Illinois-Chicago

registry and guestbook

What is the point of a guest book anyway? I already know who I invited, i don;t think them signing a book is necessary. And How do you all feel about wedding registries? In retrospect, they're awesome. But I don't know if i should register anywhere. I don;t want ppl to think we expect them to give us gifts.....I dunno.....Any thoughts?
live, laugh, Love

Re: registry and guestbook

  • barbbhowwbarbbhoww member
    Sixth Anniversary 1000 Comments
    edited December 2011

    We didn't need anything and didn't want to register.  But we ended up doing it for new bed sheets, towels, new things that we wouldn't have bought and are fantastic.  If you have a shower .. it is to shower you with gifts so youre going to need something.

    It's time. Adoption saving and process started in November 2012.
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  • edited December 2011
    Regarding the guestbook, i feel the same way!!! But my mom insisted i have one for some reason. If you dont want a guestbook, then maybe consider a book where your loved ones can write you messages of good wishes instead?
  • edited December 2011
    I felt same way about Guestbook...so I made photo Guestbook and am putting a little sign asking for words of wisdom, well wishes, etc.

    If you're having a shower, I would register.  I think it helps the guests out when choosing a gift for you.
  • ladybug7485ladybug7485 member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I also felt the same way about the guestbook but the planner at my reception site mentioned that often when couples don't have one, guests spend some time looking around for one or thinking they missed it because it's so expected.
    Instead of a traditional guest book, we're doing a photography book of Chicago that I purchased at a used book store that people can sign.
    Regarding the registry, I would at least put together something small so that people who want to get you gifts have options of things that you would use. Ditto Barb, think of items that you could replace (towels, dishes, bedding). Also a registry doesn't set up that you have an expectation of gifts, unless you put it on your invites
  • aimers1525aimers1525 member
    2500 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Here are some other untraditional guest book options:
    -large picture frame mat for people to sign
    -wish bowl (see pics in my bio)
    -photo book of engagement pics where people can sign

    If you check out the registry and gifts board, there are a lot of great ideas about what to register for that you might not have thought of.
  • edited December 2011
    As pp suggested, we did printed a photobook from Shutterfly using our engagement pictures and left plenty of space for messages.

    The time you spend with each guest seems SO short (and we only had 80 guests) so it's nice to have messages from your friends and family. Our wedding was just this weekend and I've probably looked through the book three times already and each time I find a new message from someone. We'll leave the book on our coffee table for now and feel it's a nice way to be able to look through our engagement pics too.

    And I agree about registering, at least at one place. We lived together before and had the basics so we didn't expect a lot of gifts, but it was nice to have a few items upgraded (sheets, towels, dishes) that we would never have paid for. We didn't have a shower, but were still surprised that some gifts were bought off the BBB registry. Even if no one buys you gifts, you can still get a discount after the wedding on any items you want to buy yourself.
  • barbbhowwbarbbhoww member
    Sixth Anniversary 1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Our Wishbowl:






    It's time. Adoption saving and process started in November 2012.
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic Image and video hosting by TinyPic
  • edited December 2011
    oh that's an awesome idea, a reallynice keep sake too. Love love love that pic w/ your dog!!!!!!
    live, laugh, Love
  • edited December 2011
    oooh i like that!!! I hope you don't mind if i totally steal that idea lol!!!! We're really eclectic and contemporary. Having a wedding ceremony and reception  is as traditional as we are going to get. with all the little details we want to do something fresh and different.

    live, laugh, Love
  • edited December 2011
    For our "guest book" we had a custom poster made with images of puzzle pieces that had maps of our hometowns and then our names and wedding date.  Our guests signed all over the poster and we will have it framed to hang up in our place.  To us, that made more sense than an actual book, because if it's hanging on the wall, we'll get to see it every day and it won't just collect dust on a shelf. 

    As for the wedding registry, most people are going to get you gifts anyway, so having a registry helps them select something that you actually want/need.  I have not encountered anyone who thought registering for gifts made you seem gift grabby, so I wouldn't worry about that.  Best wishes!
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