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FeedAisle Style . Reception
A wooden birdcage dressed up with flowers makes a perfect gift holder. Plus, options for a bargain bar, and fun alternatives to a guest book.
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Name, Please?
The guest book never has to be a book. Here are a few fun alternatives.
Bound in white silk and trimmed in lace, the traditional guest book adds an elegant touch to the reception entry table. But when the party’s over, the memento usually gets packed away in a box and forgotten. Guest book alternatives that serve a practical purpose will keep the wedding memories prominently on display for many years.
A signed photo mat is among the most popular choices, says Janet Jornlin, manager of Apropos in Greenville. A wide-matted photo of the couple is displayed on an easel at the reception so guests can sign the mat before the photo is framed.
“Another nice idea is a decorative parchment scroll,” says Litzie Clayton, owner of Especial Day Shop in Wilmington’s Trolley Square. “A calligrapher fills in the names of the bride and groom and the wedding date, and guests sign underneath. Then the scroll is framed and hung in the couple’s new home.”
Guests can sign a pottery serving platter or cake stand that is then fired and glazed to turn the “guest book” into a pretty, practical serving piece, says Rosanne Fogarty, owner of Everyday Artist paint your own pottery in Hockessin.
A Wish Bowl encourages guests to add a blessing, wish, memory or piece of advice to their signatures. A glass bowl is often used, but notes can be deposited in any decorative bowl, vase or basket. Wishes also can be written on ribbons that are then tied to an archway or arbor that decorates an outdoor reception site.
After the wedding, some brides slip the written wishes into a photo album or scrapbook interspersed with wedding photos to create a treasured memento of the big day. —Theresa Gawlas Medoff
Page 4: Everything in Its Place
