The Wedding Guest Book--A Perfect Reminder of Your Guests

Your wedding day is approaching. You’ve spent months planning every detail to ensure a perfect event for all involved. Pictures, perhaps, together with a video recording, will help to preserve beautiful memories for years to come. But, what will allow you to keep an accurate record of who was present for the ceremony and reception, considering that all who attend the wedding may not necessarily choose to come to both events? With the many distractions of the wedding day, it would not be unimaginable that a wedding guest may go completely unnoticed by the couple. Even in such a case, is there something that will enable the two to later acknowledge each guest, or at least, most guests for their presence?

The answer is simple. It’s the wedding guest book. The problem is how to subtly encourage your guests to sign it. A common practice is to set up a table or stand in the lobby or entranceway of the venue where the wedding is going to be held. To help grab the attention of the attendees, decorate the table appropriately, perhaps with a vase of flowers that is carefully coordinated to match the bride’s color scheme. Initially, it may be helpful to have someone designated to stand next to or behind the table directing guests toward it to sign the book. A sign-in line will form in no time!

The same procedure may be followed at the wedding reception, although here, it’s ok to go a little further with the decorations for the guest book table. Some couples choose to place a wedding bear couple, a wedding doll couple or a lovely candle arrangement on the table, any of which will stylishly attract guests. Another popular idea is to place a beautifully framed picture of the couple on the table as a lovely backdrop for the opened guest book. This presentation is a sure-fire way to get signees, since people seem to be naturally drawn to a picture to peer at it.

Of course, the guest book would be of little use if guests have nothing to write with. Therefore, make sure that there is a working pen accompanying the guest book. To reduce the possibility of the pen being unintentionally carried away by a guest, use a pen that comes with a stand. In that way, once the guest book is signed, the empty stand will be a reminder to the guest that the pen needs to be returned to its place. A guest book that has a pen attached is another option, eliminating the need to purchase a separate pen.  And such a guest book/pen combination makes for easy storage.

It’s unlikely that you and your spouse, or any couple who has been married for even a short length of time, will be able to recall by heart every guest who accepted the invitation to attend your wedding. But, not to worry! The guest book will serve as a permanent register of all who shared that special day.