10 Quirky Alternatives to a Wedding Guest Book
The wedding day is all about the couple right? Kind of but arguably, not really. I remember 2 of my aunties, (who in the absence of my parents who were overseas at the time,) were helping my wife to be and I to plan our wedding. They told me “You have to realise that the ceremony is for you and you alone. The reception though, that’s for everyone else.”
I took a beat to understand what they were saying and it made sense. We could run off and get married in a quiet ceremony with a qualified marriage celebrant, a couple of witnesses, no fanfare and the results would be the same. We would be officially married.
It’s important to help the guests feel that they are a valuable part of your existence which is why they are there in the first place. Beyond gifts, (let’s be honest, we forget who gave us what after a while,) guests want an opportunity to leave a tangible, indelible memory.
This is where guest books come in. Simple and easy. If you’re looking for something a little “out of the box” though, there are other options that will allow guests to literally leave their mark. Here are 10 of them.
1. Typewriter Wisdom
Set up an old typewriter on a table with plenty of spare sheets of paper. Have guests type out their words of wisdom, encouragement and advice. Later you can collect and collate the typewritten notes and bind them into a book at your local office supply store.
2. Pinata Love
Create or have someone create a pinata that works well with whatever theme or colour scheme you have gone with for your wedding. On the guest book table display the pinata with an open lid. Have guests write advice on strips of paper that they then fold and put inside of the pinata.
What you do from there is up to you but some ideas could include filling the rest of the space up with lollies and bashing it near the end of reception when everyone has had a chance to write something, or saving it for your first wedding anniversary. Try to avoid making the pinata in the likeness of anyone attending the reception. Especially any exes.
3. Shake it Like a Polaroid Picture
Set up a table with a Polaroid camera and a stringline with cute wooden pegs. Have guests take a pic and either shake and wait or hang it to dry. When the pic has come through, which only takes a couple of minutes, they can write a message on the back.
4. Doodle Me This
Buy a poster-sized canvas or art paper. Start with a doodle that you as a couple have drawn. Then have guests draw a little something that adds to the person before them. Estimate how much space each guest has to play with so that you can add that to instructions.
5. Your Presence is the Present
Similar to the idea above, start by you yourselves drawing yourselves in the middle of the frame. Then each guest will draw themselves into the picture. Tell guests that they don’t have to be artists, just to have fun. Stick figures are welcomed. You’ll probably want it to be set in landscape.
6. You Light Up My Life
Have the guests sign a set of lamps. Easy.
7. Quilt Me
I recently read a post that talked about the couple hanging a white quilt up for the guests to write on with fabric pens. Personally I’d use the quilt for a guest room. It may be hard to get sexy with your mother-in-law’s well wishes staring up at you.
8. Fingerprint Tree
On a large canvas have a barren tree drawn or printed. Have a few pads of different coloured ink. Have your guests press a thumb into the pad (some may be used to that process,) and then press it onto one of the illustrated tree branches to represent a leaf. Then they can sign their name on it. It could also come in handy if some of your cutlery goes missing!
9. What We Love
Do you as a couple share a hobby, sport, band or other interest that makes for fun conversation? Grab something that relates to that interest that is signable. For example, if you’re cricket players or fans, you could have a cricket bat that you have guests sign. If you’re musos you could have an acoustic guitar. Find something that you could keep as an ornament or frame for the wall rather than something hard to display. Unless you want to shove it in a box of memories. Your prerogative.
10. Write the Train
This one is for the daring. If you are thinking of keeping the wedding dress, you could consider having guests sign it with fabric pens. Or, if you’re not one to keep the whole dress forever and a day, but aren’t considering selling it or passing it on, you could have a section of the dress for signing that you can then cut out and frame. If the train isn’t the lacy type and made of fabric that is easy to write on you could use that as you could detach it after the ceremony and leave it on the signing table.
