Guestbooks!

Guestbooks!

April 22nd, 2010 @ 5:30 pm by Mrs. Octopus
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Lately, I’ve been spending a fairly ridiculous amount of time pondering our guestbook options. It seems like a really small detail, but in my defense, I’m pretty fond of keepsakes like that, and Mr. O is literally the most nostalgic person I’ve ever met in my life, so a guestbook full of messages from our friends and family is something we would both definitely cherish. Also, it’s a way, way more entertaining mental diversion than my grad school assignments.

I’ve narrowed the options down to two, but now I’m waffling like an Eggo about which one to choose!

Option One: Postcards

Mr. Octopus and I have had a fairly nomadic life together, moving from Pittsburgh to Las Vegas to Boston in the span of five years, so I thought it would be cool to gather up an assortment of postcards from all the places we’ve lived. Our guests could choose a postcard and write a little note on it, and we would put them together into an album after the wedding.

Guestbooks! : wedding guestbook pittsburgh Boston06

Guestbooks! : wedding guestbook pittsburgh Vegasp

Guestbooks! : wedding guestbook pittsburgh Boston07

I MAY have screeched out loud over the greatness of these vintage-style postcards from Zazzle seller feedmelinguini.

Option Two: MyPublisher Photo Album
The other choice I really like is to assemble a whole mess of pictures from the course of our relationship and publish them in a photo album. Then, people could use metallic markers to sign the pages. I like the idea of being able to show people a photo timeline of the years we’ve been together. The one downside is that many of my favorite pictures of us couldn’t be included, because they were taken on—how quaint!—my old film camera. But we would get to feature some goodies like these, from our old-timey college years:

Guestbooks! : wedding guestbook pittsburgh 125 251

Road trip to Niagara Falls

Guestbooks! : wedding guestbook pittsburgh 126 264

This was taken at a regular ol’ frat party, but we are so in luuuurrrve!

Guestbooks! : wedding guestbook pittsburgh 126 266
Halloween 2003. He was “a monkey with a mullet” and I was a firefighter. Okay, a SEXY firefighter. Forgive me, I was nineteen.

Or some recent shots:

Guestbooks! : wedding guestbook pittsburgh P100061

Vacation to Alaska!

Guestbooks! : wedding guestbook pittsburgh P101047
Daffodil’s got better things to do than look into the camera for a family portrait.

Although I do feel that, for propriety’s sake, some pictures (from back in the day, before we were real grown-ups) that absolutely crack me up will not be able to make the cut…

Guestbooks! : wedding guestbook pittsburgh 120 202
… because it is so obvious that hearty amounts of alcohol were involved in the photographic process.

Guestbooks! : wedding guestbook pittsburgh Hershey
I didn’t even bother to put down my can of Miller High Life for this one. The champagne of beers!

I’m leaning towards the photo album, because I think it’s more personal and we’ll both really enjoy looking back through it, but I’m not sure.

What are you doing for your guestbook? Which one of these options would you choose?

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30 Responses to “Guestbooks!”

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Member

farmersdaughter (message) 1,675 posts, Bumble bee

We’re doing the postcard idea! We got vintage-esque postcards and having people put them into an antique mailbox which will be set up at the guestbook table. The plus side is, it doubles as a card box!

4/22/10 @ 5:33 pm (reply)

Member

shantastic (message) 122 posts, Blushing bee

I think both are great ideas, but would lean toward the postcards, myself. I would worry about some of my friends, who might be of the old-school-yearbook variety. You know, how you hope your children never want to look at them because your good friend thought it would be funny to write “ASS” on your face or something like that. Perhaps you have more mature friends.

4/22/10 @ 5:37 pm (reply)

Member

BostonBride12345 (message) 34 posts, Newbee

We went with a version of the 2nd option. We did a photobook from my publisher with pics of us and events from all of our pre-wedding events and we tried to get a picture of every guest attending the wedding into the book. Surprisingly most people actually took the time to find themselves and write their messages by their pics. We love it!!!!!!!!

4/22/10 @ 5:42 pm (reply)

Member

sarahnyc23 (message) 365 posts, Helper bee

We’re doing postcards! I love the ones you found — I saw similar ones but my FI wasn’t so into them, so we we’re just using an assortment from each city.

4/22/10 @ 5:44 pm (reply)

Member

Marinara (message) 392 posts, Helper bee

We’re doing the postcard idea. We had freinds/family members from all the places we’ve lived send us a handful of postcards from that location. We thought it was a nice way for people to feel involved, and at they wedding they can see their contribution!

4/22/10 @ 5:48 pm (reply)

Member

Bride_Colleen (message) 627 posts, Busy bee

I made a sheet in Publisher where people draw a photo of themselves, give us there wishes and advice, and write where they see us in 50 years.

4/22/10 @ 6:19 pm (reply)

Member

audamy (message) 128 posts, Blushing bee

We’re doing postcards and I got this cute little cardboard mailbox that I decorated for the postcards to go in.

4/22/10 @ 7:00 pm (reply)

Member

tweds (message) 448 posts, Helper bee

Doing this:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45044638/large-wedding-tree-18×24

as we’re getting married under a tree and both know we’d never open a traditional guestbook ever but would be too guilty to throw it out! Looking forward to hanging it in our guestroom.

4/22/10 @ 7:11 pm (reply)

Member

tea (message) 7,288 posts, Bee Keeper

i started with a mypublisher album, moved to postcards, and am now pretty happily settled on a quaker wedding certificate.

4/22/10 @ 7:26 pm (reply)

10.

Member

ms.oohlala (message) 45 posts, Newbee

i like the postcard idea a lot and had thought about that as well since we’re having a destination wedding. the picture book is cute though but it might be more fun to have guests take pictures of themselves at the wedding on a polaroid camera and put that into the book and then sign it. You can always do a slide-show of pictures from your relationship.

4/22/10 @ 7:34 pm (reply)

11.

Guest

Amber

Why can’t you just scan the film pictures to include them in a photo guestbook?

4/22/10 @ 7:55 pm (reply)

12.

Guest

Posies

We’re actually doing something completely different. We’re doing more of an interactive guestbook. There will be a faux-tobooth (with fun hats and boas and the like) where they will get at least one picture taken and a few feet away will be out guestbook table. Each guest will fill out both sides of a 12×12 paper, and later we will attach the pictures. There will be about 8 questions total; things like “Did opposites attrack or are the two peas in a pod?” and spaces for advice, a funny story, ect My inspiration was guestbookstore.com. I love it!

4/22/10 @ 9:22 pm (reply)

13.

Guest

Posies

I’m sorry! Please excuse the typos and semi-jumbled-ness! I got so excited thinking about the end result that I lost control of my fingers, lol.

4/22/10 @ 9:24 pm (reply)

14.

Member

mebless (message) 512 posts, Busy bee

I love the post card idea!! For our guest book we are getting a coffee table book of Chicago (like pics of the “sights”) and having guests sign different pages. We might have to have two books and if we do the other one will be a USA skyline book. We want something that we can display and flip through when we want! We had a friend that just got married and made a giant calender (sp?). You could write your birthday/anniversary in the date and then they have been sending out cards to people! Super cute!

4/23/10 @ 1:44 am (reply)

15.

Member

krissybee (message) 3,921 posts, Honey bee

i’m actually doing postcards!!!! i’m going to design them with photos of us on the front as well as cities that have significance to us and our relationship! i’m torn for you though, your pics are hilarious and make a great book you’d look at years later!

4/23/10 @ 9:07 am (reply)

16.

Member

jingle96 (message) 2,842 posts, Sugar bee

Were doing postcards! We’re having a DW in Aruba and we didn’t want to have to bring a guestbook! We used a picture the FI took in Aruba and printed them through Vistaprint! We thought this would be a great alternative, besides, I’m a scrapbooker and I’m looking foward to putting them all together! We also asked the guests to tell us their favorite part about their trip and I can’t wait to hear it too!

4/23/10 @ 9:18 am (reply)

17.

Member

labrat (message) 472 posts, Helper bee

The postcards is a really cool idea! I think the carnegie library also has some really neat ones with historic Pgh pictures such as pics of Luna Park (an amusement park that was located right where Oakland meets Shadyside.)

4/23/10 @ 10:12 am (reply)

18.

Member

butterflies (message) 32 posts, Newbee

I like both ideas!
We’re going to have one of the new version polaroid cameras and have people put the photos right into a book and then write their notes right there with the photo. Very excited!

4/23/10 @ 10:13 am (reply)

19.

Member

charismaclassic (message) 357 posts, Helper bee

I’m doing a scrapbook. I filled it with pictures and memorabilia from our relationship and time together. Guests can leave a message on a sticker-backed square of scrapbook paper. After the wedding, I’ll put all the messages into the scrapbook. I was also worried about what people might write, so this way they can say whatever they want, but I can edit out anything I would never want the kids to see!

4/23/10 @ 10:16 am (reply)

20.

Bee

Mrs. Pug (message) 3,753 posts, Honey bee

so sweet! we did the photo guestbook and am really happy with it. make sure the pens you get dry relatively quickly so they don’t smudge! i love seeing all your photos–you two are so cute and fun!

4/23/10 @ 10:19 am (reply)

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