My Idea for a Unique Guestbook (Part 3)

So I've teased you long enough.  And now I'll finally share what I came up with for our guestbook from the suspenseful precursors I posted here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).  Mind you, don't get all worked up...it's really not anything hugely spectacular.  But what I have found is the perfect combination of all the ideas and things that were important to us in a guestbook:

1)  Something with pictures of our guests so we can remember what they looked like on our special day.
2)  Something more than just their signature or well wishes but a place for them to write (and draw) out some fun and personal answers to and about us.
3)  Something they will actually *want* to participate in and sign.
4)  Something entertaining and serves as a favor as well.

So after talking about my scrapbook idea with my sister, I started randomly browsing the internet and found it...The Guestbook Store!

The Guestbook Store offers a book that has pre-printed personalized pages that you can select from for guests to take a page, fill out some fun answers to questions and then we can later add a 4x6 photo on their page. The pages are front and back and you have a couple different options of the styles (formal or casual) the types of questions you want them to answer (wedding memories or predictions) and how many pages you think you'll need for your total guests. You can also select pages that don't need a photo on them.

As a surprise for Mr. Fix It and our guests, I have rented a photobooth from a company called Cheesy Photobooths and I got a great deal on a rental for 6 hours which includes a 4x6 color photo of 4 photos. Each guest will have 2 copies of their photobooth shots printed...one to take home as a favor and another to leave with their completed guestbook page for us to mount in our book.

I LOVE this idea and can't wait to get back from the honeymoon and read all of the special things our guests will write along with their fun and hopefully goofy photos. I am asking my sister (MOH) to take the guest book and pages and photos home and mount them and assemble it while we're on the honeymoon as a favor.

Here are some photos of all the fun details which I am hoping the guests will absolutely have a blast with!  I went to a Halloween costume store a few weeks ago and bought several props (hats, noses, sunglasses, wigs) at 50% off and am also making mustache props out of felt for the guests to use in the booth.  The company also provides some props as well and I am looking to find/make a couple chalk boards, too.

  

Front page of guestbook (photos: the Guestbook Store)

Back page of Guestbook

I can't even imagine what silly and stupid pics our guests (and especially family) will draw of us in that top right corner :)  And I love that it asks them to write something we should remember about this day...I am hoping we get all different perspectives on things that went on throughout the wedding that maybe we didn't see or won't remember years from now.

They even have the option of ordering extra pages for you to mount a sample of your invitation and add extra details like what the weather was like, what the bride and groom remember about the day and other blank journal pages if needed. You can also order special scrapbook type colored pens and select from a ton of different colors and styles of book covers.

A sample courtesy of Cheesy Photo Booths showing the set up.  I love that people outside can see how silly the people inside are being.

A sample from Cheesy Photo Booths of what the finished 4x6 prints look like:

We even get to add our logo, monogram, verse or thank you message to the bottom of all the prints! And you get to pick the color of the backdrop and the colors in your monogram so you can match your theme if you'd like. How cool is that?  Here is what I have come up with...the design is taken from our invitations and will be incorporated throughout stationery at the wedding/reception.

And we have the perfect location for this type of setup at our venue. Right off of the reception room and cocktail area is a back covered patio:

 

Now let me just remind you that you don't need to spend a ton of money to pull off something like this.  There are lots of DIY ways to incorporate something similar without spending the money I did on it.  You can ask a friend to take digital shots of guests as they arrive or turn in their guest book pages and then later print the 4x6 photos to place in your guestbook yourself.  You can also create the pages yourself using a basic computer program and then insert them into your own binder as well.  (I even saw someone who created pages almost exactly like the book when I did a google search.)  So be creative and don't feel these ideas aren't attainable on a tight budget.

And if you *do* have the money, then there's plenty of photobooth rental companies out there to look into.  One that I looked at even did video recording as well as photo strip printing.  And the bride and groom get a DVD of all the pictures and videos recorded after the event!  Our own company will provide us a CD of all the photo images so even if a guest takes a couple extra shots in there and tries to run off with the photos, we will still get to see and print them later!  (wink, wink)

So what do you think, ladies? What are your guestbook ideas? And definitely check out the Guestbook Store! And use the word THANKS in the coupon code when checking out for an additional 10% off :) FYI - they also have books for showers, anniversarys, birthdays, etc.