What’s trending in wedding guest books? Plenty! Whether you want a classic volume or a video kiosk or a rotary phone to record your guests’ messages to you, you have options! Read on to find out more!
Hey, Christie!
We’re getting married at Ainsworth House & Gardens in 2025.
We really enjoyed reading about the history of guest books in the last blog post.
What kinds of guest books are on trend or even available?
Thanks!
–Christina, Confused in Canby, Oregon
Hey, Christina!
That’s a great question! I’m happy to help you!
In the last blog post, our historian delved into the tradition of having a guest book at a wedding. The Victorians, about 170 years ago, relished luxury and excess, so the guest book was a richly bound leather volume to record the aristocratic titles of the attendees. Interestingly enough, that leads to our first upcoming trend for guest books.
1. Luxurious leather guest books: According to wedding style forecasters, luxurious, leather guest books designed to become a family keepsake (like the Victorians) are on trend for the coming year. The reason for the return to these elevated volumes is different from the Victorians: Instead of recording the societal rank of the guests, these new volumes give the guests the opportunity to draw something beautiful, share a memory, or give advice to the couple. It allows the guests to express themselves more.
2. Audio guest books:
a. Do you remember rotary phones? If not, ask a parent or grandparent. There are vendors who will provide you with a rotary phone on which your guests can record an audio message to you. For your guests who actually used a rotary phone, this is a magical, fun moment. For your guests who haven’t used a rotary phone, they have the fun of getting to use something they may have only heard about from others! The phone allows your guests to be as creative as they want—sharing stories, offering advice, or sharing their best wishes.
b. Looking for something a little more this decade? Try a wedding guest book phone app where your guests can record their messages.
3. Video guest books: Starting in 2023, video guest books of two varieties became available. As a sustainable alternative to a paper guest book, these are starting to become popular. There are two options: Setting up a phone app on which guests can record their funny or heartfelt messages OR setting up a video kiosk at your wedding in which your guests can record their messages.
There are other guest books such as letting your guests write on a globe, on a puzzle, or on a custom poster.
Let me know if you have additional questions.
Your friend in the wedding business,
Christie Shyne
The images above are courtesy of Pixabay.com.
The images below are courtesy of the Ainsworth House & Gardens Wedding Gallery.
© 2023-2025. Come Rain or Shyne, LLC. All rights reserved internationally.
