If you’ve been searching for the perfect wedding guest book alternatives, you’ve come to the right place. Traditional guest books can be so boring, and really, they’ll just sit on a shelf collecting dust. Try these fun Wedding Guest Book Ideas that you’ll love and cherish forever!
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The Tradition of a Wedding Guestbook
The purpose of a wedding guestbook is for guests to leave messages of congratulations and advice for your life together as a married couple. A guestbook becomes a treasured keepsake of your wedding day.
You may not wish to have a traditional wedding guestbook at your wedding. After all, this is your special day, and everything should be tailored to suit you as a couple.
Why you might want to skip the guestbook:
- – Although guestbooks are inexpensive, it may be something you want to consider skipping if you are on a tight budget.
- – Sometimes the guestbook gets ignored. Guests can get easily distracted by catching up with each and having a few drinks and may forget to sign the guestbook entirely.
– Some couples feel a wedding guestbook is just not for them. If you are having more of an intimate, informal wedding, you may feel a guestbook isn’t necessary.
But, if you want to go with tradition, and have the keepsake to remember who was there to celebrate your big day but aren’t quite sold on a normal book, here are some unique ideas!
Some Alternatives to the Traditional Wedding Guestbook
A Virtual Wedding Guestbook
Perhaps you are having a smaller wedding to the pandemic. A virtual wedding guestbook is a socially distanced solution. This service allows your friends and family to record a video message which you can watch time-and-time again. It’s like bringing your wedding photos to life! You can create your own virtual wedding guestbook for free here.
Message In A Bottle
This is a lovely, whimsical idea! Ask guests to write a short message on a little scroll and place it in an empty wine bottle. You could smash the bottle on your first wedding anniversary and have a night reminiscing about all the beautiful memories of your big day. There are some lovely printed instructions available through Etsy.
Wine Corks In A Bottle Alternative Guest Book
Or have your friends and family sign a cork and collect them all in a bottle to display at your bar or somewhere else around your house.
Heart Drop Frames
A drop frame is a framed image with an opening at the top which allows messages to drop their messages inside. These can be typically stood up as a table centre-piece, or hung up if you are short on space.
Amazon has some gorgeous options that allows you to add a personalized photo as the backdrop. Guests can then post little messages on the 85 small hearts provided.
Create a Guestbook Hanging Line
This is a great-looking and low-cost solution. All you need to do is prepare is some small slips of paper, pens, pegs, and a string line. Hang the string up like a washing line, and ask your guests to peg their messages to it. You can also purchase a hanging line with a framed backdrop, such as this one from Amazon.
Hanging Heart Tree
Another nod to the hanging concept could be to ask your guests to hang their message on a mini plant or tree. This can either be real or wooden/plastic. A message tree creates a fairy tale-esque centre-piece will look gorgeous in any photos! We love these from Amazon.
Letter of Your Last Name
We’ve seen some really cool wall decor ideas that couples have done at their wedding. Turn your guest book into a piece of art for your house. Start with a large letter of your last name, and have all the guests sign it, so you can enjoy it hanging up on a wall in your home for years to come.
Wall Hanging Name Sign
Or go for the whole last name or both of your first names on a board for your guests to sign.
A Guestbook Globe
Perhaps one of the most unique solutions of all! Ask guests to sign a globe, which represents all the adventures you are going to be taking as a married couple. A globe guestbook provides a real talking point and makes a for a treasured piece in your home afterwards.
Guestbook Jenga
Another unique, fun option would be a Jenga Game for your guest book. Ask your guests to write their message on a wooden block. You can save these blocks to play Jenga in the future when you are taking a trip down memory. Perhaps you’ll even play with your children down the line!
Guest Book Connect 4
Another fun guestbook game is Connect4 or 4-in-a-row. This game features small discs for guests to write their messages on, with pink for the bride’s guests and blue for the groom’s guests. Guests then post their messages in the game board, trying to match four of a color in a row.
Guestbook Jigsaw Puzzle
Another fun take on the game idea is to have a guestbook jigsaw puzzle. Ask you guests to write their message on individual puzzle pieces. You’ll have so much fun after the wedding putting your unique puzzle together! Available now on Amazon.
Photo Canvas With Blank Space
Another one we really love is a canvas photo of the couple with room for the guests to sign around it. It’s the perfect piece for your wall decor, or even creating a full gallery wall with all your wedding stuff.
Fingerprint Guest Book
How cool are these fingerprint guest books?! Have each of your guests add their print to make a beautiful picture in the end. There are so many different designs, that it’s hard to choose!
Signing Tree
If you’re not sold on the idea of fingerprints, you can get the same style with these signing trees. Have each guest sign a leaf on a tree, and you can enjoy your guest book on your wall.
Guest Box
Rather than a traditional guestbook, ask your friends to drop their message into a guest box. Many couples use a post box for this. A post box has the advantage of being super private. Unlike a guestbook, which everyone can read, messages in a guest box are only for the couple’s eyes! This encourages attendees to be more personalised and sentimental within their messages, and include for inside jokes! Your guest box can be anything you like; there are many options to make it tailored to you. Your guest box can double up as a save place for guests to put their wedding cards too.
Quilt Squares
Another sweet idea is to have each guest sign a quilt square, and then have a quilt made from your big day. If you have a family member who loves to quilt, they can put it together for you, or you can have it made up from a company.
Guestbook Selfies
For a truly personal memento, you could ask your guests to take selfies and write their message to you on the back. You could go all out and hire a photo booth, or just have a bunch of disposable cameras on the tables. For an extra bit of fun, you could even provide props for your guests to pose with! Amazon and Etsy have a whole host of low-cost options to choose from.
Photo Booth Guest Book
If you’re doing a photo booth for your wedding, might as well double up and make that your guest book! Have the booth print out one extra photo strip for each photo. Then guests can add their photos to the book, and sign a nice note by their photo.
Polaroid Photo Book
You can still do a cool photo guest book even if you are not doing a photo booth. Create your own station for a polaroid guest book and have each of the guests take pictures to stick in your book. Then they can sign with their photo.
It’s smart to delegate someone at this station to take the photos of your guests and make sure each guests gets in your book.
Canvas with Cartoon Photo of The Bride and Groom
Check out these fun cartoon canvases for your guest book. Cartoonify yourselves and have your guests sign around it.
Create A Coffee Table Book or Scrapbook
If you are looking or something a little bit more ‘you’, create your own book for guests to sign. You can purchase photo books to capture your time together in the earlier stages of our relationship, and leave blank pages for your guests to sign. Another option would be to prepare a scrapbook. This is a super fun and creative process! You can include other keepsakes from your wedding too, should as the order of service and the invitations.
Map
We’ve seen cute maps that show where the bride is from, where the groom is from, and then where they are together. Or a map of where they met, got married, lived, etc.
Guest Book Record
Are you huge music fans? Get a singable record to have as your guest book. You’ll need silver or gold sharpies for this one, and it can make a great statement piece in your house.
Record of First Dance Song
If you’re thinking of doing a record as your guest book, get your first dance song on a record and have it on a frame with white space for your guests to sign all around it.
Bench
We have seen some really cool benches being made, where guests can write sweet notes to the bride and groom to enjoy for years to come. You can use this bench on your porch, in your backyard, or in a sitting room in your house.
Cookbook
This one can be done in a couple different ways. Have your guests bring one of their favorite homemade recipes, and add it to your newlywed cookbook. Or bring your favorite cook book, and have your guests sign around their favorite dishes.
Cutting Board
For a fun but useful guest book, have guests write on a personalized cutting board. You can always seal it, so you don’t have to worry about the writing wearing off, or you can use it as decoration instead.
Christmas Ornaments
If you’re having a Christmas Wedding, (or just really love Christmas), you can have your guests write notes and place them inside Christmas ornaments for you to hang on your tree each year. Or grab some ornaments you love, and have them sign them!
Calendar — add wedding dates and anniversaries…birthdays
One of the most creative guest books we loved was a family calendar. This doesn’t have to be a calendar of the specific year, but it could be a calendar you use yearly, filled with birthdays, anniversaries, wedding dates, and more.
Have your guests fill out important dates for you to remember, and sign there as well. If you decide to do a calendar of the year you were married, that could be a sweet keepsake as well.
The Night Sky of the Wedding Day Photo
Theres a really cool site that can make a photo or poster of the night sky of any day you choose. Pick the day you met, the day you got engaged, or the day you got married. You can find them here.
Rocking Chair
We’ve heard of couples or family members making furniture to use as the guest book as well. If you have a crafty family member, and want a personalized piece to add to your house, this may be a good option.
Corn Hole Boards
Who doesn’t love a good game of corn hole? Make some personalized boards and have your guests sign them. Then you can have a fun talking point and game in your backyard at your new home.
Family Bible
One of my all time favorite guest book alternative ideas is to have a family Bible. Each guest can highlight their favorite verses and write prayers or thoughts on the margins. Such a sweet keepsake to pass down to your family.
Sketchbook
Another option could be a sketchbook for the artistic couple. Have each guest sketch a quick picture and sign their names next to it.
Bourbon/Whiskey Barrel
Have your guests sign a Whiskey barrel top to hang in your house. This creates a really cool piece of art for you to hang in your home.
Time Capsule Guest Book
Want your guest book to last years through your marriage? Try a time capsule guest book. Set out a bottle, different jars or box for 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 anniversaries. Have your guests write notes, advice, jokes, etc, and place one in each of the time capsules. On each anniversary, you can go through and read them all.
No matter what you decide for a guest book, remember to make it personal to you. Don’t do a book just because that’s the traditional way. This list has awesome ideas for alternatives for a wedding guest book that you can actually use and not have it just sitting on a shelf for years to come.
Sara, a seasoned expert in wedding planning and date ideas, brings a wealth of experience to our couples blog. With a background in the television industry and hands-on involvement in a dozen weddings, including working as a wedding assistant on "My Fair Wedding with David Tutera," Sara has an innate understanding of the magic that makes weddings truly special. Growing up with four sisters has given her unique insights into the dating world, making her a go-to source for practical and heartfelt dating advice. Her knowledge and enthusiasm make her the perfect guide for couples seeking to infuse their relationships with creativity and love.