Guest Book Alternatives for a Wedding Day

Although the traditional guest book records who attended, it doesn't allow for a lot of creativity.

Modern brides are keeping traditional ideas, but finding new and personalized ways of interpreting them. The wedding guest book is one element of the wedding that has been modified in recent years. Brides like to keep record of who attended their wedding, but how it's done can be tailored to fit your personal style and the theme of the wedding.

Video Guest Book

An out-of-the-way corner of the reception location is the perfect spot to set up a tripod and digital video recorder. Provide a pretty backdrop and a camera man to facilitate the videos. Ask guests to state their names and say a short greeting to the bridal couple. The video guest book is a memorable guest book the bridal couple will cherish for years.

Photo Booth Guest Book

Instead of the traditional guest book attendant, ask a friend to be a guest book photographer. Create a beautiful or quirky background (depending on your wedding theme). Ask guests to have their pictures taken instead of writing their names into a guest book. You may even provide a white board and marker if guests want to hold up their name for their photos. Supplying props such as oversized sunglasses, top hats and feather boas will inspire guests' creativity. Provide photography lights and a tripod, if possible, to yield the best results.

Picture Perfect

Enlarge the bridal couple's engagement photo, and frame it with a large white mat. Leave several pens and markers at the reception and ask guests to sign their names and write a few words on the white mat. After the wedding, the bridal couple will have a personalized piece of art to display in their new home. Do not put glass on the picture prior to the wedding or guests will not be able to write on the mat.

Christmas Ornament

If you are having a December wedding, invest in inexpensive glass ornaments. Leave ornaments in a basket on a table along with several permanent pens. Ask guests to write their names and a short message on an ornament for the bride and groom. Have a second basket (or sectioned cardboard box to prevent breakage) for ornaments after they have been written on. The bride and groom will love to relive their wedding each year as they decorate their Christmas tree.

References

• The Knot: Guest Book Trends