The wedding reception may last till dawn the next day, but it’s the memories that you’ll want to keep forever! What if you don’t recall a thing about your wedding, ten years from now? You might have hired a photographer for the night to capture beautiful moments, but you’ll want to know what the people in your wedding photos were really thinking about. Wedding guest books work best at preserving the thoughts of the people who shared your very special day with you.
Couples often make the mistake of assuming that the guest book is just another tradition and chore to add to the list of things to accomplish before the wedding. However, keepsakes are an important feature in any wedding as it’ll help any couple remember their much celebrated union. You’ll want to have a memento that’s interesting, meaningful and unforgettable, so that you won’t just see it as something to have at your wedding but a treasure to cherish a lifetime. With that said, you should get everyone to write in your keepsake, so that neither your wedding nor the people who witnessed it will ever be forgotten.
One idea is to send out empty note cards for your guests to pen in a memory, express a thought, or describe a feeling. And you can send out engraved pens (with details, like your wedding date) along with the note cards; this will ensure everyone writes with the same ink, and at the same time, could be a great wedding favour. Have everyone bring with them their note cards on the day of the wedding, so that you can paste them in your keepsake. This will allow guests the time to think about what to write, thus it’ll be more meaningful and personalized. You’ll also get to organize your book the way you want it!
How about assigning a close family member or trusted friend the task of making sure wedding guest books and pens are circulated at the reception. Have guests at each table pass the book to the next person, so that everyone gets the opportunity to jot in the book. It is important to keep a watchful eye on the book, because you don’t want to end up with your keepsake missing or your quaint, white satin-bound book tinted by wine. It will be wise to set an example; get a few members of your bridal party to write in a word or two (be concise about how you want it to look), and your guests will roughly get an idea of what to do. Ask guests to use the same pen, in order to keep the book looking neat.
Another suggestion is to put note cards into a nice decorated vase or basket, which is then placed in the middle of each table. Write a short note informing guests of the purpose of the note cards and have pens available for guests to write with. This way, no one is pressured into writing anything immediately. Find someone to go around taking instant Polaroid pictures of guests, so that they can attach their note cards to their picture for instant notification, even for years to come (put staplers or glues at the tables). Guests can then drop their message cards back into the vase or basket once they’re done.
Perhaps you’ll want to station your memento somewhere every guest is bound to visit, like the bar. You could have your keepsake positioned at the wedding gift area or front table, pre-reception, and then move it into the reception hall during the reception; the attendants or presenters at the wedding could make it a point to remind guests to sign the wedding guest book before they leave at the end of the party.
The traditional guest book is usually accompanied by a matching pen; you might need to attach your pen to the book (for instance, secure a string to your book and then tie the pen with the string), because your pen might go missing when it’s being passed around. Always have a few more pens available for back-up, in case the original pen does get lost. If you’ve got a personalized wedding guest book – like a photo mat or guest book platter – be sure to have all the specialized stationeries readily on hand for guests to use.
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