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Wedding guest books allow your guests to write messages of support as you enter your new married life. Some people may give advice, and others may simply express their love for you and wish you luck. A good-quality wedding book will allow you to reflect on these messages and reminisce for years to come.
Many wedding guest books are available, so it can be difficult to find a product that suits your style and needs. To help you make finding your perfect wedding guest book a quick and easy process, we will discuss some details you should think about later in this article.
First, you may want to check out our list of the best wedding guest books in 2023. We are sure you will find your perfect match within our affordable and high-quality selection.
Our Picks of the Hottest Wedding Guest Book
Bloom Daily Planners Wedding Guest Book — Best Overall
This selection of wedding guest books is all nature themed with beautiful leaf prints on the cover. You can choose from a watercolor style leaf print with touches of gold, white, and gold, or silver and gold in a more simplistic design.
The writing paper features a similar design to the cover. The words “guest book” are stamped on the cover in real gold or silver foil, depending on your design. This is complemented by the book's gold or silver foil gilded page edges. This product has a ribbon bookmark so your guests can easily find the right place to leave a message.
This product is perfect for weddings, guest houses, museums, or other events.
Pros
- A variety of beautiful designs is available
- Gilded foil page edges
- Built-in ribbon bookmark
Cons
- This book is smaller than you would expect
LEMON SHERBET Wedding Guest Book — Runner Up
This guest book is white with a beautiful gold foil design, including stylish gold writing on the front cover. The book also has gold-gilded page edges to bring an elegant and classy touch to the table. The cover is made from a thick embossed card and is extremely durable. This book will survive home moves and dust for many years after your wedding.
The paper is thick, so the ink will not leak to the other side. It is lined and has a simplistic gold leaf design at the top of the page. This purchase includes two metallic pens, so your guest's writing will match the gold lead design beautifully. This product also has a built-in ribbon bookmark.
Pros
- Classic gold and white color scheme
- Gold gilded pages
- Purchase includes two metallic pens
Cons
- This book seems to get easily damaged in transit
StockingFactory Wedding Guest Book — Honorable Mention
If you are considering a rustic style wedding, this wedding guest book is an excellent choice for you. The cover is made from sustainable wood in the USA. It is made from stained birch wood and is available in several finishes. Our favorites are the mahogany and black finishes. The font on the cover is carved beautifully and professionally with “Mr. & Mrs,” then the names of the bride and groom, as well as the date of your wedding.
You may also want to purchase a matching wooden sign that reads, “please sign our guestbook.” The paper in your wedding guest book is also customizable. Choose from plain or lined ivory pages or black paper. Black pages look great with metallic pens and polaroid photos.
Pros
- Add your names to the cover
- Highly customizable product
- Perfect for rustic weddings
Cons
- The paper could be a little thicker
Peter Pauper Press Wedding Guest Book — Also Consider
This guest book is excellent for chic and modern-looking weddings. The cover is black, with the word “guests” embossed. It is made from durable material and will keep its pages intact for years to come. In addition, the pages are acid-free archival paper meaning the messages written on them will not deteriorate over time.
The writing pages are minimalist, with some largely spaced lines on one side and usually spaced writing lines on the other. This is a generous-sized guest book compared to many other guest books and lies flat when open, so you can write without any issues and utilize the edges of the paper. The book also has a built-in ribbon bookmark.
Pros
- Sleek and stylish design
- Acid-free archival paper
- Lies flat when open
Cons
- The embossed “guests” may not be bold enough for your guests to realize they should sign it
Buying Guide: Wedding Guest Books
Before purchasing a wedding guest book, you should consider several things to ensure it is exactly what you need. Continue reading to see some tips and our thoughts on the subject.
The Right Size
When shopping for a wedding guest book, it is important to consider its size. Do not rely on photographs to judge the product’s size, as these can be unintentionally misleading. Instead, read the product description for its measurements.
The book should be large enough to grab people's attention; if they do not know it is there, they will not sign it. However, it should also be small enough to allow you to add some decorations to the table and neatly place the pens.
How Many Pages?
The number of pages your wedding book has will depend on how many guests you are inviting. Consider if you are happy for the guests to have a page each or if you want to encourage them to share. You should also consider whether you want extra pages to attach polaroids or souvenirs from your wedding.
If you are happy for guests to share the pages and do not want to attach polaroids, you should aim for about ten pages per 50 guests.
Find a Design to Match The Wedding Theme
All weddings have a theme or color scheme. Traditional wedding guest books with ivory and gold or white are the most common style of wedding guest book and will likely match most wedding color schemes. You can choose matching color schemes with a minimalist design, or you may want to choose a wedding guest book based on the theme of your wedding.
For instance, if you are planning a nature-themed wedding, you could choose a wedding guest book depicting flora or fauna. You should also consider the style; do you want the cover to look like a painting, a photograph, or a drawing?
Choose A Wedding Guest Book That Opens Flat
Choosing a wedding guest book that opens flat will allow your guests to utilize more of each page. If a book doesn’t open completely flat, it may prevent guests from writing to the end of the lines. Books that open flat also mean the writer can leave the book open where the next person should write. This prevents accidental damage and overuse.
Choose Your Cover Wisely
Other than the style and opening flat, you should think about the durability of the cover of your wedding guest book. It should be durable enough to protect the pages from damage. We recommend a hard-backed book. Wood is a unique-looking option that fits the bill.
Built-in Ribbon Bookmarks
Ribbon bookmarks are often attached to wedding guest books. This is a simple feature that you will miss if not included. This saves guests rifling through the book trying to find the right page to write. Waiting in line may put some guests off from writing in it in the first place.
Consider the Type of Pages
The paper in your wedding guest book should be thick enough not to let any ink run onto the other side of the page. Acid-free archival paper is the preferred type of paper because it will prevent the ink from fading in years to come.
You can purchase wedding guest books containing lined paper or plain paper. Lined paper will help people write neatly and better utilize the space. When choosing plain paper, you run the risk of one guest using a whole page for only a few words. However, plain paper allows people to get more creative; you may even see some artwork in your wedding guest book.
The plain paper also allows you to attach polaroids and other souvenirs from the wedding more aesthetically pleasing. Traditionally, the pages of a wedding guest book are white or ivory. However, you can choose from different colored pages if you begin your search with this feature.
Photobook Options
Some wedding guest books are made specifically to include polaroids as well as messages from your guests. These have one plain side and one lined side on each page. Black paper is an excellent option for anyone wanting to use polaroids in their book as it makes the photos pop. Combine this with metallic pens, and you will create a very cool-looking wedding guest book.
Foil Edged Paper Adds a Little Sparkle
We love gold or silver foil-edged paper. They often catch the light beautifully and make your book look more like a wedding guest book than a guest book in a hotel.
You May Want to Prompt Guests to Leave A Message
A wedding guest book should encourage your guests to leave a message. For this reason, you may want to purchase a book that has a small prompt in the front, asking guests to leave a message and thanking them for doing so. You could also look for a wedding book interjected with quotes about love.
