Wedding Guest Book Trends

Kristina Stubblefield  0:00  
You want a way to remember all the guests at your wedding, but so tired of the same old same?

Michael Gaddie  0:06  
Looking for a new and unique guest book idea to make your wedding standout?

Sharon Rumsey  0:11  
Take a listen as our host explore all the newest and best wedding guest book trends.

Kristina Stubblefield  0:17  
You're listening to the ring, the bling and all the things Podcast. I'm Kristina Stubblefield, one of your hosts, along with my two good friends Michael Gaddie and Sharon Rumsey. We are here to get you from down on one knee down the aisle and into happily ever after. Our informative episodes deliver valuable tips, trends, ideas, and advice covering everything from you saying yes to the i do's and all that happens in between and after. Now, let's get started with this episode.

Sharon Rumsey  0:56  
They came they saw and they signed your guestbook. Right. But honestly, what did they sign? I am asked all the time for new and fresh guestbook ideas. So we're going to spend an episode talking about the newest latest trends and guestbooks for weddings and events. Mike, I know that's one thing you always look at at a wedding, what's your favorite new idea?

Michael Gaddie  1:22  
Well, I'm just gonna go ahead and throw this out there. Because the main thing is, you know, everybody does that Bourbon Barrel thing with their initials on it, or whatever. And, um, I'm really tired of seeing that. I mean, really,

Kristina Stubblefield  1:35  
now, it's not really your thing, though, go ahead. And

Sharon Rumsey  1:37  
apologies to any providers planning.

Michael Gaddie  1:39  
I mean, but I mean, there's so many other great ideas out there that you can do. On that same note, I have seen a lot of like, for example, we're based out of Kentucky, myself, they all have the state of Kentucky with their initials on it, and everybody will come in and sign their name to that. And then that sent them that they can hang up. Same thing is the whiskey barrel. Because you know, the whiskey barrel is a very trendy thing right now. So I get the whiskey barrel top but also incorporating your state with initials on it, that's still something that just keeps I

Sharon Rumsey  2:11  
think the end from Kentucky to we see the Bourbon Barrel more than probably most wedding pros do in other states, because Kentucky is bourbon.

Michael Gaddie  2:20  
Yeah. And it's not just you know, any state anywhere you're at. I mean, that's a really a trend that's starting now to take a cut out would have your state, it'd be Indiana, it'd be Ohio, whatever it may be, and then use that for a keepsake.

Kristina Stubblefield  2:34  
The other thing since we're talking about Kentucky, obviously known for bourbon, I don't know if you have had it at events, but I know people that have done wine bottles, where they'll open it on their first anniversary, or their fifth anniversary. And I know that bourbon could be used like that if they were more of a bourbon drinker versus wine.

Sharon Rumsey  2:57  
One of the newest things I've seen that I am in love with is there are companies now that you can get an old fashioned rotary dial phone, I've heard of this. And there's a little like soundproof booth, like a phone booth and you go in and you know, the, the guest dials the number and then they leave you a message on the phone. And then at the end of the night, the couple is given a USB or whatever digital media form, to keep all of those messages. So it's a digital memory book. And I think those are really, really cool. And I love the look of the old rotary phone and the little booth. It's just a really neat idea.

Kristina Stubblefield  3:41  
Well, one of the other things I've seen, and I've actually been in an event where they've had this, it's several different options. But basically, it's like a puzzle piece. Some have been made out of wood and other material where you're assigning a piece of that. And then it's something I've seen them where they've put them in frames, and things like that. I've seen them where they've had bigger pieces instead of just the name like you put a little message to the couple on. And that's just something different. I

Sharon Rumsey  4:09  
had a client do that. And they actually use one of their engagement pictures and made a puzzle out of that and cut you know, had it cut into pieces. And I think it was an Etsy company or something and then everybody could sign the back of the puzzle piece. So that's really cool. Another thing that we're seeing a lot too, instead of a photo booth. A lot of couples now are choosing to do a photo guestbook where they bring in usually it's a Polaroid, Mike and I shared a bride in last fall. That brought in a very old like the camera was still encased in leather, Polaroid and guests took their picture and then they're able to write on the Polaroid picture and then those are all put into a book for the couple. And I think those are really, really cool.

Michael Gaddie  4:55  
Well, I did some research on this before we started and I tell you what, one thing That was really neat is a Jenga set. Have you all seen that you know how those Jenga sets that you put you take the wood and place in there. That actually is pieces are laying out and the guest side as well. And then that's something that you can sit on your coffee table.

Kristina Stubblefield  5:19  
Actually hadn't thought about that. But that's really a neat idea. Because I was trying to wrap my mind around it. But I understand now because some people do game nights and stuff like that, oh home. Somebody that we know. And we went to their wedding was a smaller wedding. But I thought they did one of the cool, coolest things. They were really into records. And they had I can't remember, I think it was only two of them. She had picked one out and her husband had picked one out. And you took a I can't I think it was like a silver or a gold Sharpie. But all they had us do was sign our names. There wasn't room to like, leave a message. But they had those put into a frame and put on their wall in their basement.

Michael Gaddie  6:07  
I think that's awesome.

Sharon Rumsey  6:08  
What a DJ here in town. He does his own guestbook for the other weddings that he's done. And he has gold records, vinyl records. And when you do your wedding with him, he has you sign a record with your name, your wedding date, your venue and your first dance song. And when you go into his office, they're all over the walls. And you can see every wedding he's done. Like back for years and years. It's the coolest I love that idea.

Kristina Stubblefield  6:37  
And I've seen like I used to do some scrapbooking and things like that with pictures. I've seen all different kinds people that are arts and crafty, I guess is that the right way if they're into arts and crafts, I've really seen some interesting ones that they've done, where the pages have been their photos. That's very true. It's like a transparent, so you can barely tell, but I've seen some of that with just I guess that'd be kind of like your traditional scrapbook scrapbooks. But I've even seen fancier ones that have leather covers, there are some now that are made out of wood that you can get. I've been actually to a couple events where they've done something like that because that's what they wanted to put on their shelf.

Michael Gaddie  7:23  
The one that stands out most is I had a bride and groom that traveled a lot. And matter of fact their their family lived here and that's why they got married here but for their centerpieces, they did different things. It may be at a map it may have been a postcard it may have been anything, but on each table was the place where they had traveled around the world. But what I'm getting at is for their guest book as you walked in they had a globe I love it and a and they signed that globe so that's something they could keep but I tell you what I mean what better way to express that couple yourself

Sharon Rumsey  8:02  
well and I love how it brings it all together with the centerpieces I always look for that like little touches that make the whole thing cohesive.

Kristina Stubblefield  8:08  
Have you all seen the wood? I know we talked about bourbon barrels. But have you all seen where they take the like barnwood and they have maybe their initials already painted on it? And then everybody signs that and then I'm guessing maybe they hang that on the wall or something.

Sharon Rumsey  8:24  
Another favorite of mine is I had a bride and they loved to just have people over and cook out you know to entertain and they always played cornhole. So yeah, they had they bought cornhole boards. And then she painted their initial on the cornhole boards, and her daddy put a coat of polyurethane over the top of it. That's not true. She painted their initial on it and everybody signed it. You signed the cornhole boards, there were two cornhole boards. Then after everyone signed it, they put a coat of polyurethane on it to protect it. So every time they play cornhole now they have all the guests from their wedding.

Kristina Stubblefield  9:05  
Didn't you do a wedding or Mike, where they had a bench that somebody had made? It wouldn't be? She did.

Sharon Rumsey  9:12  
Okay, her, her aunt had made them a wooden bench, and everybody signed the actual bench, and it was gonna sit on their front porch.

Kristina Stubblefield  9:24  
That's really there's a lot to that because someone in your family made it and then that's, that's always very,

Sharon Rumsey  9:29  
very special to them.

Michael Gaddie  9:30  
Something else that is very unique and different. I'll be honest with you. I'm not a fan of this, but it is a good idea.

Kristina Stubblefield  9:37  
Thanks, Mike for telling us how you really felt about well,

Michael Gaddie  9:40  
I'm no I'm being serious. I mean, you'll see why I'm gonna say this is they had a canvas and there was like a sculpture of a tree painted on here. And they had ink pads. And then you, you pressed your thumb in there and then you put like a leaf on that page. Ah, and then they sign it. I'm not kidding, I have actually been in wedding like that. But it's, it's, it's can be a little messy. But I know they've got little wipes and stuff there to wipe your finger. But I mean, I liked the idea.

Kristina Stubblefield  10:13  
When I was looking up stuff, I was very surprised at the number of exams examples that had the globe, like, I know, you talked about the other item. But I was really surprised. But if you're into travel and things like that, and that's something that you want to have sitting around, I could see where somebody might have

Sharon Rumsey  10:33  
made it into a globe. But they did like a flat map, you know, with each continent and all the different places, and it was in a frame and you signed the canvas map, basically the same idea. And then they had put little gold stars for every place they had been.

Kristina Stubblefield  10:53  
That's neat. I thought that was really cool. It is that's really neat. I am, I was surprised how much I saw out there. You know, I like to go out and search on Pinterest, I surprised the number of different things that people were utilizing wine bottles for with lights in them without lights with the anniversaries that I mentioned earlier. But if you're a wine drinker, or that something that you like, I can see where people would do that.

Michael Gaddie  11:21  
Well and just almost you know, with the wine bottle to the corks side on the corks and putting them in a cork stopper. Love that container is really popular. I love that. Something else that's real popular is and this is for barn wood barn weddings or outdoor weddings is they'll have a slice of and I'm talking about like a quarter size or silver dollar size, little pieces of wood. And you sign that name. And then they press them all into a frame. And they frame all those. And I think that's really unique. And you've got different things that go along with different things.

Kristina Stubblefield  12:01  
The other one, like you're talking about what the little wooden pieces Did you see where they drop them into a glass. And they they all fall into, into that. Yeah, I've also, it was a while back this wedding I went to they did, I guess it was kind of like message in a bottle. But you signed, it was a different type of linen paper or something, you rolled it up and you dropped it, it wasn't just a bottle, it was like a large glass container. And it was something that they were planning on going through on their anniversary. And that was something that was different. I

Sharon Rumsey  12:35  
love the anniversary ideas, because I think it's just really good for a couple to go back and relive wedding day, you know, anytime they want to really but especially on their anniversary, but I had a client and her father was very, very good at woodworking. And he made the most beautiful box. And he he carved their their initials and their wedding date into the lid of the box. And then everybody signed the box. And they wrote letters to each other that they read privately on wedding day. And then they The plan was to lock those letters up in that box that everyone had signed and her daddy had made. And then they were gonna read them to each other every anniversary.

Michael Gaddie  13:23  
I love that.

Sharon Rumsey  13:24  
I think I get deep with it. I like those things that have a lot of meaning.

Kristina Stubblefield  13:28  
But we talked about this before, like you can find something that's sentimental, that's important for the couple that's important for you all that something that you're just not going to put on a shelf or, or put away, you know, that you can whatever is your flavor, or whatever is your cup of tea that you can have displayed, I guess is I feel like if you can find a way to make it part of your home, or something that you see on every once in a while basis or something, not just something you put away and you find it in 10 years. And

Sharon Rumsey  14:05  
I think there's as many different guests book ideas as there are married couples to be honest. But I think I love what Mike said about you know, the people who traveled making it very unique and special to them and to what they're interested in. So I think you have to examine, don't just go with everybody does this. So this is what I'm going to do. You know, think about your story, write write your story, and make sure that it has a connection to you, you know, be it the globe are the love letters or whatever it is but just make sure that it has meaning and connection to you as a couple.

Kristina Stubblefield  14:43  
I know that we don't do a lot of beach weddings where we're located so to speak, but I love the beach. And one of the pages I don't remember which one it was. They did seashells and then they put it in a big glass containers and neither were but some of them depending on how big some of them were just big enough for the name, but others, you could write a small message, probably not very big. But I thought that was something that was unique like that. But also we kind of had a beach thing with our reception. So I would like, I would like that,

Michael Gaddie  15:16  
you know, guest books, literally, has changed dramatically over the last 30 years. Because I tell you what, when we got married, everybody had one of those little white guest books and your guests signed it. Do you see that anymore? I

Sharon Rumsey  15:31  
don't even know why we say guest. I know. I still do. But I don't know why. Because it's never a book.

Michael Gaddie  15:36  
Yeah. But sky's the limit when it comes to making it personal wise to you and your mate? Because I'll tell you what, there's so many things that you could do. Then just

Sharon Rumsey  15:48  
just like with everything else, you know, I guess my best advice is, make it you. Yes.

Kristina Stubblefield  15:55  
And if you can't figure something out, there's always people that do the last their initial have their last name, no matter what kind of material, wood, metal. There's all different types there. But that is something that you could probably find a place in your home or somewhere to display. Well,

Michael Gaddie  16:13  
actually one wedding we did. And I haven't forgot about that until you said that we had a wreath on a nasal. It's been a few years since I did this. But we had a wreath on an easel and we put the letter M in the center of it. They're just their last name started with an M, and everybody signed that. And then they took that reef or that m out of that wreath and cap it. But they displayed it on a replayed it. Yes. Oh, neat idea. Yeah,

Kristina Stubblefield  16:36  
you really liked you already said the sky's the limit and just find out what is right for you. So I'm just glad we talked about this because we've talked about it off air when we're not recording about all the different stuff we've seen so many. And there's much more we've seen that we haven't even talked about.

Michael Gaddie  16:53  
I would like to know some ideas that brides that are a blessing. You know, share those with us. So what are

Kristina Stubblefield  16:59  
you planning to do? If you've created something on your own and you want to share a picture with us? Send it DM us or send us a message on our Facebook page? If not, you can always go to our website and hit the contact button. We would love to see pictures and you know, it might spark inspiration for somebody else. Yep. Well, thank you all so much for tuning in. If you love what you hear Sharon,

Sharon Rumsey  17:26  
hop on and leave us a glowing five star review.

Kristina Stubblefield  17:29  
Thank you so much and we hope you've subscribed on your favorite podcast platform. Until next time, see ya.

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