As far back as a girl can remember, she dreams of her wedding day. Down to every last detail, she imagines things like her wedding dress, the color of her bridesmaids’ gowns, and even more importantly, that perfect man who’s destined to be her husband.
When that day finally arrives, it’s the most important day of the bride’s life — a day she wants to look back on fondly for years to come. For more and more brides, the perfect way to capture their wedding is to create an instant photo guestbook. Having this type of keepsake, scrapbook or photo album to open up and share with your family and friends is a heartwarming way to capture the day’s memories forever.
Instant Photo Guest Books are a unique “marriage” between a photo album and a guest book. To create a photo guest book at a wedding, simply take Polaroid pictures, slip them into your guest book, and have the guests write their personalized messages to you, the happy couple, on its pages.
This process captures your wedding event instantly in pictures and words — and you won’t even have to wait weeks to get your photos back from your wedding photographer. But the real beauty in these keepsake albums is that they can be used to record all parts of your wedding event: engagement party, bridal shower, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, wedding, reception …. even the honeymoon.
Here are 5 other great ideas for capturing your wedding moments:
1. The Wish Bowl
Here’s an idea that won’t even cost you a dime. The purpose of a wedding Wish Bowl is to provide an opportunity for guests to wish good fortunes to follow the Bride and Groom wherever they go. The idea is to have your guests write their wishes for love and life on little slips of paper and place them into a crystal or decorative glass bowl or vase.
You don’t even have to buy one if you have a nice vase or bowl at home. For a more formal presentation, the slips of paper can be placed into little matching wedding stationary envelopes. The stationary paper and envelopes should match the bride’s color theme and/or wedding stationary. After the wedding winds down, the notes can be savored, then tucked into a wedding album or scrapbook while the bowl or vase goes back to its pride of place in the home (but this time, invested with even more memories).
2. The Wish Tree
The Wish Tree theme, similar to the Wish Bowl, is for guests at the wedding to write down their wishes for love and life to the bride and groom – except a tree stands in for the bowl when it comes time to collect the wishes.
There are many types of Wish Trees – your can purchase metal ones, or create your own using blooming branches from a garden or florist, or even use a live potted plant such as a fichus tree. Gift boxes can be hung from the tree of your choice and your guests can take a box off the tree in exchange for their wishes. After the wedding events are over, the wishes can be taken off the tree and placed in a keepsake box, scrapbook or album.
3. The Signature Platter
Wedding Signature Platters or plates make a unique alternative to traditional wedding guest books. Platters can be plain, decorative or even custom-designed and ordered online or from a wedding stationary store. Guests simply sign the platter during the wedding event with a special ceramic marker . After the wedding events end, the platter is fired in your home oven. The special signature platter can be used for serving favorite dishes at future dinner parties as husband and wife, or just as a decorative memento of the special gathering.
4. The Framed Signature Mat
Similar to the Signature Platter, the Signature Mat is another alternative to the traditional wedding guest book. A photo of the Bride and Groom – often a “before” wedding photo (like an engagement photo) – is placed in an acid free matte and mounted either on an easel or table in the entry area of the wedding reception. Guests sign their name and well wishes to the Bride and Groom on the mat surrounding the picture. The Signature Mat is then framed for the newlywed’s new home. The “before wedding” photo can be replaced with a wedding photo of the couple before framing.
5. The Typewriter Guest Book
The Typewriter Guest Book is Martha Stewart’s latest discovery for a guest book alternative. Look for an old-fashioned, inexpensive typewriter either online, from a flea market or thrift shop — but make SURE it works – and set it out on a table in the entry area of the wedding reception. Load the typewriter with long sheets of paper for guests to type in good wishes to the Bride and Groom along with their name and any sentiment that comes to mind. After the wedding, the page can be tied into a scroll with ribbon or framed along with pictures taken at the wedding.
The above 5 unique ways to capture your wedding moments will help you and your loved ones relive your wedding memories over and over again.