29 Wedding Guest Book Alternatives (#13 is our favorite)
We’ve scoured our back catalogue of real weddings as well as other online wedding sources we hold near and dear. Scroll down to go directly to our round-up list of 20 creative wedding guest book alternatives that are a tad more exciting to read through than a standard guestbook.
A wedding guest book no longer needs to be pen and bound paper. The form and shape of the traditional guest book has morphed to match changing wedding trends and tastes. Sure, the purpose of a guest book is to capture the names and well wishes of those special individuals who actually attended your wedding. However, we’ve seen many creative ways to accomplish this goal beyond pen and paper.
Let me ask you, which wedding guest book idea is more exciting?
- A standard hard cover book filled with blank pages
- A giant bottle of premium wine that guests can sign using a gold color felt marker
L&L’s Wine Bottle Guestbook
For Love & Lavender’s own wedding, we opted for #2!
Below is the picture of the unique wedding guest book Love & Lavender used at our wedding – a giant wine bottle! My husband and I love sharing a good bottle of wine now and again. So when Andrew went to Osoyoos for his bachelor party, he simply had to pick up a Jeroboam bottle of wine from one of his favorite Canadian wineries (Road 13 Vineyards).
Mind the eclectic mix of aluminum foil, wood popsicle sticks, and other sundry items on the table. They were all part of the wedding games we devised as part of our wedding reception.
What is a Jeroboam?
No, not a type of wine, it’s actually the official name for a wine bottle size … FOUR bottles of wine in one to be exact! That left plenty of surface space for our guests to write their names and well wishes using gold and silver color felt pens.
The plan is to let this particular red wine blend age to perfection, and then uncork it for one of our bigger wedding anniversaries surrounded by special family and friends. Its a meaningful guest book and one that we can enjoy and share years later. Let’s face it, four bottles is great to share between a husband and wife, but I can only imagine the morning after.
When it comes to your own wedding guest book, put on your brainstorming hat and choose something that is meaningful.
- Maybe you like wine like us and want to use an even BIGGER wine bottle size
- Perhaps you are soccer coaches and want your guests to sign a soccer ball
- Or, if you both love art your guests could sign a special piece of artwork
Whatever you choose as your wedding guest book, don’t have another dust collector sitting on a book shelf.
Creative Wedding Guest Book Ideas
Drumroll please! Creativity and weddings are a natural match. And when it comes to wedding guest book alternatives, in recent years we’ve seen some pretty creative and imaginative ideas here on the wedding blog.
Related:
- Polaroid Guest Books
- Photo Guest Books
- Jenga Guest Books
- Wedding Signing Boards
- Globe Guest Books
- Wood Sign Guest Books
- Rustic Wedding Guest Books
- Puzzle Guest Books
- Wedding Tree Guestbooks
Add a bit of fun to your wedding day by coming up with a unique alternative guest book idea.. Let us know if you have a favorite once you’ve gone through the list!
Wishing Tree Guestbooks
Place beautiful cherry blossom, manzanita, or magnolia branches in a pot. Make cards with ribbons attached and ask guests to write their well wishes or advice and hang the cards on the branches. Makes for a pretty keepsake for around the house afterward.
Family Tree Wedding Guest Book Alternative
We think this is such a meaningful twist on the traditional guest book. Instead of signatures tucked away in a drawer, your guests’ handwritten notes get displayed as part of a beautiful wooden family tree. Each loved one signs a small wooden leaf and drops it into the frame, creating a one-of-a-kind keepsake that you’ll actually want to hang in your home.
What impressed us most is the attention to detail—the handmade plywood frame, the option to personalize with laser engraving, and the thoughtful extras like a stand, wall mount, and even matching markers. You can choose the size based on your guest list, and if you’d like, add a custom-engraved box to store extra leaves. It feels like art and memory wrapped into one—something that will grow more special with every glance long after the wedding day.
Rustic Signature Art
This 10×30-inch birch tree guest book offers a unique, rustic twist on traditional wedding guest books. Guests sign along the branches and trunk, creating a beautiful “leafy” effect as they add their names. Hand-drawn and digitized, this printable guest book is easy to customize with your names and wedding date using the Templett editor, allowing you to adjust fonts, colors, and layout to perfectly match your wedding theme.
Ideal for DIY enthusiasts, this digital download lets you print at home or send to a professional print shop, making it both budget-friendly and customizable. Frame the final artwork to cherish as a keepsake of all the heartfelt messages from loved ones.
Custom Engraved Wooden Wedding Guest Book
We were instantly charmed by how this guest book feels both timeless and deeply personal. The laser-engraved wooden cover—offered in light maple or rich cherry—has a warm, organic beauty, and no two are exactly alike thanks to the natural grain patterns. We love that you can choose everything from the vegan leather binding color to the screw finish, making it feel truly “yours.” The range of paper types (from sleek white to rich black cardstock) means it works just as beautifully for Polaroid snapshots as it does for heartfelt handwritten notes. It’s a keepsake that’s as thoughtful in design as the memories it will hold.
GET IT FROM RedBerryGuestBooks
Postcards/Mailbox
Assemble postcards of the city or state where your wedding is held. Ask guests to sign the back of a postcard and slip it into a unique mailbox. This guestbook type would be perfect for a travel-themed wedding!
Wedding Guest Book and Card Box
We love a guest book that doubles as decor—and this one delivers. With a rich wood cover and custom family tree design, this guest book box feels both rustic and elegant. It’s personalized with your names and wedding date, and the kraft paper pages inside are perfect for postcards, messages, Polaroids, or turning into a photo album later.
Fill in the Blank Pages
We la-la-love this idea. Have guests complete a fun wedding mad libs.
Fingerprints Art
When I was looking for a guestbook for my wedding, a fingerprint tree was one of the ideas I really liked.
At your wedding, place a sign asking guests to “leaf” a fingerprint and sign their name. After the wedding, place it in a frame and display in your home.
Fingerprint Tree Guest Book
We can’t get over how beautifully interactive this guest book is—it’s part artwork, part memory capsule. The hand-drawn oak tree has a sweet carved heart for your initials, and each guest adds their fingerprint as a “leaf,” turning the print into a living, colorful keepsake. We love that it’s printed on archival artist paper so it’s frame-worthy long after the wedding day, and the multiple size options mean it works for anything from a cozy micro wedding to a 250-guest bash. It’s rustic, personal, and guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind.
GET IT FROM DarlingtonGuestbooks
If you don’t have the time or skills to DIY this project, get yourself a fingerprint guestbook like the one above or below.
Pastel Car Fingerprint Balloon Guest Book Poster
We love how this design turns a guest book into a whimsical work of art. The soft watercolor “Just Married” car feels so dreamy and romantic, and instead of traditional signatures, guests leave colorful thumbprints as balloons floating above the happy couple. Printed on archival-quality matte paper with crisp, vivid details, it’s made to last as a keepsake you’ll want to frame. With full personalization for names, date, and even a favorite quote, it’s a sweet, retro-inspired memento that captures love in the most playful way.
Typewriter Guestbook
It’s not a new idea, but we still love vintage typewriters as guestbooks. Provide direction like asking guests to share some words of wisdom, and you’ll get more interesting responses.
Sign the Poster
Get a poster that means something to the both of you. Ensure the poster has a large border edge space for guests to sign. Leave instructs for guests to write a message and you’ll have a wonderful keepsake for years to come!
Polaroid Guestbook
Another spin-off of the photo booth guestbook is to let guests take Polaroids of themselves, mount them in a book, and sign next to their photo.
Find a Fujifilm Instant Film Camera on Amazon for a reasonable price.
We have a lot more ideas for Polaroid guestbooks in another article.
Globe Guestbooks
Write instructions on a chalk board asking guests to “Send you Across the World” by writing their names and a favorite world destination – what a fun idea! You could also ask them to leave you some “Worldly Advice!”
Many more Globe Guestbook ideas here!
Guestbook Globe
This is perfect for travel lovers or destination weddings. The 12″ cream-and-gold globe comes personalized with your custom quote in hand-lettered calligraphy, and it’s big enough for up to 400 guest signatures. It makes such a fun (and functional!) centerpiece during your reception, and afterward? It becomes a statement decor piece you’ll actually want to display.
Neutral colors fit every decor. Easily display in an office or library. Use pins for travel suggestions.
Map Guestbooks
Watercolor Guest Book Map
If my husband had it his way, there would be maps all over our house. Since they don’t always fit into my design, I tend to say no. That’s why I love this watercolor map. Whether you’re a couple who loves to travel or maybe you’re always on the move, this map is the right choice for your guest book. Want an extra cute tip? Have guests write their favorite place to travel along with their names!
Endless color combinations to match your decor. Great for the couple that loves adventure. All options are ready to hang and display.
GET IT FROM PRETTYPERFECTSTUDIO
The State Love Map
This is hands-down one of our favorite modern guest book ideas. Instead of a traditional sign-in book, this canvas guest book features watercolor maps of your home states or countries — a sweet way to honor where you or your love story began. Personalized with your names and wedding date, it’s designed for guests to sign directly on the canvas, creating a piece of art you’ll actually want to hang up after the big day. Available in multiple sizes, it’s clean, custom, and so much more display-worthy than a dusty old ledger.
Blue Watercolor State Map
If you both come from different states, this is the sweetest way to celebrate your roots. You have your choice of colors for the states and a heart will be placed over the cities of your choice. My favorite part? After the wedding, you’ll still be showing off your hometowns by displaying this in your living space!
Lots of colors, sizes, and customizations to choose from. Perfect option for international couples.
Wine Themed Guest Books
Customize wine bottle labels and have guests sign them.
Oenophiles (those who really enjoy wine) such as Love & Lavender will love this wedding guest book alternative! Guests can either sign their names and messages directly onto a bottle or via custom wine labels. Years later, pop the cork and drink to celebrate a milestone wedding anniversary. A wine theme guest book provides both a fun idea on your special day as well as an event to dream about and look forward to in the future.
Wine Bottle Wedding Guest Book Kit
Giving advice at a wedding isn’t a new concept, but these wine bottles are a unique way to get it. Ask your guests to sign one of these wine bottles with a piece of advice, and you’ll get to relive your wedding on your anniversaries as you pop a cork.
Custom labels let you pick your own bottles. A way to relive the best day of your life.
Wine Bottle Guest Book
Looking for a guest book for your vineyard wedding? You found it. This sweet wine bottle shaped guest book is a little easier to display. than the previous option, but still just as precious. And after the wedding? I think this would look adorable propped in the kitchen.
Wine Barrel Head
Reclaimed wine barrel heads look so sophisticated in homes, so it’s not surprised that they also make lovely guest books. If you want something truly unique to do with it after the wedding, add some legs and you have a custom end table.
Multiple stain colors to fit any decor. Comes with an acrylic “Please sign our barrel” sign. Genuine wine barrel heads!
Wine Cork Holder
If you like to save wine corks too (I Google’d and couldn’t find a cool name for this type of collector!), this great idea to incorporate into your wedding guest book is pictured below. Guests sign a wine cork and place it into a shadow box.
Wine Bottle of Hearts
Another option is for wine lovers, this is a unique spin on heart tokens. Guests sign the small wooden hearts, and then it’s ready to hang in your home. The solid wood design would look great as the centerpiece in a gallery wall — at least in my opinion.
Customization options for all elements. Guests can sign directly on the board. Perfect for wine lovers!
Save your Corks
Side note: My husband and I collect corks from bottles of wine that mean something to us. In fact, Andrew’s boutonniere was made out of the champagne cork that we drank on the night we were engaged.
Read more about that particular unique boutonniere here.
Wood Working Skills
Are either of you good at wood working? If so, use your talents to create a magnificent masterpiece such as the bench pictured below, which guests can sign. Certainly a hefty keepsake that you can add to your backyard and use for many years. If you are not so talented in the wood working field, you could always pretend and get one from amazon or etsy.
Thatcher Wood Bench
A beautiful bench like this isn’t just furniture—it can become a meaningful keepsake. At your wedding, place it in a quiet corner and provide paint pens or markers for guests to sign their names and write heartfelt messages on the wood. After the big day, it will serve as both a practical piece for your home and a lasting reminder of the love shared at your celebration. With its clean, solid wood frame and subtly slanted legs, it blends effortlessly into any style—from farmhouse to modern—while carrying the warmth of your wedding memories.
GET IT FROM Threshold designed w/Studio McGee
4 foot Wedding BENCH Guest Book
If you’re looking for something a little more rustic, look no further than this handcrafted bench. With space for up to 200 signatures, your guests can find just the right space to leave their mark. You can also add an extra kit with everything you need to prep and seal the bench after the wedding, protecting the signatures for years to come.
Handcrafted in the US. Option to add a finishing kit. Excellent communication to create just the bench of your dreams.
Create a Custom Guest Book
Does music play a big part in your life? Share your passions with wedding guests by having them sign a musical instrument, like a guitar.
Okay this idea is hugging the line of being a standard guest book …
Nonetheless, use your engagement photos to create a custom made photo book that your wedding guests can sign. I think it will be a treasured keepsake for the happy couple. I’m sentimental, so I actually think this is one of my favorite guest book ideas of all!
Create your own custom wedding book
A rustic wedding needs a guest book to match the wedding decor. Nothing says rustic woodsy like a tree trunk slab. Have your guests sign a custom make wood slab for a keep sake you can hang on a wall … or in your husband’s man cave.
Wood Guestbooks
Here are a few fore ideas for non-traditional guestbooks made of wood:
Rustic Guest Book Wooden Slab
A little bit rustic and a whole lot of classy, have your guests sign this classic wooden sign. Pre-stained and ready to display, this wooden sign would look great in every decor style.
Multiple stain options to fit your decor. Choose the size that best fits your wedding!
Wood Sign
If you’re going for a clean, modern-rustic look, this wooden guest book alternative is a total win. Made from premium ½” Baltic birch and finished with your last name and wedding date in raised 3D lettering, it doubles as meaningful wall art after the big day. We love how smooth the surface is—perfect for signatures—and how the available sizes (18″, 24″, or 30″) work for weddings big or small.
Simple Heart Wood Slice
Simple and rustic yet oh so beautiful. A rustic wedding needs a guest book to match the wedding decor. Nothing says rustic woodsy like a tree trunk slab. Have your guests sign a custom make wood slab for a keep sake you can hang on a wall … or in your husband’s man cave.
Monogram Letter Sign
Monogram letters are a popular design element, and no better way to make it unique than by having one as your guest book. Have guests sign their names and best wishes, then hang it in your home for a guestbook you’ll cherish for years to come.
Games Guestbook
Who doesn’t love a good board game? Incorporate games into your guest book theme and get guests to sign their very own Jenga piece.
Ah yes, brings back fond memories every time I take one from the bottom and stack it on top!
Do you like this Jenga guestbook idea? We have other Jenga Guestbook ideas here!
Tumbling Tower Wedding Guest Book
We’re all about guest books that do double duty—and this one might be the most fun yet. This personalized wooden tumbling tower set (yep, like Jenga!) invites your guests to write their names or messages on each block, turning your big day into a truly interactive memory.
Giant Tumbling Tower Yard Game
Got a nice outdoor space? Upgrade the Jenga guest book above to this jumbo option. Guests can sign anywhere on these blocks then enjoy them when you invite them to a BBQ. It’s a win-win.
Custom Puzzle Guestbook
Maybe you don’t play board games, but you are always up for a quiet time with a puzzle. Get a custom puzzle produced, and let guests know to sign, “Without you our puzzle isn’t complete. Please sign the back of a piece.”
We have a lot more Puzzle Guestbook ideas here.
Heart Puzzle Guest Book
This heart-shaped puzzle guest book is a creative (and super cute!) way to capture your wedding memories. Made from natural birch wood and laser engraved with your names and wedding date, each piece becomes a personalized note from your guests. Choose from 58 to 132 pieces depending on your guest list size.
Rustic Wedding Puzzle
If hearts aren’t your thing, here is another option for a puzzle. With classic puzzle shapes, this guest book screams that you’re a couple who really fits together.
Heart Drop Guest Book
We love this heart drop guest book — such a cute way to collect and display guest names!
Heart Drop Guest Book
This modern clear guest book is a stunning and interactive way to remember your special day. Instead of flipping through pages, your guests drop wooden hearts into a transparent acrylic frame engraved with your names and date. It’s a chic display piece that doubles as wedding decor and a long-lasting memory.
Rock / Shell Guestbook
Pet rock anyone? This may seem like a weird (and potentially free) idea. However, perhaps you both enjoy strolling along a beach and have collected numerous special rocks or shells along the way. A fun and different idea is to have guests each sign a rock or shell. Add them to your garden or keep them in a vase as a fun memento.
Wishing Stones
If you’re looking for a meaningful and earth-friendly twist on the traditional wedding guest book, these hand-selected river rocks are a beautiful and unique choice. Each of the 100 stones is carefully chosen for smoothness and shape, making them perfect for guests to write messages, wishes, or signatures with the included permanent Sharpie markers (in your choice of black, gold, or silver).
Football Guestbook
Sports fans or sports coaches will certainly love the idea of a pigskin at their wedding. Get your guests to sign a football, soccerball, or basketball to keep as a memory of your big day.
Recipes for Love
Last but not least, rather than giving a couple your best wishes I really like the idea of giving them advice on relationships and love. Let guests fill out their own recipe card for love.
Wedding Props Wooden Box
A take on a wedding advice box, this is excellent for those with Type A personalities like me. With 9 thematic dividers, advice can be kept organized and easy to grab when you need it!
Wedding Wish Jar
We really love this as an alternative to a traditional guest book. Instead of flipping through signatures, you’ll have a collection of heartfelt notes, fun date-night ideas, and sweet words of advice from your guests. The glass jar itself feels modern and chic, and the bamboo lid with its wide opening makes it so easy for guests to slip their cards inside.
What impressed us most is the versatility—you can style it as a wish jar, advice jar, time capsule, or even a date-night idea jar, thanks to the included signage options. Plus, you get 112 cards ready to go, so there’s no need to hunt down extra stationery. It’s personalizable too, making it a keepsake you’ll want to display long after the wedding day.
GET IT FROM LoveandLuxeHandmade
Record Wedding Guest Book
Music lovers we have you covered! With your first dance song written in the center of the printed vinyl record, all of your guests will be able to leave a sweet message around the sides. This will make a great keepsake to hang in your home and a great way to cherish your first dance song.
Wedding Song Guest Book
Vinyl really is the best way to listen, and it makes a super cute guestbook, too. Have your guests sign on your special day then display in a place of honor like any platinum record deserves.
Sillennium Falcon Wedding Guestbook
Imagine the delight on her face when she sees this unique guest book alternative—a stunning Millennium Falcon crafted with exquisite detail. This piece isn’t just a nod to a classic; it’s a statement of style and personal touch for any celebration. Perfect for weddings, birthdays, or special events, this handcrafted marvel will become a cherished keepsake, blending memories with a touch of adventure.
Signed, Sealed, Remembered
I hope you’ve been inspired by our round up of unique wedding guest book options ideas. Please let me know in the comment section below if you have come across another unique guestbook that we should know about.
Check out our Ultimate List of Things To Buy For Your Wedding Day post. Because even the best wedding planners can overlook a few items!
Meredith
Despite her dreamy wedding blogger lifestyle, Meredith's day job is running ClassicVeils.com and a full-time mom to an active toddler. If she could, Meredith would spend her days taking cruises, helping animals in need, and watching Big Brother!
- Meredithhttps://loveandlavender.com/author/meredith/
- Meredithhttps://loveandlavender.com/author/meredith/
- Meredithhttps://loveandlavender.com/author/meredith/
- Meredithhttps://loveandlavender.com/author/meredith/
