I’m not a huge fan of the traditional guest book. Everyone signs it, maybe they write something nice, and then you read it and…. put it on a shelf? Stick it in the attic? Never see it again? Boo to that. The mister and I were discussing the guest book a while back and I remembered something I saw at a wedding a couple of years ago.

Our friends Ashley and Gerry had one of their engagement photos set out next to the place cards at their reception. The glass was taken out of the frame, and the extra wide matting was open for all of their guests to sign with cute gel pens in their wedding colors! I loved the idea of having everyone help decorate our new home, so I decided to make the idea mine.

We ordered an 8 x 10 of one of our pictures, and then I got to work looking for a frame. They had ready made frames for this purpose online, but most of them were $60+. Yikes! My next option was our dear friend Michaels. They do custom framing, so I thought maybe that would be the answer. However, some research online showed me that their custom framing prices can be insane, which is how they always manage to offer a 60% off custom framing coupon. 60% off $300 is still a load of cash.

Despite all of this, I headed up to Michaels to see what I could find. Maybe I could build it myself. I had picked up some matting and was walking around to check out the frames when I saw it:

This is from Michael’s Portrait Collection, and retails for $30. Waaaay better. And guess what else! This week it was on sale for $15. SWEET! I grabbed it up right away, and when I got home it was simple to open – I centered our engagement photo in the frame and taped it in place. All I need to do is buy a couple of Sharpies and we’re set:

I left the corner covers on to hopefully avoid any damage to the frame while I store it and move to to the venue in the fall. One quick tip – the stickers on the glass left a big mess. You can see it a little bit in the upper right corner of the picture above. You won’t need the glass for the wedding day, but why not clean it now while you’re thinking of it? I highly recommend:

YEAH! Like the label says, Goo Gone is full of CITRUS POWER! My frame is done and the glass is all clear. Let’s do the cost breakdown:

Frame: $15 on sale

Engagement Photo: $25 from our photographer

Total: $40

Not too bad for a piece of art we’ll get to hang up after the wedding. It literally took me less than 15 minutes to put together, so I think even the most DIY challenged brides can handle it! Are you doing a non-traditional guest book? Was it a lot of work or simple to do?