Connecting Brides with Respected Wedding Professionals Through Bridal Events and Social Tools: Fun Twists on the Traditional Guest Book

In the last issue we talked about choosing the right music for your
reception.  In this issue we are going to talk about some fun twists on
the traditional guest book.

Did you know that just because you are having a traditional wedding it
doesn't mean you have to have a traditional guest book. Of course you
can purchase a standard guest book and ask your guests to sign it,
but there are so many more guest book activities that are much more
fun and unique.

One very popular option is to have your guests to sign a picture of the
bride and groom. Simply take a picture of the bride and groom (a
formal engagement photo works great) and have it matted with a mat
that is several inches larger than the photo itself. Place a in a frame, but
leave out the glass for now. You'll put it back in later.




Be sure to have a nice Sharpie marker handy and place the picture on
either a sturdy easel or on a table where guests are sure to see it. After
the wedding the picture can be framed as a wonderful keepsake for the
bride and groom to hang on their wall and cherish.

Another option is instead of providing a picture of the bride and groom
to sign, the guests are provided with a picture of themselves! Simply
provide a Polaroid camera and assign someone the job of taking
pictures of the guests as they arrive at the reception. Once the picture
is dry, provide a Sharpie and they can sign the picture, make a note to
the bride and groom or hand draw a silly picture. It can be whatever the
guest wants it to be. This is a unique, and personal, way for guests to
"sign in" at the wedding.



 Whoever handles the taking of the pictures should also handle putting
them in an album of some sort. A scrap booker might provide a special
memory book with the Polaroid pictures in it, or the pictures can simply
be placed in a nice album and presented later to the bride and groom.

Many guests don't give a great deal of thought to the guest book. They
whiz by the guest book table more concerned with getting their cocktail
and hitting the dance floor. If this is a concern, provide a "traveling"
guest book. Send each guest something either to sign or decorate
before the wedding.

In this "traveling" guest book, there are several options. One
of the easiest is to send each guest a small piece of paper and ask
them to write something meaningful or thoughtful for the bride and
groom on it. The pieces of paper are returned prior to the wedding (to
ensure a better response, provide a self-addressed stamped envelope
with the paper) and can be compiled in some meaningful way for the
bride and groom and presented to them on their wedding day.

If the guest list is a creative or particularly close group, there is one
other option that is even more meaningful. Again, in a scrapbook
fashion, send each guest a piece of paper to sign or decorate. The
paper should be the size of a photo album, so it might be a 6 x 6 piece
of paper, an 8 x 8 piece of paper, or even 12 x 12, if the guests are up
to that larger size.

In a letter that arrives with the paper, the guests are instructed to create
a memory page for the bride and groom. They might include photos,
quotes, little anecdotal stories, or combine all of these with stickers or
embellishments. It's thoughtful, meaningful and personal and it's an
excellent way to include guests who might not be able to attend the
wedding, but would still like to be a part of it.


Cindy Lieber
Accredited Event Designer
OC Brides Event Coordination
www.weddingplanneroc.com
Cindy@ocbrides.com
(714) 970-6380

P.S.  If you are feeling overwhelmed and could use some help planning
or coordinating your day, visit our planning page.  We have several
packages to choose from or if you prefer we have reasonable hourly rates!