Visit Martha Stewart Weddings Weddings Wedding Ceremony & Reception Wedding Reception Ideas 45 Guest Books From Real Weddings By Martha Stewart Editors Martha Stewart Editors An article attributed to "Martha Stewart Editors" indicates when several writers and editors have contributed to an article over the years. These collaborations allow us to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available.The Martha Stewart team aims to teach and inspire readers daily with tested-until-perfected recipes, creative DIY projects, and elevated home and entertaining ideas. They are experts in their fields who research, create, and test the best ways to help readers design the life they want. The joy is in the doing. Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 21, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Elizabeth Messina Photography Wedding guest books are fun for both the couple and their celebrants—on the day of and beyond. Invite attendees to leave you a few well-wishes at your reception, and you're guaranteed to have a keepsake to look back on for years to come. Plus, your guests will get to leave their mark on your event—not to mention put in writing whatever they didn't have a chance to express in person on the big day. Because you're sure to cherish your nearest and dearest's contributions (even if they're just signatures), you'll want to put them in something just as special. So, before your nuptials, we recommend picking out a book that you love and will always enjoy looking at. Note that it doesn't have to literally be bound pages—while guest "books" are a beloved tradition, nowadays, many are anything but traditional. Modern couples have swapped in replacements for their attendees to sign, including postcards, posters, and items like benches, globes, and buoys. Ahead, explore this collection of guest books and their contemporary alternatives, all from real weddings. Whether you want something classic or totally creative, these sentiment-holders are bound to stir up great ideas for your own celebration. The following duos were inspired by their color palettes, hobbies and interests, wedding themes, and so much more. 01 of 46 Signed Vows Elizabeth Messina Photography At this celebration, guests signed the couple's guest book and a copy of their vows. Get Inspired by This Super-Stylish Wedding 02 of 46 Mad Libs Alison Conklin Instead of filling out a standard guest book, attendees at this celebration completed fun Mad Libs-inspired sheets. Get Inspired by This Metallic Wedding 03 of 46 Meaningful Guest Book Carrie Patterson The bride at this wedding made a guest book with the help of Artifact Uprising. It was filled with images of her mother's oil paintings. Go Inside This Fall Wedding 04 of 46 Ornate Guest Book Rebecca Yale Photography These pretty blue-green and light-gray books had intricate designs. Go Inside This Destination Wedding 05 of 46 Typed Messages Bonnie Sen Photography For an antique touch, celebrants at this event typed their words on a continuous scroll with a typewriter. 06 of 46 Family Guest Book Amy Arrington Photography At this wedding, the bride used the same guest book that her grandparents used. 07 of 46 Hashtag Guest Book Jesse Leake This couple's guest book was a sign of the times. "A friend literally made a book of hashtags for everyone to write in," the bride shared. "It was hilarious to read them all after." Go Inside This Epic Wedding 08 of 46 Animal Poster Jillian Zamora Photography These two combined their first names (Holly and John) into "Jolly" to describe their celebration. They had "Jolly Wedding" written on a poster designed by Chris Riise, which was also covered in colorful animals to reflect their zoo event. They used the artwork as a guest "book." See More From This Colorful Wedding 09 of 46 Pink Guest Book Liz Banfield This soft, pink guest book went with the rest of the wedding's palette. Check Out the Rest of This Romantic Wedding 10 of 46 Gold-Foil Guest Book Mirelle Carmichael Photography This white guest book was dressed up with the bride and groom's names in gold foil. Check Out the Rest of This Boho Wedding 11 of 46 Urban Guest Book Corbin Gurkin At actress Abby Elliott's wedding to her husband, Bill Kennedy, attendees wrote greetings in a book about New York City. See More From This Celebrity Wedding 12 of 46 Photo Album Jessica Antola This guest book included photos, and was surrounded by them, too. 13 of 46 White Guest Book Christian Oth Studio This classic guest book was made of white leather and decorated with gold foil. Check Out the Rest of This Fashionable Wedding 14 of 46 Floral Guest Book Jose Villa A floral design made this guest book stand out. 15 of 46 Monogrammed Guest Book Aaron Delesie A monogram will personalize any guest book. Gold, white, and pink embroidery elevated this elegant one. See More From This Mediterranean-Inspired Wedding 16 of 46 Watercolor Poster Shewanders A bridesmaid painted this poster using watercolors, and had guests sign it in lieu of a guest book. The design was based off of the couple's medical professions. See More From This Sunny Wedding 17 of 46 Library Cards Caroline Lima Photography Guests at this creative celebration signed the cards found on the inside of library books. 18 of 46 Location-Specific Guest Book Katherine O’Brien Photography A book about Texas—the couple's wedding location—served as the guest book at this event. Get More Details From This Texas Wedding 19 of 46 Carved Guest Book Amber Gress This RedBerryGuestBooks book included the couple's initials, plus a carving of Long Island, where they got married. 20 of 46 Signed Bench Stacey Hedman This couple had celebrants sign a bench instead of a book, which they could later put in their home. 21 of 46 Sticker Guest Book Katie Stoops Photography At these nuptials, sticker labels, like those found on Champagne bottles, were provided. Guests toasted the new couple in writing, then stuck their notes inside the accompanying book. See More From This Shoreline Wedding 22 of 46 French Guest Book AVERYHOUSE At this wedding, the guest book was fashioned from a vintage French tome. 23 of 46 Velvet Guest Book Jose Villa A custom guest book was covered in velvet and embossed with the couple's initials at these nuptials. Check Out the Rest of This Romantic Wedding 24 of 46 Heirloom Guest Book Alexandra Creswell This bride had a custom guest book made from her paternal grandfather's old highway patrol binder. 25 of 46 Camp Postcards Jaclyn Simpson Photography Rather than signing a traditional guest book, attendees wrote down well-wishes and messages to the bride and groom on postcards at their camp wedding. See More Details From This Rustic Wedding 26 of 46 Resolution Wall At this New Year's Eve celebration, a "take one, make one" resolution wall spelled out "M+J," the couple's initials. Guests chose a playful prediction (such as, "I resolve to visit Graceland") or added their own. 27 of 46 Nautical Trinkets Mr. Haack Instead of a guest book, this duo chose a more interactive approach, which was fitting for the seaside setting. Lobster buoys—snatched up from a neighbor who was selling them in their front yard the week before the wedding—were affixed to an old door and dubbed the "Wishing Well." Guests signed the buoys with Sharpies and after the wedding, the newlyweds hung them in their spare bathroom. The fun idea was dreamt up and produced by Jesi Haack of Jesi Haack Design. 28 of 46 Paper Scrolls John Dolan Loved ones at this wedding were invited to leave their best wishes for the newlyweds on paper scrolls. Get Inspired by This Casual Wedding 29 of 46 Love Letters Laura Murray Photography A collection of postcards depicted places special to the bride and groom. In lieu of a guest book, well-wishers wrote their sentiments on the cards. Note by note, the maid of honor later mailed them to the couple throughout their first year of marriage. 30 of 46 Piñata Praise At this wedding, guests wrote messages on slips of paper and stuffed them into a piñata, which the newlyweds plan to smash open on their fifth anniversary. See More Details From This Beach Wedding 31 of 46 Quaker Guest Book Lauren Kinsey Attendees signed a framed Quaker wedding certificate in lieu of a guest book as a promise to support the marriage of this couple. 32 of 46 Signed Vinyls Odalys Mendez Instead of a guest book, attendees signed vinyl records at this soirée. The completed piece is now on display by the couple's record player at home. 33 of 46 Friendly Flags Annie McElwain Photography Cards printed with nautical code flags in the event's seaglass palette were on hand for guests' well-wishes at this wedding. Get Inspired by This Nautical Wedding 34 of 46 Motif Guest Book Charlotte Jenks Lewis The couple's initials (and wedding motif) adorned the guest book at their nuptial bash. 35 of 46 Word Search Chris and Sarah Rhoads Instead of signing a guest book at this event, partygoers circled their names in a giant word search made by the bride's brother (also a graphic designer) and mounted on an easel. See More Details From This Whimsical Wedding 36 of 46 Wooden Oar Max Wanger This groom came up with the idea of using a wooden oar instead of a traditional guest book for everyone to sign at his wedding. Instructions were set out encouraging people to leave their mark for the couple as they navigate the waters of life together. Woodworker Chris Kitchens not only handcrafted the piece, but drove a couple of hours to the bride's mom's house to deliver it in person so as to avoid any possible damage before the wedding. After the event and before leaving on their four-month honeymoon to Europe, the couple hung the signed oar on their wall using a wooden holster made by Kitchens. Go Inside This Glamping-Style Wedding 37 of 46 Marked-Up Dictionary Alison Conklin At this destination wedding, friends and family signed a century-old dictionary with colored pencils and flagged encouraging words with rainbow-hued tags, creating a meaningful, long-lasting memento for the happy couple. See More Details From This Destination Wedding 38 of 46 Signed Buoy Echard Wheeler Photography This couple set out a life-ring buoy instead of a traditional guest book for attendees to sign as a keepsake of their beach wedding. Check Out the Rest of This Coastal Wedding 39 of 46 Water Skis Emily Steffen Since they love to water ski, it was fitting that these two used a pair of vintage water skis they found antiquing to serve as the guest book at their wedding. Get Inspired by This Traditional-Meets-Rustic Wedding 40 of 46 Signed Globe Elisabeth Millay This couple's wedding guests signed an "adventure globe" to suggest future travel destinations for the newlyweds. 41 of 46 Mailed Messages Rather than signing a traditional guest book, guests at this wedding were given postcards with the bride and groom's address printed on the back to fill with good wishes during the reception and drop in a copper mailbox displayed in the lobby. The cards were to be mailed the next day by a friend of the couple so that the newlyweds would return from their honeymoon to a brimming mailbox. 42 of 46 Lyric Guest Book Alicia Swedenborg CraftyPiePress created a personalized guest book with the couple's names and wedding date on the front cover. Lyrics from "Everywhere" by Fleetwood Mac were etched on the front cover as a nod to the song they walked down the aisle to. They also incorporated lyrics from their first dance song, "If I Used to Love You" by Daniel Lemma, etching a line from the song on the back cover. See More Details From This Boho-Chic Wedding 43 of 46 Venue-Themed Guest Book This couple got engaged at the same resort where they said "I do," so they used a coffee table book about the place as their guest book. 44 of 46 Historic Guest Book KT Merry A coffee table book showcasing Pennsylvania's historic homes served as this couple's guest book. See More Details From This Barn Wedding 45 of 46 Snapshot Guest Book Elisa Bricker This couple set up a snapshot station where guests took Polaroids of themselves and glued them into a green album. Check Out the Rest of This Destination Wedding 46 of 46 Silhouette Guest Book Jose Villa This bride hired an artist to create two silhouette portraits of every guest at the wedding—one to take home, and one to leave in the guest book with a congratulatory note. Go Inside This Formal Wedding Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit