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i don't like signing guest books. too much pressure to write something meaningful. if i can, i just have whoever i'm with sign my name to what they said, unless it's a close friend or family member of mine then i have to.
we did a photobook of our whole relationship for our guestbook, and i think that's the only way i'd ever keep it. it's small so it's easy to store, and now i finally have all of the pictures of us all in one place. i am glad that we did it, people said some really great things.
artbee, did you DIY or buy something to use? Could you show me a picture of it?
Ones using photos have been the ones that have drawn me the most, but we're also doing a photobooth, so I wasn't sure if it would seem repetitive.
Is there a way I can incorporate the photobooth with the guestbook?
Okay, I am sentimental, so I do enjoy writing in the guest book. At the very least, signing my name. Because I want my dear friends/family whose wedding I'm attending to be able to look back on who was there to celebrate with them.
That said, if someone didn't have a guestbook, I wouldn't be heartbroken because I can just write in the card I give along with the wedding present anyway.
I wouldn't notice! In fact, I was at a wedding recently, never signed anything. I have no idea if they had one or not. Oops!
i don't have many good pictures because no pro pics yet, but here's one. i made it on blurb or one of those websites. i've been to weddings where they the photobooth gives off two strips of photos, one for the bride and groom to keep and one for the people taking the picture. they have gluesticks or photocorners so you can put the pictures for you in the guestbook and sign it right then. i thought it was really cute, and i'd definitely want to keep those fun pictures of my guests.
i'd probably notice, but it wouldn't bother me if there wasn't one. i like writing, but there's never enough time to think of something meaningful when you're in a line at the signing table. so next wedding i go to im going to think of what to write before hand!
but i must say, video guestbooks i avoid like the plague. impromptu speeches...*shudder*
guestbooks come in handy when endin out thank-you's there doesn't have to be a guestbook that allows for a bunch of sappy writing but at least some way of knowing all the guest that show up
I definitely wouldn't remember or notice if you didn't have a guest book. We did the framed tree that everyone could sign and have it hanging in our dining room right now, and I do still look at it! I'm a sentimental sap though and love seeing who was at our wedding. BUT, if someone else didn't have one, I wouldn't notice. I think b/c I never know what to write in them except for something generic.
If I there is one I signed it but if there isn't one I don't notice. Not having one, waste of budget for me!
I rarely ever bother with a guest book and don't think I would notice or care if one wasn't at a wedding. I'm pretty sure we aren't using one for ours.
I wouldn't because who ever I sent an inviation to will be there and if not, then I don't have to worry about them. I think it's a waste of money. We already have their address so what good is it?
Well, so glad this poll existed. Convinced me not to bother with a guestbook!
I have never noticed a guest book unless I had to take a photo for it and put it in the book with a note. Otherwise, I usually only notice them if there's a big line to write in them, and I really hate waiting in line, so I usually run the other way :-)
I am indifferent about signing guestbooks and was having this same discussion with myself about whether to have one. I ended up finding one in the clearance section of TJ Maxx. It's just a white guestbook from the Brides line at Michaels. I'll probably put it out to appease the older generation, but I also won't feel too bad if it doesn't get used since it only cost me $4.99.
The last wedding (on Saturday) I went to had two guest books and everyone signed them since they were there but no one actively looked for them. One was a photo matte and the other was a traditional guestbook that always only has the first page out of 50 written on with nothing being written on the rest. As a guest, I'll definitely sign it if I see one, but I don't go hunting one down to sign. Also interesting to note, I was a guestbook attendant for many years as a kid and I hated the job (it is not an honor to anyone, contrary to belief, even as a kid) and it was like pulling teeth getting folks to sign it, and more people went out of their way to avoid it, since it is typically at the entrance where you cannot miss it, than those who chose to sign it. Those who do sign it, only put their name or the extent of what they write is "Congratulations!"
Also, in talking to folks who have been married already, I have yet to meet one who actually has opened their guestbook at all at any point following the wedding. I could see where a coffeetable book or photo matte that will actually get used is a much better option than the guestbook they sell at Michaels or Walmart for that purpose.
I think a guest book is a really good idea to have, it helps you remember who helped you celebrate your special day! and I love all of the funny things guest write! lol
I voted that I like to write something witty/funny...I'm strange in that I try to think up a message when I get the invite.
Like @sewing, I LOATHE video guestbooks...seems so invasive.
FI used to think was a waste of time & money...then we brainstormed on what would be something we'd LOVE to keep. Here's what we came up with: we're "re-opening" FI's sports memorabilia store at our wedding. Bear with me...in high school, FI owned & operated his own sports memorabilia store; as a kid, he & his friends (our Best Man, our officiant, one of the readers, & our videographer - 5 guys) went around to sporting events & got signatures on everything from photos & baseball cards to sports balls & jerseys...when FI had so much that his mom threatened to sell it, FI beat her to the punch & opened his own store. He hired his buddies to be his employees; it did pretty good business, & closed when he went off to college. We're "reopening" it at our wedding. Our "guestbook" will be personalized baseball cards of our guests, with their picture (our guests each filled out a questionnaire that's featured on our website on a page called "Guests of the week" & includes a pic of their choice) & table name (where the "team name" usually goes) on the front, & their "stats" (relationship to the Bride/Groom + a fun fact/story by the Bride/Groom) on the back. It will be created by a traditional sports card company, in our wedding colors. FI's "employees" will sit at the "guestbook" table in their old store T-shirts, & have guests come up to sign their own card. The "employees" will give each guest a duplicate card (it also serves as their escort card) & their favor (I don't want to leave Disneyland park tickets sitting on outdoor tables)...so every guest has to come to the "guestbook" table to "sign-in" if they want their favor.
Coming up with something personal & unique to my FI made the usually boring chore of signing in something fun that we're BOTH looking forward to now. I'm going to incoporate the signed baseball cards as part of our wedding scrapbook that I'm making.
@daydreamwanderer: my cousin recently got married & at her wedding, she had a digital photobooth in which her guests could also record a video message as well as take pics. The booth shot out a postcard sized collage of the photos taken for the guests & she & her husband get a CD/DVD of the photos & messages. I'll try to see if I can get the company's name from her...PM me if you're interested.
We're doing a photobooth and we're incoporating that into our guestbook. We're going to have the pages already pre-made with little divots cut out for them to slip the photo strip into. We're also going to have little white cards laid out for the guests to write on and then a spot already designated for them to stick them on after they write.
Does that make sense? I don't think I explained it very well. 
We are going to do a puzzle that is a picture of us and then each guest can sign the back of a puzzle piece. FSILs and I always do puzzles when we are together so this will be a keepsake that will be in the family and will be fun to relive the day by putting it together time and time again!!!
And no I would not notice if there was no guestbook!!!
Now that I am planning a wedding I *might* notice, but before, definitely not!
I don't think I would notice - if I did, I wouldn't care! I'm with you - I don't think I'd ever look at a guestbook again. We're forgoing the traditional guestbook and just asking guests to use our photobooth as an alternative to the guestbook!
Woah! This was one of those things that I never thought twice about, I was more trying to find 'the right guestbook' and then this morning I just wondered "what if we skip it?" and it turns out --- that's an amazing idea!
How did I never think of it before?!
Thanks for all the responses, input and affirmation that it's okay to toss this one out the window!
I think guest books are a great way to share your well wishes for the married couple. Sometimes it's hard to think of the right thing to say, especially if you are not particularly close to the couple, but I think for the most part, a guest book is worth it.
I agree with you in that I'm not sentimental and realistically in our house it will be a dust collector. We chose to have a really big frame with a large matte and a picture of us in the middle. People are signing around it. I figured then at least we can hang it in our house somewhere and it will be more useful then just having a book packed away somewhere.
We are using the pics from our slide show (from baby to present) and turning that into a book. We didn't want to "waste" all the time and energy we put into the slideshow on a 15 minute chunk of time...so we thought we'd also turn it into a book. That way, it is something we MAY want to look at down the road and hopefully most of our guests will be able to "connect" to at least one of the pics and write on that page! You can make photobooks at Walgreens website for less than $30.
We are also not having a guest book. Originally, in my research for guest books, I came across the idea of having the guest sign a rock with their name on one side and a catchy saying like "you guys rock..." on the other side and then putting it into a bowl. We are incorporating a river rock wishing bowl reading into our ceremony, so this idea worked for us. Plus, we are having less than 20 guests at our wedding so it's not like we won't remember who came! And, the bowl will serve as a nice table centerpiece at home.
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Beekeeper
Do you intentionally look for the guestbook to sign, or are you more like me - only do it because you're walking past it to get somewhere?
I am not a very sentimental person, and I just can't see myself ever looking at our guestbook... wouldn't want a framed tree thing with thumb prints, don't really like any of the other ideas I've seen - well, I like a lot of them, but I just don't feel like I especially connect with any of them, you know? None of it feels like us. So I'm thinking of just skipping it. Would that create mass confusion and uproar at my wedding?
Or will I regret it? Married ladies, how often do you actually look at your guestbook?