alternative guestbook | caitlin elizabeth photography | wedding ideas

i know the blog has been FULL of wedding-y things this week. no, i'm not a newlywed.  no, i'm not getting married soon. no, i'm not even engaged.  BUT i have about a hundred friends who are all engaged and getting married this summer and next - which is SUPER exciting and has me constantly looking for things they might like.  an interesting trend  i'm noticing on the blogospheres these days is this idea of an 'alternative guestbook.'

i've been to PLENTY of weddings where folks have one of those white books with lines for everyone to sign in on and write a brief message to the bride and groom.  believe me, there is NOTHING wrong with that, it works! but i also am fascinated by the OPTIONS couples have.  there are some seriously creative folks out there:  i've seen polaroids that people take at the wedding and write on then hang on a 'picture wall,' wine corks that you can write messages on, engagement photos bound in an album with page margins for leaving well-wishes, jars to leave a note in that the couple takes on their honeymoon, wishing trees, puzzle pieces that guests sign, rocks to write on that later go in the couple's garden, squares of fabric that are later made in to a quilt... really there is NO limit to what counts as a guest book!

if you know nothing else about me, know that i am IN LOVE with the hand written word.  and SO last saturday i decided to set up my own take on an 'alternative guestbook'

the premise is simple: love notes and quotes, message in a bottle style

guests have slips of paper they can write tidings of joy and happiness, or their favorite quotes from love songs and stories, past or present :) and really, this quote from john donne sums up quite well why i think that writing love notes is such a perfect idea for a guest book instead of just signing your name on a line:

"sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls, for thus friends absent speak" ~john donne

once they write out their love note, they can slip it into a bottle, which can be saved to open on a later date or buried in true 'time capsule' form.

to give this presentation a little more height/variety i incorporated books - these include 'southern tales' which is a book comprised of short stories written by southerners and 'love poems'

 

 there are about a bajillion bottles like these in various shapes/sizes/colors at the local thrift store.  i've also seen them at flea markets and you can often find them in yard sales for next to nothing!  but each one is interesting, with it's own style and story. 

shakespeare will always hold a very special place in my heart - these little red books? they're acts from some of my favorite plays :) there are so many good quotes! 

"let us go hand in hand, not one before the other" ~shakespeare, comedy of errors (act V scene 1)

"when i saw you i fell in love, and you smiled because you knew" ~shakespeare, hamlet (act II scene 2)

"may your tears come from laughin, you find friends worth havin, with every year passin, they mean more than gold..." ~lady antebellum, never alone

do those wine bottles wrapped in twine look familiar?! you can find out how to make them HERE since they were my most recent PINday craft!  if you get a chance, check out the PINday board and 'like' or 'repin' whichever craft you want to see featured on the blog next week!

there are so many interesting options for brides regarding ANY facet of the wedding day.  guest books shouldn't be left out!  it comes down to what YOU and YOUR HUBBY-TO-BE want!  obviously if you don't particularly value the written word, this wouldn't be for you.  if you are a more tech-y pair, you could get your guests to video blog for you, or if you're into music, get each guest to select a song and have a 'wedding day guest-book-playlist' - are you pickin up what i'm puttin down ya'll?!  make it personal!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT coming up on the blog next week.  as well as my ALL TIME FAVORITE DESSERT RECIPE. swing back by sometime, there'll be something new to take a gander at ;)