WR: A (stupid) question

garcias1

I lurk a lot more than I post, and I've seen a pretty common sentiment that people do not think you should ask someone to "man" your guestbook.  I am not planning on doing this, but I am curious: what is the role of the person that mans the guestbook?  Like, what do they do??  Make sure people don't steal the pen?  This question has been bothering me for some time.  I guess I don't know the answer, because every wedding that I've been to, the guestbook is just lying on a table with a pen next to it.  Most people get the hint that the pen is for writing in the book.  I ordered a guestbook already (I seized the opportunity to get a good deal on it), but I have no clue why it would need to be watched over by someone.

It sounds like a stupid question, but I seriously don't know the answer to it.  I'm not judging people who have someone man the guestbook, but I just want to be enlightened, I guess.

Licia&Wayne

I've been to a few weddings with guestbook attendants. They greet people and ask them to sign the guestbook. The ones I've seen usually hand out programs/bubbles/random crap for celebrating post ceremony. I've also seen at weddings where ushers act as guestbook attendants.

Another way to look at it: the guestbook attendant in my family is a revenge position. If you've got a grudge against someone, you ask them to be a guestbook attendant. Then that person can have a grudge against the bride/groom. 

We're really mature.

ETA: We didn't participate in the grudgefest. It appeared all of our guests were able to comprehend signing something without direction.

AllAboutTheBenjamin

We didn't have a guestbook attendant - but we didn't have a guestbook, either.  We did a photo mat that our guests signed.  Our host couples greeted the guests as they entered the foyer to the chapel and directed them toward to entrance to the sanctuary, and told them to make sure to sign the mat.

This is what it looked like:




This photo was taken before the mat was signed by all the guests - but it completely filled up.  So pretty much everyone signed it, even though no one was sitting at the table telling them to.  But having the hosts there to remind them while they "directed traffic" was nice, too.

vicki0508

I completely agree with you OP.  I think signing a guestbook and grabbing a program are things that people can do on their own.

garcias1

Thanks everyone.  I wasn't sure if there was some sort of duty that I was missing.  It was just picturing someone standing there hovering over people as they signed the guest book.  The greeter/traffic-mover thing might make some sense in certain situations.  But otherwise it would seem that guestbook attendant is a totally boring.

NillaWafer10

I would never think of this as revenge haha! Like other people said, the main responsibility is to greet guests and encourage them to sign the guestbook.  

Kristin789

>>Our host couples greeted the guests as they entered the foyer to the chapel and directed them toward to entrance to the sanctuary, and told them to make sure to sign the mat.

This.
Your guests arrive at a church or ceremony location they've never been to before, and they rush over to the steps and get inside.  Then the greeter greets them warmly and shows them where the coatroom is and where the guest book is, etc.  This is like the hostess at a fine restaurant.  Then the greeter gestures to the door to go inside, where they are met by an usher for seating.

mrabbito

the last wedding i was in, guest book was one of the 'stations' in the recieving line. in that case we were actually useful, b/c the way the line travelled people kept missing the guest book and we were there to re-direct them.  we alternated stations through out the receiving line time, clearly the shot station was the most sought after station to man!