Creative Alternatives to the Traditional Guestbook

So, you're looking for a guest book. Every wedding needs one, right?

Many brides are rethinking those time-honored traditions. When it comes to the guest book, the idea is to remember who shared in your wedding celebration. Some couples have guests sign the mat around an engagement or fun photo as a permanent memory (after the wedding, replace the photo with a wedding portrait). Or, present small cards with your name and wedding date on which guests can not only sign their names, but also add a message or wish for the new couple. This gives your guests a chance to offer words of wisdom, for example, that they might not have the opportunity to do in the excitement of the day.

One of my favorite ways to keep not only the guest record but all of those smaller items that have no permanent home, is to create a wedding keepsake book. Include everything from your engagement announcement to your honeymoon pictures. It will be a book of memories that you can easily share, display, and reflect on for years to come. Imagine if in your own wedding planning you had a similar collection of items from your parents or grandparents! A keepsake book is a wonderful way to preserve the traditions that you are including in your wedding.

In a beautiful handbound album, keep some or all of the following:
- Engagement announcement
- Your engagement story
- Shower invitations, photos and cards
- List of shower guests
- Save the date card
- Invitation
- Ceremony program
- Menu
- Place card
- Wedding portrait
- Special wedding cards
- List of gifts received and from whom
- Newspaper announcements
- Honeymoon photos, ticket stubs, etc.

To incorporate the guest list, you can put the album out and open to the pages for your guests to sign. Or, if you're able to take the pages out of the album, you could spread them out over a table and bind them into the book later. If you're using small cards for your guests to write a wedding wish, tape them in. (Remember to use acid-free album pages and tape to be sure your memories last!)

If you're not the scrapbooking type, a variation on this idea is to find a beautiful box to keep all of these items. Whatever you choose, be sure it reflects your individual style and is sturdy and protected for a long length of time. I hear many couples say that their wedding day goes so fast and that they'd like to do it all over again. This is the next best thing!