Wedding Reception Forum

Guest Book: Necessity or Unnecessary Expense/Frivolity?

We're having a small wedding with only 30 guests, so I'm wondering whether to have a guest book. Did you use one?
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Re: Guest Book: Necessity or Unnecessary Expense/Frivolity?

  • We are, I do'nt think you can call a $5 book at hobby lobby frivilous. Even if it is for 30 people you should know who attended your wedding and you won't just remember that years from now.
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  • Well, I'm using a board that looks like a vintage chalkboard with our names on it for our guests to sign to hang in our home afterwards, but I agree with PP. You can find several online or in store that are not very expensive.. check places like Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc. for their clearance sales. They often have guestbooks for super cheap. You don't have to get the matching pen set either if you don't want the extra frills, but I think you really will want to remember who was there.
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  • I marked yes but we didn't use an actual book. We bought one of those photo signature mats and had our guests sign/leave messages on it. After the wedding, we put a wedding pic in the middle and it's hanging in our bedroom. I really do enjoy stopping to read the messages every now and then. I would have had absolutely no use for a regular book and it probably would've sat unopened in a closet.


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  • We had everyone sign a black and white photograph of our city's skyline.  The idea was to frame it and hang it on our home.  A year later, I haven't bought a frame.  Oops!

    I do think that an actua guest book is silly, but the more creative ideas they have now are fun.
  • Ditto PPs. I think there are plenty of cute ideas that will work (especially if you have a smaller wedding) and could make a nice memento to remind you of everyone there on your special day!

    I really like the "thumbprint tree" ideas that I've seen floating around pinterest... I think with the number of guests we're inviting, it would get a little insane, but I'm thinking of maybe having the WP and our immediate family make a little "family tree" because dang, it is just so cute!

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    pinterest, obvi.

  • Ours was rather expensive, but that's because it's an original piece of art that we had done.  It has our vows on the top, then space for people to sign, then a watercolor underneath that.  It is framed and hanging in our home.

    I am so glad we have it and that it's out where it can be seen all the time.  Several of the people who attended have since passed away and I love that we have their signatures.

  • My husband is a huge Miami Dolphins fan, so I surprised him with a Dolphins jersey with our last name on it, and the number "12" for the year 2012.   Our guests signed the jersey.  We've framed it, and are going to hang it somewhere in the house (once we decide where).


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  • hoffsehoffse member
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    edited July 2012
    We're doing just small pieces of stock paper that are different sizes, in our wedding colors.  Guests can just sign the small ones or write notes if they want on the larger one. I'm not the type to hang stuff like that out on our walls or anything, so we decided to go with a scrapbook instead.  We're going to use them when I put together our wedding scrapbook after everything is over.

    ETA: Forgot to mention - I think the whole thing is going to cost us under $10 because it's literally just paper, skinny sharpies, and a glass bowl that my mom already has to put the completed pieces of paper in.
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  • We had one, but it wasn't an extra expensive because it was part of our photography package (a photobook of all our engagement photos with blank spaces for people to sign).
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  • Could someone take photos of each person/couple as they arrive and have them sign a note to you in a book at some point during the reception, and later adhere the photo to the page where they signed? We're doing something along those lines with our photobooth.
  • There are creative ways other than a typical guestbook. since my fiance & I are huge music lovers & he plays instruments we're having everyone sign a guitar & later hanging it in our home. there are other inexpensive, cute ideas... go pinterest.com I'm sure you can find something plus its nice to have incase 50 years from now you forget who was all there. a nice keepsake. 
  • We are doing the Thumbprint tree and then plan to hang it in our family room. I ordered mine from Etsy.
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  • not a traditional guestbook per se but we put all of the cards that we received into a book instead.

     

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