Wedding guest book: what to write and ideas for the book
Updated 23 October 2026 · Written by Lysela
Write a few lines straight to the couple: congratulations, a memory you share or a wish for the years ahead, and sign with your name so they know who it is from. Two to four sentences is plenty. If you are the ones getting married, there are more options than a book on a table. You could have a Polaroid guest book with photos, audio messages, or a digital guest book on your wedding website that guests can write in before and after the party. Here are messages to start from, ideas for the guest book and ways to get everyone to write.
Try it yourself, no account neededWhat do you write in a wedding guest book?
Write clearly, and skip jokes that only you and one of them will get. Both of them will read the guest book, and often their families too. If you cannot think of anything, congratulations and your name are enough.
Congratulations
Start with the easy part. "Congratulations to you both" works as a first line.
A memory
Something you have shared with the couple, or something you have noticed about them together. That is the line that makes the message personal.
A wish or a piece of advice
What you hope for them, or advice from your own marriage if you have one.
Your name
Write your full name, and ideally how you know them. In ten years the couple may not remember which Lisa it was.
Messages to write in a wedding guest book
Replace whatever is in square brackets.
Congratulations, [name] and [name]. I have watched you two together since [when], and I have never seen you as happy as today. Thank you for letting me be part of it. [your name]
Dear [name] and [name], what a day. We wish you a long life together, with as much laughter as tonight. Love from [name], [relation]
To [name] and [name]. Seeing you today is one of the loveliest things I have ever been part of. Look after each other. [Mum or Dad]
Congratulations to you both. I have known [name] for [number] years, and now I understand why they have been so happy this past year. Welcome, [name]. [your name]
Congratulations. It is official now, and we fully expect to be invited round for dinner for many years to come. [your name]
My best advice after [number] years of marriage: [advice]. Congratulations and good luck. [your name]
Wedding guest book ideas
| Idea | How it works | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Classic guest book | A book of blank pages and a few pens on a table by the entrance or the bar. | It is easily forgotten during the evening. Ask someone to remind guests. |
| Personalised guest book | A book with your names and the date on the cover, printed or engraved. | Order it in good time, so it arrives before the wedding. |
| Polaroid guest book | Guests take a photo with an instant camera, stick it in and write a message beside it. | Needs film, a camera and someone to keep an eye on them. |
| Question cards | A card at each place with a question for the guest, which you collect in a box or an album afterwards. | A ready-made question is easier to answer than a blank card. |
| Audio guest book | Guests record a message, on an old telephone at the venue or on their own phone. | A phone at the venue is rented or bought and needs a quiet spot. |
| Digital guest book | Guests write a message on the wedding website, from their phones. | Guests need a QR code or a reminder to find it during the party. |
Polaroid guest book: how to set it up
Camera and film
One instant camera is enough, two if you have a lot of guests. Allow one photo per household and a few extra, since some come out dark or blurry. A pack of Instax Mini film has ten shots.
Something to stick the photos in with
Photo corners, double-sided tape or a glue stick, and a book with thick pages that can take it.
Pens that show up
An ordinary ballpoint barely shows on dark pages. Put out felt-tip pens in a colour that stands out against the paper.
Someone in charge
Ask a friend or someone in the wedding party to look after the camera, change the film and show the first guests how it works.
Take a photo, stick it in and write us a message next to it. Thank you for being here. [name] and [name]
A digital guest book and audio messages on your wedding website
A digital guest book sits on the wedding website, where guests already find the times and the RSVP. They write from their phones whenever it suits them: when they reply to the invitation, during the party through a QR code on the tables, or the day after. You get the messages together and can keep them. It works the same way as collecting guests' photos on the site.
Audio messages are the guest book's voicemail. A guest records a few words on their own phone, and you listen afterwards. No telephone needs to stand at the venue, and anyone who would rather not talk in front of others can step aside for a moment.
On the example sites you can write in the guest book as a guest would. What else belongs on the site is in the wedding website guide.
Please leave us a line here. We read them all, both before and long afterwards.
Guest book Write us a message in the digital guest book. Scan the code.
The couple would love a few lines from each of you. Scan the code on your table and write in the guest book before the night is over.
How do you get guests to sign the guest book?
Read the messages again when you write your thank-you cards. Answering what a guest wrote makes the card personal.
Put it where everyone passes
By the entrance, the cloakroom or the bar. A guest book in a corner tends to sit untouched.
Have the toastmaster remind people
Once after dinner and once before the dancing. More on the toastmaster's duties is in the toastmaster guide.
Pass the book round
Let it travel between the tables over coffee, so everyone can write while they are sitting down.
Give them a question
A blank page can feel daunting. A line such as "What do you wish for us?" makes it easier to start.
The guest book on your wedding website
With Lysela, the guest book is on your wedding website in every tier. Guests write their name and a message on their phones, with no app or account, and the message appears on the page straight away. You read them all together, hide any you would rather not show, and download them as a file. From Plus, you print a sign with a QR code to the guest book in the print studio. With Premium, guests can also record an audio message of up to a minute, which only you hear and can download.
You pay once, SEK 795, SEK 1,795 or SEK 4,900 including VAT, and the site stays up for 12 months.
Frequently asked questions
What do you write in a wedding guest book?
Congratulations, a memory or a wish for the couple, and your name. Two to four sentences is plenty.
How many photos does a Polaroid guest book need?
Allow one photo per household and a few extra. For 80 guests that comes to about five packs of film with ten shots in each.
What is a digital guest book?
A guest book on the wedding website, where guests write a message from their phones. They can write before, during and after the wedding, and the couple gets every message in one place.
Do you have to have a guest book at a wedding?
No, but it gives you something to read afterwards. A digital guest book takes the least preparation, and a Polaroid guest book becomes something to keep on the bookshelf.
More to read
- What should a wedding website include? Checklist, timeline and cost
- Sharing wedding photos: how to collect your guests' pictures
- Wedding thank-you cards: what to write and when to send them
- Wedding toastmaster: duties, a schedule and tips for the evening
- Wedding songs: music for the ceremony, the first dance and the party