Wedding programs are a necessary part of the planning process that can easily fall into the last-minute to-do list, usually meaning they don’t get the attention to detail and creative thinking they really deserve. Luckily, there are new and incredible ways to set the scene for your big day with more non-traditional wedding programs. Enter Guesterly, the guest book + wedding program combo that goes beyond the traditional timelines and wedding party roundup. Conceived as a photo book introducing all your guests to each other, Guesterly can be used in as many creative ways as you can imagine: a save the date, a new take on the ceremony program, a guide for explaining complicated mixed families to each other, etc. Creating one takes minutes and is simple, fun and so useful that it just may be your favorite part of wedding planning. This is a dream come true for any party-loving bride who wants a guaranteed off-the-hook celebration. Scroll on for all the cool deets.
Guesterly is the brainchild of a couple who, in planning their own wedding, wanted their guests to connect on a deeper level than your average wedding table mish-mash. So they created a little guidebook of all the guests, complete with photos and interesting tidbits about each person. They then mailed the booklets to the guests one week before the wedding. The result was so overwhelmingly positive that a business was launched, and now you too can use Guesterly to make all your guests BFFs before they even get to the wedding!
The easy step-by-step format of the Guesterly site will take you through the whole process in as little as an hour or so. The level of customization is up to you: Either choose from the professionally curated (and stunning) options in each step or specify your unique choices. Your personal vision is just clicks away and can be edited as you go along.
Populating the Guesterly is a cinch. First you select a photo of each guest. Then you choose questions for everyone to answer. For instance: What is your name? What is your twitter/Instagram handle? How do you know the couple? Choose as many of the pre-written questions as you like or add a few of your own. Then add everyone’s email address and send. If you choose several questions, Guesterly will randomly select one for each guest, which makes your Guesterly that much more interesting and readable. You will see their responses automatically populated to your Guesterly. You’ll even be able to track who hasn’t responded yet, so you can remind them to do so.
You can limit it to the bridal party for a fantastic wedding program, or include all the guests to save everyone from shouting introductions across the table during the salad course.
If you are having a paperless wedding, Guesterly works just as well as an e-flipbook, which can be viewed on a computer, smartphone app or tablet via a password-protected URL.
Printed Guesterly books cost an average of $4 per copy and take about two weeks to print. An e-Guesterly costs $99 and can go live 36 hours after completion. Considering the costs of printing traditional wedding programs, both options are very competitive and infinitely more fun!
Who will you include in your Guesterly? Tweet us your ideas @BritandCo!
(Images via Guesterly)
