Guest Books - Dust Collector or Something Memorable? 

Even though it doesn’t appear like spring outside my front door with the three feet of snow, I’ve started the “spring clean” of my home.  As I dusted through my china cabinet, I came across my guest book. 

Here it has sat for 4 years collecting dust.  Never re-opened from the wedding but a treasure of sayings, thoughts and wisdom from my wedding guests.  It’s quite a shame it just sits to collect dust!  Don’t let this happen to you – try a few of these unique ideas instead of the traditional guest book:

• Try framing your engagement picture (or another favourite picture) with a large matte around it and let your guests sign the matte.  After the wedding, frame it and hang it in your home.

• Have your guests sign a unique unfinished ceramic platter. After the wedding, take the platter to a local ceramics place and have the platter fired to permanently adhere the signatures to the platter.  You can either hang it in your home or actually use it to serve meals.

• Forgo the signatures and get your guests to make a live statement.  Have a station at your wedding, where guests are videotaped giving you a “short and sweet” message of love.

• As guests arrive, have a few friends take Polaroid shots of them.  Then adhere the pictures to a photo album and let your guests sign their names along the bottom of the picture.

• Pick out some material and cut it into squares.  Purchase fabric crayons and have your guests decorate and sign the squares.  After the wedding, take the squares to a seamstress (or if you have the talent do it yourself) and create a decorative wedding quilt.

• Let your guests create you a rustic original piece of furniture.  Buy or build an un-finished wood table and have your guests sign the table with a woodburing pen.  You can either leave the table un-finished or have it finished afterward for a more polished look.

Are you a hockey, football or soccer fan?  Have your guests sign jerseys of your choice with a fabric pen and then hang the jerseys in your home after the wedding.