Have People Remember Your Big Day With Wedding Guest Books

Arguably no other single item is more universally functional than Wedding Guest Books. They serve an array of roles before, during and after the Big Day. They allow you to memorialize the event, but over the last several decades, they have become more of a throwaway item than anything truly functional.

Time was, these guest books allowed the bride and groom to remember who came to their wedding, organize thank you notes and start a formal address book. For some, they also provided a way to check up on who did not make it. They also helped set the theme of the wedding and provided a keepsake that married couples could look back upon and remember their special day. They served as a reference book for children or relative years after the big event.

Nowadays, wedding guest books are kind of like the program. They serve a purpose for the day and then are stored somewhere, discovered when people move or when they are cleaning out an old closet or their attic. Even then, they are perused and then returned to their place to collect dust. Few people these days use the guest book for much more than a sign in sheet for the wedding ceremony and that is a shame because they still could play a dynamic role in setting the tone for the day and commemorating the event.

One suggestion to make the guest book interactive. There are several versions of guest books that allow a Polaroid to be taken of each guest and then deposited in a slot sized for a photo. These also allow the guest to slip a brief note inside to the bride and groom as well.

Another modern idea is to have an online guestbook that incorporates downloadable digital photos of each guest. As guests arrive they input their data, pose for a photo and their picture is attached to the record in a database. This works well if you are using the guest book to create a CD for distribution that celebrates the day and is available for friends and family. Including a CD that documents the event with your thank you notes is sure to be a big hit with most people.

More traditional wedding guest books can help you set the theme of the wedding. A romantic vintage western traditional guest Book sets the theme as vintage western, whereas the Celtic charm collection gives you many different Irish options including claddaugh, shamrock, and Celtic cross or Celtic knots. A seaside allure traditional guest book sets a water, beach, ocean or nautical theme, while a thymeless traditional guest book will add a deep, shimmering gold and green to your decoration scheme.

If you are looking for a truly traditional guest book, the platinum by design traditional guest book, fairy tale dreams or the luxury cover with gold foil print guest book options give a timeless and classy look to a ceremony that does not have an over-riding theme.

After the wedding, particularly if the guest book is digital, you have a ready made database from which to derive envelope script or labels for thank you notes. This not only will make the job easier, because it is electronic, you will be able to get them out quicker. Getting your thank you notes out quicker says to your guests that you really value their gift, participation and time. Additionally, you also will have a ready made address book for announcing births, holiday cards and invitations to other parties.

The role of wedding guest books has changed over the years, but there is no reason that your guest book has to end up in a dusty old closet. By using the guest book to help you remember your day or to facilitate your thanking process, you can make this relic relevant and functional once again. By allowing it to be the first thing guests see, you also have a very handy tool to help set your overall wedding theme. Most of all, years from now, you will have a very easy way to look back on your day and remember how special it was and how lucky you were to have guests like those who made it so memorable and unique.