Forever Doesn't Have To Take Forever (A DIY)

Photo Credit: Chelle Wootten Photography

For our wedding, we weren't super into the idea of a traditional guestbook. We both felt like it would just sit on our coffee table or bookshelf and we'd never really look at it after the first week or so. But we still wanted to have something that would help us remember all of the people who spent the best day ever with us. I've seen a few versions of guestbook art floating around on the internets and there are certainly plenty on Etsy, but again, I wanted it to feel like us - and most of those just... didn't. So after a fruitless search, I decided to make my own.

This was actually probably the easiest project I did for the wedding, no joke. It took me about 5 minutes of work (and 25 minutes of waiting for the foil adhesive to get tacky). That's it. If you want to try it yourself, here's what you need: white art board in the size you want (I got mine at DeSerres for around $5), a pencil, a good eraser, foil adhesive (I use the Mona Lisa brand), gold foil (found at any craft store or on Amazon), a skinny paintbrush, and a wider/fluffier paintbrush.

Photo Credit: Chelle Wootten Photography

Once you've chosen what you'd like to write, sketch it out lightly on the board - I placed mine a little above centre. I also used Emily's faux calligraphy trick, which is one of my faves. Then, using your skinny paintbrush, dip it in the foil adhesive and paint over everything you want to be covered in gold foil. Wait around 25 minutes for the adhesive to get tacky. Then, take a few pinches of gold foil and place on top of the adhesive, rubbing lightly as you go to ensure it attaches to the glue. Once the whole thing is covered, use your fluffier paint brush to brush off the excess gold foil (be careful - it floats through the air and is difficult to clean up without a vacuum). Aaaaand, you're done. That's it.

We framed ours in an inexpensive black frame for the wedding, but I plan to reframe it in a nicer one with a mat. I opted not to get one with a mat right away because I was concerned that people might get confused (read: drunk) and accidentally sign the mat, instead of the art itself, haha.

Photo Credit: Chelle Wootten Photography

For the reception, I removed the glass from the frame so people could sign it, and left some inky black pens (so they wouldn't catch on the board) for people to use. We displayed it on an easel we rented from Make Merry (the best!).

I love how it turned out, and that it matched our invitations and programs. It just felt really cohesive, and way more meaningful than something I could have ordered from Etsy. And it was seriously SO easy. SO EASY.

And the comments are pretty special. Some of my faves are definitely the ones that were left toward the end of the night, after many celebratory beverages had been consumed... and also this one from my 12-year-old nephew at the bottom. Just so good, haha.

MORE WEDDING POSTS:

For photos of our wedding, click here.

For details on our wedding decor, click here.
For our DIY invitations, click here.
For our DIY programs, table numbers, and place cards, click here.