. it’s a nice keepsake for the house afterwards
assemble postcards from the city or state where your wedding is taking place. ask guests to sign the back of a postcard and slip it into a unique mailbox. this type of guest book would be perfect for a travel themed wedding!
We love this idea. have guests complete a fun wedding mad libs.
When I was looking for a guest book for my wedding, a fingerprint tree was one of the ideas that I really liked.
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At your wedding, put up a sign asking guests to “flick through” a fingerprint and sign their name. after the wedding, put it in a frame and display it in your home.
If you don’t have the time or skills to do this project, get a fingerprint guestbook like the one above or below.
It’s not a new idea, but we still love vintage typewriters as guest books. provide instructions like asking guests to share a few words of wisdom, and you’ll get more engaging responses.
Get a poster that means something to both of you. make sure the banner has a large border for guests to sign. leave instructions for guests to write a message and you’ll have a wonderful memory for years to come!
another derivative of the photo booth guest book is to allow guests to take polaroids, mount them in a book and sign next to their photo.
find a fujifilm instant film camera on amazon at a reasonable price.
write instructions on a whiteboard asking guests to “send it around the world” by writing their names and a favorite world destination. what a fun idea! you could also ask them to leave you some “worldly advice!”
personalize wine bottle labels and have guests sign them.
oenophiles (those who really enjoy wine) like love & Lavender will love this wedding guest book alternative! guests can sign their names and messages directly on a bottle or through personalized wine labels. years later, pop open the cork and drink to celebrate a historic wedding anniversary. A wine-themed guest book provides both a fun idea on your special day and an event to dream about and look forward to in the future.
side note: my husband and I collect wine bottle corks that mean something to us. in fact, andrew’s boutonniere was made from the champagne cork we drank the night we got engaged.
read more about that particular unique boutonniere here.
Are any of you good at woodworking? If so, use your talents to create a magnificent masterpiece like the bench below, which guests can sign. certainly a sizable keepsake that you can add to your backyard and use for many years to come. If you’re not that talented in the woodworking field, you can always fake it and get one from amazon or etsy.
Does music play an important role in your life? Share your passions with your wedding guests by asking them to sign a musical instrument, like a guitar.
okay, this idea falls in line with being a standard guestbook…
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However, use your engagement photos to create a personalized photo book for your wedding guests to sign. I think it will be a treasured keepsake for the happy couple. I’m sentimental, so I think this is one of my favorite guestbook ideas!
create your own personalized wedding book with mixbook.
a rustic wedding needs a guest book that matches the wedding decor. nothing says rustic wood like a tree trunk slab. have your guests sign a custom-made slab of wood so you can hang it on a wall…or in your husband’s man cave.
here are some preliminary ideas for non-traditional guest books made of wood:
Maybe you don’t play board games, but you’re always up for some quiet time with a puzzle. Get a personalized puzzle and tell guests to sign, “Without you, our puzzle isn’t complete. please sign the back of one piece.”
We love this heart shaped guest book – such a cute way to collect and display guest names!
stone pet someone? this may seem like a strange (and potentially gratuitous) idea. however, maybe you both like to walk on the beach and have collected numerous special rocks or shells along the way. A fun and different idea is to have guests sign a rock or shell. add them to your garden or keep them in a vase as a fun keepsake.
Sports fans or athletic trainers will love the idea of a pigskin at their wedding. get your guests to sign a football, soccer ball, or basketball to keep as a memento of your big day.
Last but not least, instead of giving a couple your best wishes, I really like the idea of giving them advice on relationships and love. let guests complete their own love recipe card.
Music lovers, we’ve got you covered! With your first dance song written in the center of the printed vinyl record, all your guests will be able to leave a sweet message on the sides. this will make a great keepsake to hang in your home and a great way to treasure your first dance song.
I hope you’ve been inspired by our roundup of unique ideas for wedding guest book options. Let me know in the comments section below if you’ve found another unique guestbook we should know about.
Check out our ultimate list of things to buy for your wedding day post. Because even the best wedding planners can miss some elements!
tip: save this pin to your wedding planning board on pinterest and come back to this post later
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