Guest Book???

liz745

Do we need to have one? I guess I just dont understand its purpose.

pandasquishy

We didn't want a traditional guest book because we would have just stowed it away in a drawer and never looked at it.  Instead, we're having a 5x7 engagement picture framed with a huge mat where guests can write their well wishes on that.  Then we'll hang it up and be able to look at it whenever we want.

esh

Its not necessary but nice to have.  People also use it to record their addresses so you can send thank you cards. You often have ppl who did not receive an invitation show up to your ceremony w/gifts and therefore you would not have had their address previously recorded.

fallbride1109

I did a photo guest book with our engagement pictures and left the pages blank so that people would be free to write more than just their names.  I titled the pages "Words of Wisdom," "Advice for the Newlyweds," etc.  DH and I looked at it when we got back to our room after the wedding and it was so fun reading what everyone wrote.  It's something we'll treasure always.

aerinpegadrak

I think it's kind of like a yearbook; someday you'll want to look back and remember that sort of thing.

We didn't want a standard guest book, so we got four print on demand posters at Disneyland using a friend's holiday discount.  We'll have two for people to sign at the reception, and two for the AHR.  I'm kind of addicted to wall art anyway, so we'll have them framed and it will be a nice addition to the collection.

Had we not found any posters we liked, we were considering having people sign a board game.  I really liked the idea.

tiffgriffin7

I think of it as something to have years from now and look back on...we are having a family member take a polaroid of the guests when they come in and they can write a message or just sign their names on the page that their photo will go. During the reception we will keep the photos out so everyone can see their old school polaroids.

I think it will be fun to look back on them in 20 years to see how our friends and family were when we got married.

Caution though...they have stopped making polaroid film so it is really expensive!

fnordess

I don't love the idea of a traditional guest book either, so we're seriously considering commissioning a certificate/scroll with spaces for all of the guests to sign as witnesses of the marriage, which we would then frame and hang. Here is an example I found on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22653718

Lasairiona

It's optional. Some people like to have a record of who attended. But the reality is that most people will not sign it, and there is nothing you can do to force them if they don't want to.

amymoidl

I don't think it's necessary, but something that you can look back and remember who was there (which may evoke memories of your wedding and/or that guest) and it may make guests feel like you are remembering them as a part of your day.

I want to have one for these reasons, but definitely not a traditional guest book b/c I feel like I would never look at it and it would just sit on a shelf somewhere.

My FI and I are going to buy 2 magnums of wine (yes, we like wine!!) and have guests sign them...we will then open one on our 1st anniversary (and save the bottle) and the 2nd on a later anniversary.  Plus, if we choose we can put the wine bottles on a shelf somewhere or on display~

stacelace22

My fiance and I are going to place pieces of paper with ribbon of our wedding colors punched through the top of them onto a table, with a sign, asking our guests to either write words of advice for marriage or a memory of the bride/groom and their names.

The guests will then hang them up onto trees we are decorating with white lights....after the wedding I am going to make a book out of the cards.  As a keepsake....something different and not just a list of names...

stina93446

It's not a mandatory thing, but like pp said, it's nice to have, to look back on. Some people like to give you well wishes in it, some like to add their addresses and it's great reminder of who was at your wedding even if you don't have a picture of them present.

I was not planning on having a crazy guestbook. In fact I was going to make a photo book and just have people sign on the pages in random spots, like a yearbook, but my mom went BSC, yelling at me about how people wouldn't know that they were supposed to sign it if there weren't any guest book lines. Yes, we seriously got in an argument over this. She also was pissed that I wasn't going to have a guest book attendant.

If you don't want to go the route of guest 'book', there's always a picture that people can sign, a wishing well, a wishing tree, a guest book quilt, wine bottles, etc.

linzcw04

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_guest-book-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:1f5ceb04-07ea-424e-8aa4-aa31d10c2564Post:055bd91d-17e5-49c0-8c00-cb9396a47d54">Re: Guest Book???</a>:
[QUOTE]We didn't want a traditional guest book because we would have just stowed it away in a drawer and never looked at it.  Instead, we're having a 5x7 engagement picture framed with a huge mat where guests can write their well wishes on that.  Then we'll hang it up and be able to look at it whenever we want.
Posted by pandasquishy[/QUOTE]

Where did you get your mat?? I have been looking and can't find one I really like!

eeyring

Something that my FH and I are considering for our "guest book" is having 4x6 cards on each table, or on a designated table. On each card there will be a "name" space, and then a question or two for the guests to answer. Questions will consist of "what is your favorite member of the bride/groom/couple" "When did you know that the couple was in love" "What advice do you have for the couple" "What has been your favorite part of this reception".
This way we will be able to hear advice and opinions from our guests, and also remember who attended our wedding.