17 Alternatives to a classical wedding guest book

The Photo Guest Book Album

Let’s start with a product that we are offering, the wedding guest book with photos inside. It’s a photo book with a photo of you printed on some pages (we use your engagement photos for that), and with some white area so your guests can sign it. It’s a good way to use your engagement photos (or it can be other photos such as personal vacations pictures). It’s also great for conservation and storage. Indeed, a book doesn’t take place, and you can look at it whenever you want. While other options listed below might be more problematic when you want to change your living room interior design.

Glue Polaroids and Photo-Booth Prints

Those prints are well complementary to a traditional guest book album, polaroids and prints from your photo-booth can be used to personalize your guest book. Your guests glue them into an album and write a message on the side. It’s great to have silly photos, so it makes all the things funnier and unique.

Of course, photos  might start to fall apart in a few years, in opposition to a solid high quality wedding photo album such as the wood or plexiglass album we offer.

Another downside with polaroids could be the price. Indeed, they are not free! And if you have a lot of guests it can be a costly alternative!

Hang Polaroids and Photo-booth prints

In the same way, you are going to use fresh pictures of your guests taken during your reception. And this time, instead of gluing them into a book, you will hang them. The bride and groom take a nice rustic frame, attach some strings crossing the frame, and buy some tiny wood clothespins. Then you can showcase it in your living room.

If you want to keep the photo-booth image longer, keep in mind that we offer the digital images, so you can print them yourself into an album, or re-reprint individual photographs.

Puzzle

Some couples will order a personalized puzzle using photography during their engagement session. On the wedding day, guests write messages or hearts on the puzzle pieces. On your anniversary day, you can have fun with the puzzle.

Slices of wood

This is a more rustic alternative idea. The main idea is your guests sign slices of wood (some people use wooden hearts for that), and then insert into a custom frame. The glass windows hold the slices of wood vertically so you can enjoy the signatures. You can shop the entire kit on-line, on Amazon or on Etsy, or it can be a DIY project. You can add several types and sizes and different woods.

Finger Prints / Hand Prints

It’s a collective and creative project that you can easily set up for your wedding. All you need is a large white canvas, some ink or paint. Your guests will leave their thumbprints, or hand prints, and usually write their names. Some people will go with one unique color (you can use your wedding color theme), others will go with all the colors. Both results would look great.

If you shop for your ink or paint for your alternative guestbook, make sure not to buy permanent ink! Especially if it drops on the venue floor.

Tree Guest Book Piece of Art

The tree guest book is a classical alternative to a guestbook. You can print, or have an artist (or yourself), drawing/painting on a canvas, a large naked tree (without leaves). Then, during the reception each guest can sign at the end of one branch, and leave a message of love to the married couple . It’s like recreating a family tree with all your guests.

Map and Glob

That’s an idea for a bride and groom having many guests flying from far away.

Buy an old looking map (in the brown tones), or an old-looking globe, and ask people to sign their names from where they come from.

It works better with a small wedding reception (or you would need a huge map!)

Messages of Advice

Have some nice pieces of sophisticated cardboard paper (ask your wedding designer). Ask your guests to write you some good advice for the future. You can collect them in a nice box.

Sugar Cubes Box

It’s a suggestion for the bride and groom who love coffee with a piece of sugar.

Buy a box of sugar in a cube wrapped into paper (Yes, you might have to look on-line). Then have your guests signing a little piece of paper, and wrapping the sugar piece into it. Has someone collected all the sugar cube signs, and put them into a nice rusting metallic sugar box?

Now, each time you take a coffee, open one of these sugars and read the message !

Jinga game

Jinga games are things that you can keep a lifetime. Having sign by the people you love make it unique.

Wine Cork Jar

This one applies for wine lovers.

During the year drink some good bottles of wine and collect Cork. On the wedding day ask your guests to sign a Cork and put it into a glass jar. You can display it in your home.

Wedding Sign or Wedding Decor

Lots of bride and groom would have a wedding sign. It can be a piece of art, a wooden or plastic sign. Simply ask your guests to write something on it, and display it at home.

Custom frame

In the same way, ask your guest to sign a personalized frame. After your wedding day use it to showcase one of your wedding couple portraits!

Postcards

Buy or print some personalized postcard (you could for instance use your engagement photos to create personalized cards). Ask your guest to take the postcards back home, and to send them to you during the following year, or for your anniversary.

And then, once you receive them, you can keep them into a box, or create books.

The customize art drawing to color

If you want to make sure to received something you will be happy to hang into your living room, it’s maybe better to do (half) of the job yourself.
As an artist to create a nice drawing to color, and let people have fun.

The Quizz

You can help your guests by offering them a quiz with multiple choice answers.
Invite them to speak or draw about a subject.