- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee Blog
(Source)
Let’s be honest: guest books are boring. Half the time I forget to sign the darn thing, anyways. I have seen so many unique alternatives to having a guest book that totally rock my socks off.
This first option is one of my favorites. I know for sure I want to have one of these puppies at our wedding. It’s called Happily Ever Afterwords, and you can buy it here.
Basically, your friends and family write you a loving note and they are designated an anniversary year. Then, on each anniversary, the bride and groom open a letter and read it! I love the thought of carrying the memories and emotion of your wedding day throughout your marriage. I think it will be so fun to read all the loving words from of friends and family.
Another idea I love is the wishing tree.
Image via Our Labor of Love
It’s essentially the same as the neat-o memory box except there is no element of surprise and it doesn’t carry on through each anniversary. I really like the idea of putting the notes from the wishing tree in a scrapbook or photo book of the wedding day. It totally beats a book that’s tucked away in a drawer that you will never look at again!
The next idea is a postcard guest book.
Image via Stylemepretty/ Photo by Nate Broshot
Have a bunch of postcards set out for guests to sign. Have them write you funny, heartfelt or sweet note and then drop them in a box. Then put stamps on all of the postcards (without reading them, of course) and give them to someone you trust to put them in the mailbox 2 or 3 at a time throughout your first year of marriage!
Did you do anything special for guest book? Or is it sitting in a drawer somewhere? 
My grandmother is making us a quilt and we are having our guests sign squares to be incorporated into it.
Ohhh, very pretty!
Ours is very personalized (since we did it ourselves) and will be put together closer to the wedding. It’ll go on a shelf, instead of a drawer!
I haven’t gotten anything yet, but I’m going to have a photo book made (through Shutterfly, or something similar) of our pictures during our journey together and will have cute little questions like ‘when did you realize (my name) and (his name) were meant for each other?” We’re going to have colorful sharpies so people can write in our book.
I love the card ideas. So cute. I think we’re going with the autograph frame. I like having our guests sign something that we will hang and have on display in our home.
I want to make the quilt, embroidering the well wishes myself, like another talented Bee did.
we are doing a thumbprint tree. my almost sister in law is painting the tree for us so it makes it special (and cheap)
I love the idea of reading things from loved ones years from now! We’re definitely doing something that we can display in our home for years to come! I don’t want to just shove it in a drawer and forget it.
we are having adirondack chairs for people to sign - we loved the various furniture guestbook ideas we’ve seen, and since we are getting married in SC, the beachy vibe of the adirondack chairs went perfectly! I might be more excited about these than almost anything else, haha =)
Oh, I like the Happily Ever Afterwords idea! That’s so cute!
We’re going the photo book route and that baby is going to be displayed right on our coffee table! 
We did the photo book route and I love that people who missed signing it or want to write a bit more ask to do so when they come to our house and see it on the coffee table.
We are doing a poster of our state with a heart labelling the city that we are getting married. It also has our names and wedding date on it. People can sign wherever and we can hang it up.
I love all of these ideas - alas, we’re doing a regular ol’ guest book.
I have seen the postcards done another way, where guests bring them home (postage paid and addressed to bride and groom, of course) with them, fill them out, and mail them back. What fun to see the cards trickling in with sweet wishes after your wedding day! There is also the trusty thumb print tree on canvas idea that is growing in popularity. Still would be a lovely little keepsake and piece of art to hang up in the newlyweds’ place. Love it!
I love the Happily Ever Afterwords!! I was already thinking of doing something similar so I may combine ideas from the two!! Thanks!!
We are having a school-themed wedding since we met the middle school where we work. We are doing a chalkboard for all of our guests to sign with our monogram painted in the middle. We will hang up the chalkboard in our house after the wedding.
I LOVE the anniversary box idea! We are planning on doing one.
Our wedding is movie themed, so we’re having guests sign small prints of posters from our favorite movies and then framing them to put in our TV room!
I went to a wedding with what I think was an awesome guest book idea. They took a lot of time putting it together but it got total strangers talking (it was a 300++ person wedding). They went through all of their photos (and their parents/family) and found photos of the bride and/or groom with the guest guest. They didn’t even cheat and use photos of the whole family from a family reunion. There were some photos that were hard to figure out because it was of babies. The biggest group I saw was maybe 6 people.
@Charcole2011…I love your Adirondack chair idea (may need to steal it1). Just wondering, though…what kind of markers will you use, and how will you seal the signatures so they won’t bleed, rub off, or fade?
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Miss Petit Four, San Antonio/Isla Mujeres Age and Occupation: 25, Technology teacher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Math Teacher and Football Coach Engagement Date: Feb 13, 2010 Wedding Date: March 2012 Venue: Zama Beach Club, Isla Mujeres, Mexico About Me: I am a polka-dot obsessed, destination wedding diva living and loving in the great state of Texas. I am an island girl at heart and I visit the beach as often as I can. I am a wannabe DIY goddess, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it my best shot. I love pearl earrings, the color pink, and ruffles are a part of my everyday wardrobe. My wonderful fiance and I are planning a destination wedding with our closest family and friends and we’re leaving a trail of glitter in our path!
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
Latest Gallery Pics