How to Pull Together the Perfect Gift and Sign in Table
As your guests enter in on your wedding or reception one of the first things they will do is try to find the gift table and sign in, so there are a couple of things we suggest doing in order to make this first introduction to your special day absolutely perfect.
1: Combine the gift and sign in table. Having these two together will make your guest's lives a whole lot easier. They do not necessarily need to be the same table, but at the very least have them in the same location.
2: Have the table(s) near the entrance of your venue. This does not mean have it at the front door, but have it along the path or entry way the guests will walk through in order to get to the wedding festivities. By having it along the way, you will avoid getting clumps of people waiting to sign in at the same place that you were planning on having dancing. Plus, it allows for your guests to drop their gift off and sign in right when they get there so that they don't need to worry about it during the rest of the wedding celebrations.
3: Get creative with the sign in book.
You are completely welcome to having the traditional sign in where you have a guest book and the guests simply sign their names, but there are three fun trends that will kick it up a notch and allow you to capture more memories. The first is a photo guest book. These are really easy and a lot of fun. You can order these at
Michael's craft store, Walmart, Sam's Club, or
Shutterfly. Shutterfly is a costumer favorite even though it is a little expensive, but as a perk, when you register at Target, they will often give you a gift card to Shutterfly that can off set the cost. Each store does have customizable options, Shutterfly just has the most. With each, however, it is easy to do. You simply select pictures (these can be your engagements) and then place them in the book. The idea would be that you would provide pens or sharpies (metallics work best if you have a dark background) and then you have you guests sign and write messages along the margins and next to the pictures. These are easy, fun, and a great way for you to create a more personalized guest book.
The second trend is signing cards. With this you provide a
decorative box and set of stationary cards like the ones above and each guest takes a card, writes their names and a message to the bride and groom. This is an easy option that can provide a little more intimacy for the guest because it allows for them to feel like they are writing you an individualized message, rather than just signing along with a group. Instead of cards, you could also do Polaroids of your guests. This would take a little more work in that you would need to have a designated photographer and the guests may have to wait longer, but it is also a cute way to put all the faces, names, and sweet messages together for the later years when you reminisce about your wedding day.
The final trend that can really step up your guest book is doing a frame sign in. This option is great in that it allows you to create sentimental decor for your future home together. It also allows guests to feel more like they are a part of something. However, depending on the size print and frame you get, this may be a better option for a smaller wedding so that the print is not over crowded with signatures. Although, it might be a good kind of overwhelming to see the print fill up to the point where its two dimension design looks like it is going to overflow.
4: Don't forget a Card Box.
Not everyone is going to bring a wrapped present and you definitely don't want to lose cards from your wedding guests, so having a
card "box" out is a great way to keep it all together and make your guests feel like you are accepting card gifts just as happily as a wrapped present.
