Planning your wedding day can be one of the most gratifying, rewarding, and exciting jobs we have the pleasure of doing in our lifetimes - but it can also be a big ball of stress!
We've all been to a fun wedding with a photo booth. But, a photo booth is no more a unique idea anymore. Every engaged couple strives to create a unique, personal experience that their guests can look back on and think, "wow, they really made it their own!" But how?
There's wedding decor or venue choice. Some brides choose a beach wedding, while some choose a rustic wedding. Some prefer an off-the-wall wedding venue, while others even choose to have their wedding reception in their newlywed home!
It can be just the little things - like a meaningful guestbook, but not a traditional guest book.
Usually, wedding guests come in and see the guest book, guests sign with good wishes, and then they sit down, and you never end up looking at the guest book. It's just a collection on your coffee table!
With these wedding guest book alternatives, not only will you have a wonderful keepsake, but you'll have a fantastic story to tell for years to come.
Here we’ve got a list of 8 unique wedding guest book ideas for the couple who have tons of creative ideas but might need some suggestions to kick things off:
Video Guest Book
We might be partial because this one is us, but this is our all-time favorite wedding guest book idea! Instead of having a physical guest book, it would be a VIDEO guestbook that you can keep and rewatch for the rest of your life. You can keep it for yourself or share it with family and friends in a way you can't with a physical book.
So the way it works is that you get to choose one of the beautiful templates (or get a custom one) on our website with a QR code. You can have these placed around the reception on tables, at the entrance, high traffic areas, or places. People can scan the QR code and record their good wishes, advice for you, anything they want! It'll also be fun to see your wedding through the eyes of your guests because they'll be capturing everything going on in the background. Bonus points for the most exciting story about the couple! It's all done for you in-app, and after, you'll have these beautiful memories forever.
Shadow Box Guest Book
For this fun guest book idea, guests write little messages for the happy couple and drop notes into a shadow box to be viewed on display in your home forever!
We've seen couples use regular paper, wooden hearts, pressed leaves, and wine corks - if it can be written on, it can be dropped into a shadow box! This guest book alternative still allows your wedding guest to give their good wishes, but now you have a beautiful custom piece in your home!
Polaroid Guest Book
Many couples choose to have a polaroid wall, where groups of friends, couples (or singles with a wedding date!) can take photos of themselves or photos of other people.
It's a fun activity that everyone can participate in, living in the selfie age. At one real wedding we saw, guests signed these photos and wrote a little fun idea on the back for couples game nights!
SurfBoard Guest Book
For the couple that loves the ocean, is having a beach wedding, or wants a unique keepsake that's a little funky - look no further than the surfboard guest book!
This wedding guest book alternative has guests fill out little areas with their names or a little drawing. For an added funky feeling, have guests sign with paint pens!
Favorite World Destination Guest Book
Another one of our favorite cool wedding guest book ideas we have seen was a Destinations guest book!
The couple opted to place a giant map near their entrance, and asked for guests' signatures on top of their favorite location they have ever been to.
The couple asked guests to sign some worldly advice underneath their names, as well as write the most special day they had at that location.
Wine corks (wine bottles)
If you're anything like us, you may enjoy a glass of wine or two. Most people at the wedding will likely have a glass or two of wine throughout the night - why not make it a theme!
For the newly married couple who fancy themselves sommeliers, one of the creative ways to incorporate wine is by having your wedding guests sign corks you and your partner have collected from various wine bottles over the years and drop them in a clear glass vase.
Not only will you have everyone's signature, but it's a unique alternative that you can STILL display on your coffee table, as well as a conversation starter!
Tree Guestbook
A tree guest book is a beautiful way to incorporate nature into a rustic wedding, especially if you have a favorite type of tree you would like to use, like magnolia branches or a beautiful cherry blossom.
Wedding guests can hang wooden hearts off the branches with good wishes for you and your partner, and it's just so much more fun to look at than a traditional guest book. One of the real weddings we have seen this at even had ribbons attached!
Chalkboard Guest Book
Now this one spells itself out! It would be pretty hard to find a wedding guest that does not know how to use a chalkboard.
This is a fun idea because you won't want to be worried about anyone messing anything up on your wedding date. The good thing about a chalkboard - you can erase it! If there are any messages your wedding guest wants to write again, they can just start over.
It's a great idea for wedding guests with children, as they might need a couple of extra tries to write precisely what they want.
Bonus - Vintage Typewriter Guest Book
For this one you'll need to locate a vintage typewriter, but no sweat - they're actually way easier to find than you think! Some companies will even bring the typewriter to you, and handle all of the binding afterwards.
This is really fun for guests to sign on your big day, as many guests won't have used a typewriter before your wedding day!
It's also a lot more fun than your standard guest book because everything is typed up uniquely and made to look completely vintage instead of a flipbook with signatures.
As far as guest book ideas still in the wedding guest book realm, this one is a real winner. If you're going for a vintage feel with your wedding decor, it will look more realistic!
