While scrounging around for some unmemorable item a few years ago in the basement of my father’s house, I came across my parents’ guest book from their wedding in the back of a hallway closet. The thick layer of dust that caked the cover confirmed my suspicion — the book had not seen the light of day in over thirty years. As I flipped through the pages and pages of names, I was surprised to recognize a majority of the names — many of whom were relatives or friends of my parents. Also, I found a list of the wedding presents my parents had received, along with my mother’s handwritten notes about thank you cards.
Although very touching and bittersweet (my parents are divorced), their guest book looked so sad and pathetic being tucked away and forgotten about these many years. So, when thinking about what we wanted for our guest book, I was reminded of my parents’ guest book and knew I needed to come up with something that would be a visible reminder of the guests that surrounded us on our wedding day.
Since there are so many creative ideas for guest books, the hard part was figuring out what best fit with our personality as a couple. Here is a sampling of inspirational ideas that I gathered about guest books — some of which are on the opposite spectrum of what we would do (ie. signed guitar great for a rocker wedding), but they got my creative juices flowing.
From left to right — Row 1: Chair and Guitar from Brides.com, Jars from The Knot Row 2: All photos from The Knot
After thinking about it and since Mr. Cookie and I love photography, I wanted the guest book to involve photos. One of the current, hot trends in guest books are the guest self portraits from photobooths that are then glued in albums and accompanied by a cute, little note to the couple. Although I really like the idea of photobooths and guest book photo albums: 1) We are not having a photobooth 2) I didn’t want an album that I would never see and forget about like my parents’ lonely guest book.
From left to right: Brides.com, The Knot, The Knot
Ultimately, Mr. Cookie and I decided on a guest book style that is very popular, trendy, and maybe passed its prime –the signing of names on the mat of an oversized frame. Even though this is far too often done as a modern guest book, I love the idea! Of course the frame will eventually hold a photo of us on our wedding day. I love the metaphor that not only did our friends and loved ones surround us on our wedding day, but they will surround our lives always! Maybe I’m reading too much into the guest book? 
For several months and every time we made a Target run, we always ended up in the frame aisle debating about whether the mat will hold 75-100 signatures. Finally over the weekend we found a winner, and even better it was on sale for $22!
There is plenty of room on this puppy for the 75-100 guests and the occasional John Hancocks. Plus, guests have space to write a little message if they want. Instead of just one photo from our wedding, I like the fact that there will be five photos, and for the wedding I’ll fill the frame with photos of our engagement portraits.
Also, I am gathering old wedding photographs from Mr. Cookie and my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents to not only surround our guest book but to honor those who have passed on.
What are you planning to do for your guest book? Are you going for something more traditional or outrageous?
I too am doing the signing mat. I know it’s been done, but a lot of guests have never seen it and I think it will be a great memory to have in the house for years to come.
We’re doing the photo mat - I love that we’ll hang it in our home forever, and have a constant reminder of the friends and family that shared in our special day.
We are doing the “postcard” guestbook. Guests will sign postcards, and then someone will be in charge of mailing them to us over time. I love that we will be able to savor the guests reactions over time as we receive them in the mail (although I am a little disheartened by the fact that my Dad didn’t get his father’s day card in the mail this week, can I even trust the post office at all!)
I don’t know what to do about keeping it from being forgotten. I guess I hope that our homemade vintage style postcards will be cute enough to want to display in some way.
Be really careful with that Target frame. I bought the same thing, but when I tried to hang it, it fell apart! Just reinforce the corners and you should be ok.
@ErinMarieMack: Trends do happen for a reason, and I certainly love this one.
@kristenrn: Thanks for the heads-up!
Some great advice I got: Bring the frame to your rehearsal dinner that way all your bridesmaids and important family members will have a chance to sign it. The day of the wedding is such a whirlwind - you’ll be glad you got a head start!
I am thinking about a wedding guestbook platter - a ceramic platter that guest can sign with a special ceramic marker. I guess the only danger is clumsiness!
We had a big pewter serving platter at our wedding, which people signed with a diamond tipped pen. It was a huge hit. No one had ever seen anything like it before, and we absolutely love it.
We’re having guests sign a coffee table book on the Amalfi Coast — our honeymoon destination. While it does stand a chance of being forgotten on a shelf somewhere, it’s a very pretty book and people have a chance to write more than their name, if they choose, unlike traditional guest books.
A friend of mine did the silver platter thing and it didn’t turn out as well. I think because she used this engraving pen that vibrated and was a little awkward to use.
I cam across the idea of the wish tree that I’m using for mine. Each place setting will have a little tag that says “wishes for the bride and groom” at the top. Guests can write little notes at their leisure and then hang the tag on the “tree” made of manzanita branches in vases. Its a really pretty presentation, and then I can put them in a scrapbook with pictures of the guests from the wedding afterwards.
We’re making a Blurb book of our engagement photos to use as our guest book.
My cousins used a photo matt guest book and they are so glad she did. They received such lovely messages on it and that combined with a portrait from thier wedding is a centerpiece on the wall of thier living room. It helps them remember all the wonderful people who helped make thier day special.
We are having a nautical wedding and will using an oar for our guest book. we are foing to have everyone sign one or two oars and let then varnish them to hang on the wall in our house.
@beachbride1008: Good idea!
@TBerry: I like how your guest book fits into your wedding theme, nice!
I’m debating several ideas… one is sort of featured in the inspiration board in your post. Although I’m not a theme-wedding type, a repeated design in our decor will be birds. I love the idea of prettily-pained flat wooden bird ornaments that guests can write a wish upon, which will later decorate our Christmas trees.
Another idea I saw — and I’m sorry, I can’t remember where — is to pencil designs onto a set of small, square pieces of wood (one for each guest or couple) and pair with a small set of acrylic paints and brushes. Each guest gets to paint a block, which are then assembled into a larger whole, an original piece of art created by all of your loved ones.
While I love this idea too and will most like do it as well and wanted to warn/make a suggestion… I’ve been to 2 weddings where an unmonitored frame has been tagged - 1 w/ the word vommit and the other w/ douche… I just wanted to suggest that you have someone stand near the frame (like a guestbook attendant) and watch while ppl sign. They don’t need to be there all night, just as ppl come in and maybe someone else during another time and then put the frame away when no-one is watching. You would hope that no-one would do this, but I’ve seen it happen twice.
We will be going to Italy for our honeymoon and have selected a “coffee table book” on Italy for our guests to sign. We chose a book with lots of great pictures and plenty of white space for guests to leave us a note. This way we’ll be able to reminisce about our honeymoon and enjoy the notes from our loved ones for years to come!
I am doing the traditional thing in the non-traditional way - guest book but I am going to print our photos in a book (via blurb dot com - check them out cos they appear to be able to print anything!) and get our guests to sign 
We’re doing a digital photo guestbook for the reception but we did the photo mat for our engagement party April 2007. My SIL actually got pissy with me since they also did a photo mat for their engagement party back in 2002. I broke the news to her that she did not come up with this original idea, I’ve been to more wedding events that had it then didn’t have it, I love the idea of being able to display our best wishes in our home, and I already knew I wanted to do a digital photo guestbook. Yikes.
i think i’m going to place a page that would go into a Kolo album at each table for people to sign. then, i’ll assemble those, plus pages of photos into an album so all wedding memories are in one place. i should probably get on that…
yes…doing this too. although this may be “poass its prime” its perfect for me bc i like everything to have a purpose and i’d never look at the guest book again. on the other hand, i am fanatical about pictures. so i know the matted photo will make it up on the wall and forever be in our home.
i love the vision of future children reading off the names…asking who is “so in so”, ect.
beachbride1008 - great idea! thanks!
We’re doing a picaboo book with pictures of us throughout our relationship in it for our guests to sign. I loveee it!
However, we did receive a signature frame as a shower present so we’re going to use that at the rehearsal dinner, where all our OOT guests are coming. So that’ll be a nice way to use the frame for our smaller group of friends and family.
I’ve always loved the idea of a signature frame but then a friend made me realize that in a few years we might outgrow it (i.e. our decorating tastes change, it might start to seem juvenile, etc.) So when we were interviewing photographers, one of them had an idea to make an album of our engagement pictures that our guests could sign. The pictures would be printed on a matte paper that could be written on and they would appear almost as watermarks. I loved the idea because we get an album of our engagement pictures that we can keep on our coffee table with the special words from our guest. It struck us as a more classic idea that you’d never get tired of.
[...] surround our guest book, I wanted old wedding photographs to honor the marriages that came before us and to remember those [...]
my photographer is enlarging one of our engagement pphotos and the guests will be signing it directly, around the borders, not on a mat
does anyone know where i can find a cute poem asking the guests to sign?
Love the site. Does anyone know of a good photographer in Denver?
Mrs. Cookie, Denver
Age and Occupation: 25, Nonprofit Fundraiser/Theatre Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Analyst
Engagement Date: September 2007
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: May 8, 2008
Venue: Ten Mile Station
About Me: With a degree in Theatre I never realized that planning a wedding was a lot like Theatre Management, until I started planning my own. I am a coffee addict, especially Starbucks' Grande Mochas, yummy! I love to cook (especially chocolate chip cookies for my honey), travel to exotic places, and be creative. As a couple, Mr. Cookie and I are extremely practical, down to earth, and children at heart. We live in a cozy abode with our adorable Pomeranian, and love to play board games and watch movies into the evening.
We are using the same type of guest book. It is/was trendy for a good reason, right?