Looking for a wedding guest book alternative? A video guest book lets your friends and family leave messages you can actually hear and watch for years.
We have nothing against wedding guest books.
They're nice.
But there's a problem.
Almost everyone writes some variation of:
Congratulations! We love you!
Then they sign their name.
And five years later you have a very pretty book containing 87 versions of the same sentence.
Which is why we love the idea of a video guest book.
Instead of asking people to write something, give them a camera.
That's when things get interesting.
Ask People to Actually Talk to You
There's something about video that gets people to say things they would never write down.
Your childhood friend might tell the story of how you first met.
Your grandmother might give marriage advice.
Your dad might talk about what you were like as a kid.
Your college friends may provide a story that absolutely cannot go into the final edit.
Everyone contributes something different.
And because you're hearing the person's actual voice, the message carries a completely different weight.
Don't Make It Too Formal
We've seen video guest book setups where couples create a beautiful little station with a camera, a chair, lighting and instructions.
That can work.
But we're also fans of something much simpler:
Just pass the camera around.
Have someone walk around cocktail hour asking guests questions.
Take it to the tables during dinner.
Bring it onto the dance floor later in the evening, at which point the quality of the marriage advice will probably deteriorate significantly.
That's part of the charm.
You end up with a time capsule rather than a collection of formal congratulations.
Give People Something Better to Answer
If you simply say, “Leave the couple a message,” people tend to freeze.
So give them a question.
Ask how they met you.
Ask what they thought the first time they met your partner.
Ask what they think you'll be doing in 30 years.
Ask married couples for one piece of advice.
Ask your friends for their favorite story involving the two of you.
Ask your parents what they hope your life looks like together.
The question doesn't have to be profound.
Sometimes something silly gets a much better answer.
“What is the groom's worst habit?”
“What should we name our first dog?”
“Who will survive longer in a zombie apocalypse?”
Suddenly people forget they're recording a wedding message and start acting like themselves.
That's exactly what you want.
Get Your Older Family Members on Camera
This is the part we'd prioritize above everything else.
If you have grandparents, great-aunts, older relatives or family friends at your wedding, record them.
You don't need some beautifully written speech.
Just let them talk.
Ask them what marriage was like when they were young.
Ask them about their wedding.
Ask what they remember about you growing up.
Or just have a normal conversation.
There may come a day when hearing that ordinary conversation again is incredibly important.
And Keep the Weird Messages
Not everything needs to be touching.
Please don't create an hour of solemn marriage advice.
You need your friend showing up halfway through the reception saying:
“Okay, I have something to tell you guys…”
You need your cousins fighting over the camera.
You need someone leaving a message at the beginning of the night and then another dramatically different message three hours later.
A great wedding film needs personality.
The sentimental parts are more meaningful when they're sitting next to all the stupid parts.
That's the kind of wedding video we love.
Something that preserves not just what everyone looked like that day, but who they actually were.