D.I.Y. Wedding Guest Book with Creative Prompts
The only thing more paralyzing than a blank page, is a blank page in a wedding guest book.
The struggle is real.
Oh, the pressure to express your inexpressible joy for the bride and groom in a keepsake they intend to treasure forever.
Meanwhile, a line of wedding guests starts to form behind you at the guest book table. Their anxious eyes peer over your shoulder as the scent of hot hors devours wafts through the room, triggering an onslaught of stomach rumbles and impatient sighs. The archival-safe pen you hold in your hand starts to slip in your sweaty hand when suddenly, as if to taunt you, the DJ starts to play, “Under Pressure.”
In an act of utter desperation, you scribble your one word S.O.S., “Congrats,” followed by your name. With relief, you pass on the pen to the next victim guest and head off to dance away your troubles to the music of Queen.
Does this scenario sound familiar to any of you?
It did to my sister Lisbeth and me as we brainstormed ideas for the guest book for her wedding this past June. We dreamed and schemed how we might collect guests’ messages without the overwhelming pressure of a blank page.
And then…eureka! We had our lightbulb moment.
Prompts.
We would give the guests creative prompts in the form of questions at the top of each spread. That way, guests could peruse the five different options and respond to whichever one sparked a response they were eager to share.
Freedom in Form
This was the perfect embodiment of “freedom in form,” an expression I learned during my college theatre days. When we can say anything in the whole wide world, we freeze up and say nothing. But when we are given some form, such as a few fun questions to respond to in a wedding guest book, it sets us free. And oftentimes, we can’t write our ideas down fast enough.
So, a “Creative Prompt” Guest Book it would be. And as the C.O.B. (Chief of Bridesmaids and all-things-DIY), I gladly took on the task of creating it!
Choosing a Photo Book Company
There was no question in my mind about which company I would use to design the Creative Prompt Guest Book: AdoramaPix.
I had used AdoramaPix when creating my own wedding album five years ago. I loved that I could build off of their templates or design photo layouts from scratch, yet still achieve a professional-looking finish.
My favorite feature of theirs are their lay-flat pages. That’s right! The accordion binding allows the sturdy pages to lay perfectly flat, which makes full page and two page photo layouts a dream. You don’t lose any of the image down the center of the binding. Pretty sweet, huh?
I’ve created photo books with several companies, and when it comes to finding that balance of quality and affordability, nothing beats AdoramaPix. I am a fan for life.
So, this spring with Operation Wedding Guest Book underway, I logged back in to the AdoramaPix website and created Lisbeth & Ransom’s Wedding Guest Book within the matter of a few hours. The reasonable $31.51 price point came well within our budget.
Designing the Guest Book
On each of the spreads, I incorporated a photo from their engagement shoot, but made sure to leave plenty of white space for the guests’ messages. I chose to adapt AdoramaPix’s Simplicity template for the cover, spine, and back cover designs, customizing it with Lisbeth and Ransom’s dusty purple wedding color.
We decided print the guest book in size 8″ x 10″, which would afford plenty of writing space, while still fitting well on the bookshelf at home.
And notice in the image below how the full photo runs over the “safe area” into the bleed area marked with gray lines. That ensured there was no white space around the photo and that it filled the entire page, which is exactly the dramatic effect we were going for.
Our 5 Creative Prompts
Are you curious which 5 prompts we included? I had a hunch you were. Here they are:
- What is your hope for our marriage?
- Do you have a favorite quote or Bible verse that might encourage us?
- What is your favorite memory of the bride or groom?
- Share a story or piece of advice that may enrich our marriage.
- Do you have any fun date night ideas for us?
Dear reader, what creative prompt ideas come to mind for you? Do share in the comments below. I’d love for this post to become a one-stop-shop resource for anyone interested in designing a Creative Prompt Guest Book of their own.
The Guest Book in Action!
The hardest part of this whole process was having to wait until the wedding weekend to lay my eyes on the actual book. But she turned out just as beautifully as I had anticipated.
I love that even with a 10 page book, you can include text on the spine thanks to those extra thick, sturdy lay-flat pages!
And in our dreamcasting about this idea, we realized that the lay-flat pages AdoramaPix is famous for would make the signing process 10x easier for guests. Plus, it allowed more space to be utilized! Every nook and cranny includes a message of love for the happy couple.
Photo Book Markers
In my research, the *Zig 2mm tip photo signature markers got the best reviews on Amazon for being archival-safe, easy to write with, and quick-drying on photos. That was extremely important for a guest book like ours where each guest would be flipping through the different pages to peruse the various prompts.
We had no smearing whatsoever.
Also, since we knew this Creative Prompt Guest Book might be different than some might expect, we had the wedding party sign it before the big day. That way, the other guests would have some examples to inspire their own responses. (Also, it gave the wedding party one less thing to do on the big day. We all know how cray-cray it gets!)
From the look of the finished spreads jam-packed with messages of love and blessing, I think the crowd did just fine! Instead of “Under Pressure” being the soundtrack to their signing, I think something a little more along the lines of “Don’t Worry Be Happy” would be more apropos.
And I am certain that Lisbeth and Ransom will flooded with happiness of their own when they read the thoughtful messages captured on the pages of their Wedding Guest Book in the years to come.
Giveaway
Update: This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to the winners! And thanks to everyone for entering.
I am overjoyed to share that I have partnered with AdoramaPix for this post, and they are offering a generous giveaway prize of a 10″ x 10″ hard cover photo book with up to 50 pages for not one, but two lucky winners! Each one has a retail value of $50.
Think wedding albums, baby books, a yearly family photo book…the possibilities are endless.
To enter, just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below and gain up to 15 entries today. (Your first one is a freebie!)
This giveaway runs through 11:59 pm eastern, Sunday, September 20th, and I’ll contact the winners via email, so keep an eye on your inboxes next Monday!
This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents, 18 years of age and older. Sad-face for my international friends. For some light reading, check out the rest of the giveaway terms and conditions in the Rafflecopter widget below.
Widget not loading? Enter HERE.
Rustic Vintage Wedding Series
Here are the full collection of rustic vintage wedding tutorials for you to peruse. I hope they spark some creative inspiration for you, dear reader.
- Bride & Groom Baseball Shirts & Free Cut File
- DIY Burlap Chair Signs for the Bride & Groom
- DIY Clothespin Place Card Holders
- DIY Shabby Chic Fabric Photo Booth Backdrop
- DIY Bookmark Wedding Favors
- DIY Wedding Guest Book (you’re here!)
And if you’re eager to talk a walk down memory lane and explore the D.I.Y. elements from our Wedding by the Sea six years ago, you can do some time-traveling HERE.
Have a fantastic weekend!
*Full Disclosure: I received compensation for this post in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. This post also contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase after clicking through, The Thinking Closet may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for helping to support this site! For more policy information, click here.
I’ve been looking for wording to put out for our guests at my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah. Instead of the traditional sign in board or guest book…..I came up with the idea of a “wishing jar”, which goes perfectly with her “Starry Night” theme. Thank you!
What a great picture of you and Lisbeth. I know she was so honored by the book you made for them. Great job on the post!
Thanks, Mark! It’s one of my faves from the day. Thanks for taking the time to check out the post and share such sweet affirmations, oh hubby-o-mine. XO
This is such an unbelieveably cool idea! I helped with one of my best friends weddings this summer and this would have been so neat for her! OK, I’m thinking about making something like this up for her baby shower gift that everyone could pass around. 🙂
I would love to make a book for our wedding pictures thanks for the chance.
I would love to make a book for my son and his school art work!!
Ah! What a wonderful giveaway! I just got engaged and this would be perfect for collecting and keeping the memories of our upcoming wedding! Wonderful!!
Your site is fun and colorful. I’m entering the giveaway because my daughter, Maggie, loves your blog. The book is a great idea!
Thank you, Denise! Your daughter Maggie is such a dear, and I’m glad you were able to enter on her behalf. Hope you and the fam have a fantastic weekend!
Absolutely love this book. I have been wanting to do something like this for my daughter and her son. He is 1 and we have so many amazing photos of him and how he has grown so much in just a year. I will be checking them out for sure.
Trina @
Walking My Own Path
Can I please marry my husband all over again just so that I can use this idea at my wedding?! Seriously, when my sister gets married she better be ready to use all of the amazing ideas I missed out on because I got married pre-Pinterest, hahaha!
I would love to make a family ‘year book’ for 2015.
I still need to put our wedding pictures into an album. This makes it look so easy!
I’d love to use this for a guest book for my wedding next year!
I love photo books. They are a great way to remember the moments and are quite a bit easier to store on a shelf and look much better than an album sitting on your coffee table.
What a fabulous idea for newly weds or even milestone anniversaries! Thanks
This is AWESOME! My BFF’s wedding is end of next month and we were literally taking about ideas for the guest book earlier today. Would LOVE to win this for her!
I am looking to make a similar guestbook for my wedding out of my engagement photos and this would be perfect!!
What an amazing photo book! I wish I had known about this for our wedding sign in book…alas it di not lay flat! I would totally use this for our Disney trip that we just went on with friends since it was totally magical! 🙂
Our family took an RV trip out west. I would love to make a book about our adventure! Love these ideas. Gonna save them for some day weddings for my daughters!
Lauren, what a fantastic idea! My son just got engaged and the wedding is set for May 2016! If I am one of the 2 lucky winners, I plan to use this as a gift for the bride and groom pulling pictures of both of them as children (we’ve known the bride since she was 2 yrs old) and through to their courtship and the wedding. Thank you for such a great idea and for the super terrific give away.
My widowed mother is getting remarried in October and she just asked me to design the guestbook! I instantly thought of this post and I am so glad for your fabulous prompt ideas and recommendation for AdoramaPix! I will be ordering one of the lay-flat books for sure!
Aw, I’m so glad to hear that you have your own guest book project in the works…because guess what? Your name just popped up when I went to draw winners! Whoo hoo! You’re going to LOVE the lay-flat pages of your AdoramaPix photo book. Can’t wait to see pics of how yours turns out, Heidi! Thanks so much for entering and congrats! Off to email you….
Yay!!!! Thank you so much!!!
I would love to make a Grandma’s brag book 🙂
I have not seen this company or their photo books before – thanks for the review and the tips! I’m looking forward to trying out their website!
We do a family beach trip every year.Ten-bedroom house with four generations of extended family.
At the end of the week, my son-in-law gathers all the cameras and the laptops and compiles all the photos so we each have copies of everything. This gives a wealth of photos and different perspectives from which to create our annual beach album. I would love to check out those lay-flat double spreads in the Adorama books.
This would be great for my stepdaughter who is getting married in May of 2016. She does some scrapbooking so this is something she would really enjoy. I will have to tell her about this even if I don’t win the prize.
Another wonderfully imaginative and meaningful idea, Lauren! The idea for comment prompts is great and love that you had several to choose from. This is truly a special wedding keepsake that they will enjoy for years to come!
I love this website. I stalk it quietly almost every day.
just got back from Comic con in San Diego in July. I would love to put all the cool things we saw and people we met in this album along with all the great things we did out there.
Eek! Well you’ll get to do just that because when I went to draw two winners, yours was the first to pop up! What a special way to document your Comic Con adventures from this summer. This photo book will become a treasured keepsake…and one you tote around future Comic Cons, for sure! Ha ha. Congrats on the win! And thanks for taking the time to enter and comment. Off to email you….
Maybe trips around the state watching my grandson play baseball. Thanks so much for a chance to win.
I love the idea of prompts for the guest book! Brilliant! If I win one, I’d do a before and after of our farmhouse.
Hi again!
Thank you for introducing something WAY better than shitterfly!! I love how personal you can make yours. We are getting married in a couple weeks and this I could see as being a wonderful idea for anniversary gifts!
Thanks ???
Such an amazing looking photo book! Would love to have one of the family adventures of the year!
I loved how this turned out and was honored to be one of the signers! I’d like to make one of our trip to Ireland and England!
I like the idea of varied prompts. And the lay flat book format would be greatly appreciated by left-Handers like me. We did a wedding platter at our wedding. I spent about $20 on the proper pens to write on a dish. The person in charge of the platter forgot to put it out for guests so we put it out for family to sign the next day. My dad was the first to sign and writeSO BIG almost no one else could fit. Guest “book” FAIL!!!
Fantastic idea! I would like to make a book encompassing all of my daughter’s high school theatre productions. Thanks for sharing!
I truly think that you are a mind reader. I am in the middle of wedding planning and this could not have been posted at a better time!! Thank you for ever encouraging me to push forward with my creativity!!
What a clever idea! Have to remember this for my future wedding! haha
http://www.PreciousS2Photo.com
A photo book of our camping adventures would be fantastic! Thanks for the tips, Lauren!
I’d love to make a photo book of our road trips!