4.10.2013

Wedding Wednesday: Guest Books

Wine Bottle(s)
Pros:
 -Good Excuse to buy nice wine
-Everyone knows we are winos, so I think they'd like the idea
-I like the look

Cons:
 -Have to ship back to California
-Do I want that bottle displayed forever?
-How many bottles would I need? 


Book of our engagement pictures
 
Pros:
 -Easy to order and pretty inexpensive to make
-I haven't done anything with my engagement pictures yet, so it would be a 2-1 deal

Cons:
 -Boring


Letter
Pros:
-If I found a cool, vintage letter "S" like the one above, it becomes a piece of art
-Could be easy and cheap

Cons: 
-Have to ship back to Cali
-I don't want to beat it down everyone's throats that we know our alphabet. There's lots of uses of letters and I don't want it to be on overload.


Polaroid Guest Book
 
Pros:
-SO much fun! I feel like everyone would love this!
-It will be hilarious for Joel and I to go back and look through all of the candid shots

Cons:
-I would need to track down a Polaroid camera and lots of film


Message Center
 
 
Pros:
-I'm seeing this like the book above, except, without pictures
-I would love to read everyone's two cents

Cons:
-A lot of after-wedding work, and I could see myself not getting to it for a while...


Map 
 
Pros:
-I love the look of this and could see it being used in a babies room or playroom years down the road
-Simple and Easy, just would need to order a print of a state

Cons:
-Which state?


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So, there you have it. I've been leaning towards the book of engagement pictures, mainly because it's the easiest, but my mind is far from made up. Have you seen any cool guestbook options in your day? 

11 comments:

  1. We did the engagement photo book for the exact reasons you pro'd. I feel most things you see at weddings are pretty boring or lame. I like the map idea. Could you maybe do 3 smaller maps? Where you met, got married, currently living? And then who ever lives there could sign accordingly? I'm not very creative.

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  2. I've been loving the wine bottle idea - but I agree, at what point would you be totally sick of the dang bottles and want them gone gone gone?

    I'm torn on the engagement photo book. Part of me loves it, and hello a book of pictures of MYSELF sounds like a winner to me.

    The map might be my favorite of your suggestions. It's fun and would make cool artwork.

    The one I keep finding myself leaning towards is a "thumbprint" guest book. (like this http://etsy.me/Ycvksm) However, I really want there to be a thumb AND their names/signature/whatever. That's my only hesitation.

    A friend of mine also put out a calender and said to write your birthday on it. I absolutely ADORE the idea (actually, I could make one with our engagement photos IN IT, genius!), and it gives you a fun calender with all your favorite people's birthdays in it.

    So I'm def doing the calender, and still debating on a 2nd form. My poor guests, I'm gonna make them work for their booze, damnit.

    Longest comment ever.

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  3. All of these are fabulous ideas and I think you're pretty accurate on the pros and cons. I went to a wedding a couple years ago and they did something like the Polaroid book, but instead they rented a photobooth. Everyone got their picture taken and then pasted it into the book and wrote a sweet message. As a guest, I thought this was really fun & interactive, especially as we were waiting for the bride and groom to arrive at the reception.

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  4. Friends of mine send out cards before their wedding and made us design them in advance - including our own text and pictures or whatever we felt like. On the day of the actual wedding we had to bring them and put them into the wedding book. All you needed was a nice book and some glue plus additional pens for people who forgot their card (or they can always send it later on).

    Though personally I love the idea of the Polaroids and it might well be worth the hazzel getting one!

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  5. All these ideas are adorable! I love the Map guest book!

    I still haven't decided what we are doing for a guest book..so many decisions :)

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  6. Ooh, I love that map idea! Even though Etsy freaks me the fuck out, there is a place where they do a custom map of where you're both from - so maybe both of your hometowns/home states and also your wedding location on a custom print. Then have that signed?


    (I also have the wine bottle idea in my Wedding Binder and Mama H did her, "Oh, is THAT what you want?" judgy commenting this weekend so... back to the drawing board.)

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  7. What if you did a US map? That would allow for plenty of room, and guests will have fun deciding where to sign- home states, etc.
    We had a photo-booth set up to print double photo strips so guest could keep one, and the other set when in to our guestbook with a little note. I absolutely love looking through our book & will keep it forever. It is so much fun to see how the pictures "progressed" throughout the night.

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  8. I like the idea of using a combo map of all your states that have meaning!

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  9. These are all cute ideas. I like the map or the polaroids best. They sell mini polaroids now and they're not too expensive. :)

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  10. I like the polaroid or the wine bottle one. Here's one that I just thought of, though it would take a little work, you could always make a timeline of your lives with pictures and people can sign on the picture that best represents the point they entered your and Joel's lives separately and together. Just a thought!

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  11. I actually like the idea of the book of engagement photos as well.

    However, a word of advice!! I was at a wedding recently that the ink was coming off and smudging really bad on all the pages. The ink was coming off on the pictures themselves, the page behind it, soaking through to next page, etc.

    The book and pictures were so nicely put together it was so sad to see it literally ruined. So just do a lot of test runs with different pens/paper!

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