Guest Book

If you ask anyone who just got married about their wedding day 9/10 will say "It's the fastest day of your life!"  It's true! The day goes so quickly.  Luckily I was told this several times before I got married, so I made sure to stop throughout the day and take it all in. 

Get to your ceremony location early enough to watch your guests walk in.  Take a moment to scan the crowd during the ceremony.  Stand back for a moment at cocktail hour and watch everyone.  Sit down for a minute during the reception and watch everyone dance. (so this one didn't happen because I was dancing the whole time!) but you get the point.

Another fantastic way to remember your big day is to have a guest book.

When I hear wedding guest book I think of a padded book with lined pages that goes on your coffee table for a year and eventually becomes a dust collector.  I was so happy to discover the trend of wedding guest books has evolved into creative and fun pieces that serve a purpose.  

There are so many ideas for brides to choose from.  It is important to decide how the guest book fits in with your theme and the purpose it will serve once the wedding is over.  Here are some ideas I found when looking for wedding guests books.

• Puzzle pieces
• Heart cutouts (from paint samples) framed
• Fingerprint tree
• Flower pot
• A collection of engagement pictures in a book (shutterfly is great for this)
• Picnic Table
• Adirondack Chairs
• Bench
• Globe
• River rocks
• Jenga game pieces
• Anniversary Wine Bottles
• And my favorite....

Alphabet Wedding Guest Book
 It is a one-of-a-kind piece of art and the ideal keepsake.  Etsy has a ton of these, but since I love DIY projects and being creative I took the pictures myself.  What made the piece really special was the pictures were from the town I grew up in.  If you decide to make an alphabet wedding guest book keep these tips in mind:

• All the pictures have to be the same way (vertical or horizontal)
• There should be consistency with the pictures.
• Have a theme, steel objects, country items, etc.
• Make sure you take the picture of each object from the same distance.
• Get the picture framed 2-3 months before the wedding
• Request to have the glass put in the frame after the wedding
• Use a photo safe, acid free, archival quality, lightfast, waterproof, fade-proof, non-bleeding, odorless, smear proof pen.  (seems like a lengthy list, but remember you want this to last and look good hanging on your wall)

Once you put all your hard work into your guestbook, you want to make sure all your guest's sign it.  You can assign a trusted friend or family member to keep an eye on the guest book.  Remember all those friends and family members that say "I want to help, Just let me know how!"  I used my Aunt Tania who did an amazing job asking each guest to sign.   They don't have to stand their all night, but just have them be the advocate for you guest book!

Have your guestbook in a convenient location
 where everyone will see it & sign it 

There are tons of new ideas for wedding guest books.  You don't have to use them.  Let your mind run wild.  Brainstorm with your mom and bridesmaids to come up with a wedding guest book that will fit your theme and personal style!