The good news is that brides and grooms have tons of options now and don’t need to settle for a boring guest book that no one wants to sign :). For small weddings (30 – 40 guests), I’ve seen albums where there’s a pocket for a polaroid picture of the guest and then some room for them to write right above or below their photo. The downside to this is that the line can get long, some people give up and polaroids don’t last very long. But I think it encourages guests to write a little more than just their names. I’ve also seen ceramic platters where everyone can use a special marker to write their names and you can later “fire” the platter in the oven. If you like this idea but is hesitant due to the fact that the platter can easily break, I’ve heard you can buy a silver tray instead and use an engraving pen. This is definitely not my style as I’m not sure what I’d use it for (?).  Another popular variation for guest books is a framed photo with a large mat for guests to sign their names. Again, this is such a personal decision, but I’m very picky about what goes up on my walls. I guess it could work on a hallway by itself or with snapshots in the same style frame.

My favorite type of guest book is an album with the photos from your engagement session with room for your friends to leave notes and their best wishes for you.
I love it because you get to keep all of your engagement photos in one place and will never be able to misplace a photograph. Also, it will always be fun to look at not only your guests notes but also your photographs. 

Here are some pictures of Aimee and Loreto’s guest book. I love it that the pages are pretty thick and lay completely flat making it easy for guests to write on.

Here are some up-close photos of Krista and Kelby’s guest book. The cover:

One of the layouts:

The last page:

The back cover:There are a lot of options available for these books. You can get a custom photo cover or a leather cover in a variety of different colors as well as foiling engraving on the leather covers. There’s also a variety of sizes to choose from. The brown leather one below is a 12×12 and the other two are 8.5 x 11.

And thanks to my second photographer Beka, who took some of the photos below of Mary and Bret’s guest book at their wedding. The other thing I love about these albums is that it gives the guests a little entertainment while they are waiting for the ceremony to start. It’s cool to see everyone gathering around to look at the bride and groom’s photographs.

I hope this helps some of you bride and grooms out there choose the best guest book option for you! It’s important to know that it will be something that you will enjoy for a long time to come :).