This is not your momma’s guest book! In planning a wedding, a guestbook can easily be overlooked as a detail that can tie together the theme or accentuate the personalities of the couple. There’s no rule stating that your guestbook has to be a book at all. Let your personality shine by creating your own guestbook out of an ordinary household item.

Whether you’re the first or the last of your friends to get married, chances are you have more than one married couple at your wedding who are more than willing to give advice for a happy, healthy marriage. Instead of giving your guests blank pages to write generic salutations on, have them write pieces of advice that you and your hubby can cherish and use throughout your entire marriage.

Your guest book can also have a practical use long after your wedding is over. Set out a cute calendar and have each guest sign their name on their birthday. They’ll think the calendar gives them their own personal space to sign, but what they won’t realize is that they’ve given you a shortcut to remembering every birthday of every important person in your life.

Who ever said a guestbook has to say anything at all? Capture every moment of your wedding by supplying your guests with a Polaroid camera and have them hang the pictures of themselves. Not only will you have the memories caught on camera to cherish, but you can also use the photos to create an artistic memento of your special day.

If you still want to stick to the traditional method of having guests sign something, but don’t feel a physical book is practical? Find an item that means something to you and your spouse-to-be, and let that become your guestbook. There are an infinite number of everyday items that can be turned into a guestbook that will hold more meaning than pieces of paper. Music lovers can use an instrument or record, sports lovers can use their favorite team’s ball, even a cute chair or your favorite bottle of wine can be signed and displayed in your home for years to come.

Smaller items can also be signed and used as a guest book. Choose a collection of items or your favorite game and have each guest sign one piece. Games like Jenga and Scrabble with small playing pieces are perfect for a guestbook like this. Even ordinary items like corks or pebbles are the perfect size to sign yet can still be used as decor in your first home together.

Whether you use a lot of small items or one big one, there are more ways for your guests to show their love than just writing in a book. Showcase your personality in your guestbook, get creative and have fun! After all, this is your big day.

 

Tell us, brides, what will your guests be signing?