guestbook attendant thoughts

twoitalians

i thought i had heard somewhere that being asked to be the guestbook attendant is one of the worst things to be asked to do at a wedding. i figure you don't want to ask anyone in the BP to do it because they will already be busy wrapped up in all that requires. what is the general concensus for who gets to be the guestbook attendant? who are you asking to do it? i'm planning to have a polaroid-like guestbook so i'll need someone to help take pics of the guests, but i don't want to insult any cousins or close friends by asking them to do it if it's one of those wedding things that feels more like a chore than an honor.

mgumms

I have two cousins who are high-functioning, but have special needs. They both want to be involved, but couldn't handle being in the wedding. I figure I'll have them do guest book duty, because they will get into it and be glad to have a job. Usually, a guestbook doesn't really need an attendant. In your case, though, I could see where you might need someone to help get it started. After that, guests will pretty much figure it out on their own. I would consider asking a couple people to keep an eye on the area so no one feels stuck there and plenty of people are available to help if someone doesn't catch on. I love the polaroid guestbook idea!

HecateAZ

I'm not sure if I'm going to have one. The table with the guestbook is going to be near the entrance. I think it's self-explanatory? I might ask my brother, who is also the usher, to ask people if they've signed it before seating them.

My brother is going to be in charge of the guestbook -- making sure it gets moved from the ceremony to the reception. I've never heard about it being one of the worst things. My brother is actually kind of happy with the responsibility because when I asked him to do other stuff, he said, "But I thought I only had to do the guestbook." lol

Celles

If a friend were to ask me to attend her guestbook, then I'd only be insulted if 1) it was offered as a consolation prize for not making the bridesmaid "cut" AND 2) the guestbook obviously didn't need attending.  (And, let's face it, most don't!) 

I think that's where the blanket condemnation comes from: brides who feel obligated to "honor" friends or family members who aren't close enough to be in the wedding party, and therefore make up lame and unnecessary roles for them to fulfill instead.

That said, if you're going with the polaroid idea, then the guestbook attendant is actually fulfilling a useful role instead of a decorative one.  In this case, I think you'd be okay to ask someone who enjoys taking pictures and actually wants to be involved in some way -- a younger cousin, perhaps?

NillaWafer10

We had a dear friend from church do ours.  I would definitely recommend having one, because our guest book was filled with great words of encouragement.  A few people just awkwardly signed their names, but Anna really encouraged them to express their sentiments.  The guestbook can easily be overlooked if you don't have an attendant.