From your wedding photos to preserving the flowers from your bouquet, there are only a handful of ways you can memorialize your wedding day after the event has passed. In recent times, setting up a designated area for friends and family to sign a standard wedding guest book has become something of the norm. Many couples, regardless of race and religion, have adopted this practice as a simple and straightforward way to commemorate their big day. Unfortunately, these standard guest books tend to get sidelined to a bookshelf or storage box once the festivities come to an end. 

This is where unique and functional alternatives to wedding guest books come in. As more and more couples stray away from the traditional guestbooks (often hardcover albums that feature a tasteful cover with blank or lined pages for guests to write in their messages), the emergence of other creative alternatives that can complement your wedding has added some spice to the wedding game! 

Growing Popularity

As mentioned before, modern-day couples are moving on from traditional guest books and are seeking something much more unique and attractive. As time passes, the form and shape of the traditional guest books have evolved to suit the ever-changing wedding trends and tastes. When you get down to the heart of it all, the main purpose of a guest book is to capture the names and well wishes of those special people who attended the wedding ceremony. 

However, there are many creative ways to accomplish this goal beyond pen and paper. The creative usages of the items listed below are just some of our favourites! 

Sign a Postcard

For couples who adore travelling or are considering having a travel-themed wedding, having personalised postcards serving as the ‘guest book’ is a fun and creative take on the classic wedding guest books. All you need to do is assemble a stack of postcards that feature travel photos of the couple, or the scenery/attractions of the city or state where the wedding is held (to serve as a cute reminder of the wedding venue). 

Wedding guests will then be able to sign the back of a postcard or jot down a special message onto it before slipping them into a mailbox shaped box or cardholder. Once the festivities are over, the couple even put the postcards up on display in their home as wedding decor to help remember their special day. 

Sign a Poster

For couples who want a ‘guest book’ that they can put on display or incorporate into their home decor, creating a poster for guests to sign is another creative idea that is not only unique but also rather cost-effective. What the couple would need to do is simply to create a poster that features a meaningful design for both the bride and groom. 

Some things that they can incorporate into the design include elements like photos of the couple, the wedding date, a flower wreath design with the initials of the couple or maybe a cartoon rendition of the future Mr & Mrs Just be sure to leave an ample border around the design for guests to sign and leave their messages.

Sign a Wood Print

If the couple in question is searching for something a little more rustic to match their more ‘down to earth’ wedding, why not match their bohemian wedding needs with a solid, personalised wood print. With a gorgeous maple veneer that allows for the natural wood grain to show through, have guests sign the customised wood print to create a one of a kind keepsake that you hang on the wall, display on a desk or stick in your husbands ‘man cave’ so that he’ll have a ‘manly’ reminder of the wedding. 

For a no-fuss design, you can consider personalising the wood print simply with the wedding date, venue and the initials of the happy couple. 

Sign a Canvas Print

Looking for a decor piece to display in your home, in addition to a daily reminder of your best day ever? Consider using canvas prints (or canvas lite prints) as a stylish alternative to traditional guest books. Similar to the poster and wood prints – in which a couple would only need to print out their favourite photo together onto a canvas-type and size of their choice; be sure to leave ample borders around the image for wedding guests to pen down their well-wishes, messages and to sign their names. 

Depending on the size and type of the canvas, this memorable keepsake can be hung on the walls, placed atop the mantle or stylishly leaned against the wall for a more artistic and modern look. 

Sign a Puzzle Piece

Nobody said that ‘guest books’ had to be ‘display only’ items. For fun-loving couples, they can add a twist to their guest book by utilising the pieces of a personalised photo puzzle. Beloved wedding guests can leave signatures, drawings or short and sweet messages on the back of the puzzle pieces for the couple to peruse and put together when they’re back home. 

In addition, the act of putting together the puzzle pieces can also serve as a bonding moment between the newlyweds and once done, the completed puzzle can be put up on display around the couple’s new home. 

Sign a Pillow

Last on our list of unique and fun alternative ideas to the traditional guest books are photo pillows.  All you need is some fabric markers (like the Sharpie Stained or Artline T-shirt markers) and a pair of personalised photo pillows to create a memorable, DIY  guest book experience that everyone will love. 

Couples who have a more artsy and rustic sense of style would definitely love this idea as the pillows – already unique with its personalisation, is further customised with signatures, messages and well wishes from their beloved guest.

Not only will the couple look onto these unique keepsakes with fondness, but they can also incorporate the pillows into their home decor and use them to give a unique accent to their home. 

When it comes to deciding what you’d like to use as your wedding guest book, always remember that ‘your wedding, your rules’. There’s nothing wrong with choosing to stick to traditional guest books if that is your preference. But if you’re looking for some creative alternatives, these 6 items are just some of the options that you can opt for. If you’d like to explore more personalised photo products, feel free to visit our website to check out more cool and customisable items at affordable prices.