Alexis and John Roulette don’t have to look far to remember the love that friends and relatives showered on them on their wedding day. The 7-foot-long surfboard mounted above their living room couch says it all.
In silver Sharpie, guests wrote messages of love, congratulations and advice on the board that the couple used as a guest book at their wedding in Huntington Beach, Calif., last summer. “It’s a constant reminder of our special day and the love we had around us,” said Alexis Roulette, 30.
As weddings have become highly personalized, the guest book, too, has come a long way. What was once a traditional white bound book has become elaborate and creative, often taking the shape of something that reflects the couple’s personalities or wedding theme.
“What it’s morphed into is more of a way of delivering messages and notes and keepsakes for the bride and groom, while at the same time it’s become more interactive and creative in its display,” said Darcy Miller, editor at large of Martha Stewart Weddings.
Guests might sign a giant wine bottle, a piece of sporting equipment, seashells or stones, maps, artwork, or fabric squares that get stitched together to form a quilt.
Miller has seen a vintage typewriter displayed for guests to peck out messages, a dictionary in which guests circled words relevant to the couple, and a globe on which guests signed near places they felt the couple should visit.
Such alternatives to guest books can become “a keepsake of something that’s personal to you, but made that much more personal because it’s been touched and signed by people you love,” Miller said.