Hey, that’s clever! (Part 1)
It’s probably a good idea to have a log of guests who attended your wedding; hence the “guestbook“. But what if you don’t want to be that traditional? Here are some clever ideas if you choose to go a more creative route:
- Create a Digital Photo Album. We love this idea! There are lots of pages (and you can buy extra ones) so that you can put tons in the album. Start with pictures of both of you through the years, move to engagement shots, then leave the rest blank. After the big day, you’ll have room to add some wedding shots and also honeymoon pictures. The pages are removable, so you just feed them through your printer. Or, you can go the old-fashioned route and use actual prints held in by photo corners. Leave room for guests to sign pages as well, and you’ve got one heck of a wedding scrapbook.
- Make a centerpiece out of it. Place small (decorated, if you wish) pieces of blank paper in the center of the table with some fancy pens, and let guests go to town on their own. You’ll probably get some “good luck” messages and most likely some drawings, but you are allowing them to express themselves and that is always fun. Be sure and designate an area somewhere for finished notes to be collected so they can be put into a scrapbook of some kind.
- Do it with photos. Get a Polaroid camera or rent a photo booth for guests to have their pictures taken as they arrive. You can then assemble them in an album later, or have guests put their own picture into the book and write a message beside it. If you rent a photobooth, guests can also leave the party with a fun memento.
- Catch it on video. Ask or hire someone to go around the reception and have guests give a live message to you on camera. It will last forever and be hilarious to watch later - especially if you start recording a couple hours after your bar opens.
- A framed signature mat. Have a picture of the two of you blown up (or wait and getting a large wedding picture) and have a mat cut to allow plenty of room for guest signatures. Or, break it up into a few smaller frames with the same idea, so that you can make a collage on frames on the wall after the wedding.
- Have your guests help you make something. Have each one sign a small rock and place them all in the bottom of a fish aquarium.
- Serve it up right! Have attendees sign an unfired pottery tray or a silver platter for you to keep and use for a long time after the day. Or, get a ready-made guest signature platter.
- Ask guests to come prepared. When you send them an invite, enclose a blank note card and have them record a favorite memory of you two, a recommended recipe, a must-see vacation spot idea, a romantic idea, a piece of marital advice, etc. Then instruct them to please return the card at the ceremony for you to keep. It will allow them plenty of thinking time, and will give you something you can truly use later. Don’t forget to remind them to sign their names!
- Have them sign ornaments. If you are having a holiday wedding, find a bunch of kind-of plain ornaments and have them sign them. You can keep the ornaments and use them on your own Christmas tree!