Wedding Guest Book Ideas & Alternatives

Every bride and groom wants to remember all the family and friends that helped celebrate their wedding day, so we’ve collected some great ideas on how to add some creativity to the tradition of signing a guest book.

Fingerprint Tree:
The idea here is to begin with the trunk and branches of a tree painted on a canvas or printed. You provide the guests with different color ink pads and they stamp their fingerprint on various branches to create “leaves” on the tree. You can then have the guests sign their name on the leaves. Coordinate your ink colors with your wedding theme, your house decor theme, or choose any color you’d like. Don’t forget to include hand wipes for the guests to wipe the ink off once they’ve stamped your tree.

Sign a Framed Photo of the Couple or Other Image:
Another popular idea is to have a framed and matted photo of the bride and groom available for guests to sign around the edge on the mat. Guests can even include well wishes to the couple next to their signatures. If you don’t want a photo, think about a print of your last name, a monogram or come up with your own idea of what represents you as a couple. You can then hang the photo in the home and be reminded of their wedding day over and over again.

Ceramic Plate or Dish:
Couples could also opt to have guests sign a plate, platter or other ceramic dish with a special pen. The couples name and wedding date can be printed in the middle (or monogram) and guests can sign all over the platter. The signed platter can be displayed in the newlywed’s home on an easel or mounted on the wall.

Sign Stones:
If you want to mix it up a bit, consider having your guests sign small stones. Stemming from an Irish tradition, guests write their well wishes on the stone, sign it and then place it in a glass vase with water to symbolize how guests would toss their pebbles in a lake or stream near the wedding site. Of course you don’t have to fill the vase with water, but it’s a creative spin on the traditional guest book.

Strike a Pose:
If you have a photo booth set up, or even a Polaroid camera, have your guests snap a pic of themselves and paste the photo into an empty album. Next to their photo they can then write their wishes and congratulations to the happy couple along with their signature. Don’t forget to assign a Guest Book Attendant and leave colorful pens and markers for the guests to show their artistic side.