Wedding guest books are a staple at most wedding receptions; in fact, I haven’t attended a single wedding reception that didn’t have some sort of wedding sign in book.
When it comes to choosing the perfect wedding guest book for your own special day, how do you pick when there are so many options? Should you go with a traditional sign in book, or a wedding guest book alternative?
There’s a lot to keep in mind when choosing a wedding guest book that will bring back fond memories for years to come, so I thought I’d share a few tips to help you choose the right guest book for your wedding and a few alternatives that you might want to consider instead.
So let’s get started! Here is how to choose the perfect wedding guest book.
Do You Need a Wedding Guest Book?
When I was in the middle of planning my own wedding, I didn’t even want a wedding guest book. Crazy, right?
I thought it’d just be another thing that sits on a shelf collecting dust.
Luckily my sweet mother-in-law talked me into having a traditional wedding sign in book and took care of picking one and making sure everything was set up on my wedding day. She even bought these amazing erasable pens that I didn’t even know existed—no more awkward scribbles for spelling mistakes or writing errors!
There are so many tips and tricks available to save money when planning your wedding, but skipping the wedding guest book shouldn’t be one of them. Most wedding guest books will cost $20-50, and trust me, that is money well spent.
Everything happens so quickly on your wedding day. When it’s over you won’t even be able to remember everyone who attended, it all seems to blur together! That was definitely one of the 29 most unexpected wedding day surprises that I experienced.
While you don’t technically need a wedding guest book, it’s a wedding memento you and your spouse will cherish for years to come, so make sure you choose one that you both love!
The Classic Wedding Guest Book
If you want a traditional wedding sign in book, this white wedding guest book with metallic accents is a classic choice! Plenty of pages for guests fill with messages and advice for you and your better half.
If you want to incorporate some of your favorite couples’ pictures you can easily turn it into a photo guest book or polaroid guest book—all you need is an instant camera and some tape! Half the pages are lined and the other half are blank so there’s plenty of room to add anything else that you’d like in your wedding guest book.
Wedding Guest Book Alternatives
If you want something a little different than the traditional sign in book, here are a few unique wedding guest book alternatives that both you and your guests will love!
Unique Wedding Guest Books
The Lily & Val wedding guest book is similar to the traditional guest book with a few unique twists.
Instead of blank pages, each page has fun prompts for guests to answer! Your guests can choose whichever prompt(s) they’d like to respond to and fill in a fun answer or piece of advice for you and your sweetheart to enjoy later.
Inside this unique wedding guest book, you’ll find 60 pages full of prompts like ‘How should we get through our first married fight?’, ‘Your favorite song to slow dance to’, and ‘What is the best way to say I love you?’
Another unique wedding guest book is this bible verse wedding guest book. It’s a great choice if you and your husband are Christian and want an inspirational wedding guest book.
The book features beautiful gold foil accents on high-quality faux leather, and is full of inspirational scripture quotes you can reference throughout your marriage!
Wedding Guest Book Signs
As a newlywed, you likely don’t have a fully-furnished or decorated apartment or home. Instead of a book (or in addition to, if you still want a traditional guest book), choose a wedding guest book sign! Guests can sign a beautiful wooden wall sign that you can display in your home for years to come!
Customize your wall sign with your new last name and wedding year in the shape and wood color of your choice.
Every time you walk past your customized wall sign you’ll remember your wedding day and all of the wonderful memories that were made. Marriage is a blessing, and having simple reminders of that throughout your home can help you prioritize your relationship.
Another popular wedding sign that you might like is this cutout wedding guest book sign.
You can customize your sign with your last name, wedding date, and finish of choice, and then choose the size you need based on how many guests are attending. You can even customize a cutting board, coaster, or wine glass set if you want another fun wedding memento in your home.
Decorative Wedding Guest Book Alternatives
If you want a decorative piece to display in your home that really adds to the love, this drop-top frame guest book alternative is the way to go!
Choose a favorite photo to put in the center, and your guests will fill in the rest! There are also photo-less options if you’d prefer a simple graphic in the center instead.
You can customize your sign with your last name, wedding date, and finish of choice, and then choose the size you need based on how many guests are attending. You can even customize a cutting board, coaster, or wine glass set if you want another fun wedding memento in your home.
Whether you’re planning on having 20 guests or 100, everyone can sign a heart and add a little bit of love to your new wall decor wedding keepsake.
Fun Wedding Guest Book Alternatives
If you want a fun wedding guest book alternative that you can use during game night, have your guests create a custom wedding jenga set! It’s a classic game that you’ll enjoy for years to come and a great way to reminisce throughout the years.
Each set comes with 54 blocks for plenty of signing space and an acrylic display case so you can use your set as both a keepsake decor piece and a fun two-player game!
Wedding guest books are a popular wedding tradition for a reason—they’re a great personalized keepsake to remember your special day and all the loved ones who celebrated with you!
Even if you don’t want a traditional wedding sign in book, there are plenty of great alternatives available that you can use in your home to keep the precious memories of your wedding day with you each and every day.
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