The guest book, a time capsule, a sentimental reminder of the day.. anything you want to call it and anything you want it to be. There are a crazy amount of ideas out there, simple, traditional, creative, it can be whatever you want it to be (it is your day after all!).
I'll start with one of my favourites, our friends over at Bygone Photo Booth, another member of the Glasgow Wedding Collective Team. Instant nostalgia, as they say, and they're so right. Starting with a little personalised telegram to you, its vintage every step of the way. And who doesn't love taking a ridiculous picture in a Photo Booth? Almost a guarantee every guest will get involved, and a great way to remember everyone who was there and having fun.
Another idea that I love is the, slightly messy, fingerprint guest book. Here's a beautiful fingerprint tree I found on Little Thimble Gifts on Etsy.
How lovely is that! And then there is the freedom to pick the colours you want, or have a free for all for it to be your guests designs. It doesn't have to be a tree either, I've seen plenty where the fingerprints are balloons, flower petals, bubbles and even gum balls in a machine. The possibilities are endless, and there is the opportunity to personalise it, make the starting picture something that is important to you or just a picture that you adore. Then you are left with a creative keepsake courtesy of your guests. A step away from the traditional signatures and guaranteed to catch their eye.
If you have read our blogs before (if you haven't, have a wee peek after this), you will have read that my favourite thing in the Butler and Taylor collection, which wasn't an easy choice, is the typewriter.
If only I could be writing this blog on a typewriter, think I would need to be less reliant on the spellchecker though.. Back to guest books, why not have your guests type up a little message for you? Vintage and thoughtful! Our typewriter is available to hire out over at Butler and Taylor. I'd be drawn towards it, and I'm sure others would too. And actually, Claire used this at her wedding, as you can see below, so it must be a great idea!
And after they've wrote them, keep them safe in a little vintage suitcase, like this idea I found on Love My Dress. We have a few vintage cases that you can hire out too, over on our site Butler and Taylor.
And if you are someone who loves to travel, or fancy yourself as a bit of a traveller (me), why not have a map as a guest book? Like this one I found on Mary Fields Photography. Guests can sign the book on a page where they are from, where they met you, endless possibilities.
You could even ramp things up from that, and have a globe at the ready for people to sign! A little harder to take home afterwards but a great keepsake.
Or why not make use of technology, and have a guest box where they can record you a mini message. I don't actually have a picture I could find for this one, but I think our friends over at Franco Photo Booth could step up for the job. You could maybe even put it next to the typewriter and find out which guests love technology and which guests love vintage, bet it would surprise you!
Which ever one of these you pick, or if you have your own idea, why not make the guest book a whole area of its own and use a good old VW Campervan as the backdrop. Who doesn't love them? Here is our lovely, Betsy Blue, who unfortunately has retired from weddings now.
Someone old, something new, something borrowed, something (betsy) blue...
Whats the most memorable guest book you've seen at a wedding? Or has it ever been replaced with something you've loved?
Hope you enjoyed reading, let me know if you use any of these ideas! I'd love to see them!
Heather x
