New Jersey

Guestbook Needed at Both Ceremony & Reception?

I'm sorry in advance if this was asked before, but I couldn’t find it.

 

Background: We are having a modest wedding with 90 guests. The ceremony will be at our place of worship. All weddings there are public & announced to all the attending congregations. Naturally, not all of those people are invited to our reception.

 

I have a guest sign-in tree that I made for the reception. Picture a thumbprint tree, except people will sign paper flowers & attach it to the branches, rather than fingerprints.

 

Should I also provide a small traditional guestbook at the ceremony for people who aren’t going to the reception to sign? I’d like to know who’s there, but I don’t want those invited to the reception to get confused, thinking they already signed the guestbook & then won’t sign my tree.

 

Thoughts? 

Re: Guestbook Needed at Both Ceremony & Reception?

  • NJhousewife22NJhousewife22 member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Since ours is a physical book, we are just taking it from the church to the reception. I'm not sure you could do that with the tree though. Hmmm..Could you have extra "leaves" of the tree at the ceremony for people to sign and a pretty bowl and then just add them to the tree later?
  • mbcdefgmbcdefg member
    10000 Comments 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I think it depends on why you want it.

    If you will be writing a thank you note to people who just attend your ceremony out of the blue (and maybe bring you a gift), I would just get an inexpensive guest book for the church. 

    If you want it as a keepsake ... I never really look at mine and we don't have it on display (and I like it a lot since it's a photo guestbook), so I would personally just skip it.  
    image
  • rlavachrlavach member
    1000 Comments Second Anniversary 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011

    Thanks for your suggestions ladies. I do plan on sending a simple thank you to those to attend our ceremony. We are expecting 200+ to attend the ceremony, so there is no way for me to remember who is there. It’s open invitation to all 3 congregations that meet there & I basically know everyone, but am only inviting 90 to the reception. I guess technically I could keep track of who came by those who give us a wedding card/gift, but I am thankful for everyone that comes, regardless of gift.

     

    I don’t really plan on looking at it later on. My guest tree at the reception is meant to be ‘art’ and will be hung up in our new apartment.

     

    I think I’m overthinking this. 
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