The guest book is a special way of preserving the names of those friends and relatives who shared your wedding day with you. Guests can also add notes of congratulations and happiness. It’s a lovely keepsake to look through as the anniversaries go by.

Guest books can be purchased at any stationery or department store, or ordered through the mail. You may wish to choose a book just for guests, or a wedding memory book with a guest section. You may also want your names and the wedding date embossed on the front cover. Guest books come in many different sizes – from the standard eight and one-half inches by eleven-inches to rectangles ranging from tall and thin to short and wide. White or cream-colored pages are probably your best choice.

The guest book should be set in a prominent place to make sure that your guests will see it and sign it. It can be set out before the wedding ceremony (like in the entrance area of the church) and then brought to the reception site. This way guests who may not go to the reception will have a chance to sign the guest book. Most commonly, the guests will sign the book before or during the reception. It is suggested that you place your guest book on a nicely decorated small table near the entrance to the reception hall or at the end of the receiving line at the reception site. You may wish to designate a teen-age friend or cousin to be the guest book attendant. Your helper could direct guests to sign the book, or he/she may circulate among them to be sure everyone signs the books. It is a good idea to have a matching pen attached to the book, or on the table. Many brides decorate the pen with ribbon, so nobody accidentally walks off with it.

Also, if you choose a wedding memory book you will have space to collect mementos such as snapshots, newspaper clippings, etc. Make it a fun "scrapbook" to remember for a lifetime!