I thought I’d do an update on this question following a lively chat I had with a customer during the week. Our standard instant photo guest book packages hold 30 photos and are suitable for up to 75 guests. If that seems strange, we know from experience that most people will complete the book in pairs or small groups of three or four. You can take a look at my wedding guest book to see how this worked in real-life – we had 70 guests.
The package includes Fuji instant camera (or camera hire), guest book and 40 shots of film. This is 10 more than you need for the book, but gives you some extras for ‘re-do’s etc.
For 75 – 150 guests
We recommend upgrading to our ‘package 2′. This gives you 2 guest books (holding 60 photos in total), plus camera or camera hire and 80 shots of film. This gives you 20 spare shots of film – 10 per book.
For 150 – 225 guests
Package 3 is the one you’ll need, containing 3 guest books (holding 90 photos in total), plus camera or camera hire and 120 shots of film in total. Again, this will provide you with 30 spare shots of film.
Why do the books only hold 30 photos? Don’t they come in a larger size?
Logistically it’s much quicker and easier to have multiple books which can all be completed at the same time. If you can imagine most people take 5 minutes to have their picture taken and then write something, completing one guest book with 30 photos will take about 2 1/2 hours….but doing two concurrently would take 5 hours! You can always use one of our slipcases to give you the ‘look’ of one book on your bookshelf.
‘We’re having 120 guests to our wedding during the day and a further 30 in the evening. We really like the idea of having a photo guest book but aren’t sure what we need. What would you recommend?’
Format
For your size of wedding we’d recommend an instant photo guest book option rather than digital. That’s because the instant photo option is faster to print, so it speeds things up for your guests. The digital photo guest books are better for more intimate weddings, where one person would be in charge of printing the photos after taking them.
At the moment the only instant photo format we can recommend is the fuji instax photo guest book because at the moment Polaroid film isn’t readily available and in a stable format. (More info here)
How many guest books do I need?
For 150 guests we recommend two guest books. Each book holds 30 photos and is therefore suitable for up to 75 guests (think couples or small groups of 3 or 4). We don’t offer larger books because logistically it’s much quicker to have two (or more) guest books which can be completed simultanaeously, and if you want the ‘look’ of one guest book, you simply use one of our slip cases.
What about camera and film?
For up to 2 guest books, one camera will be fine and you can buy or hire the cameras as part of the packages.
We’d recommend 80 shots of film – 30 for each book, plus 10 extra shots for each book for ‘redo’s’. All our packages have ‘upgrade’ options for up to 225 guests, however we can create bespoke packages for up to 400 guests if necessary.
Don’t forget, our instant photo guest books aren’t just great for weddings, but are a fantastic way of capturing the instant, forever for your special birthday celebration, christening or naming ceremony.
OK, you’ve decided that having a photo guest book is a great way to commemorate your wedding or special event (after all, how else can you capture your guests messages and photos together – instantly?)
You’ve got your camera, film and guest book in front of you. What now?
Test & check your camera – BEFORE you’re going to use it
Even if your camera is brand new, test and familiarise yourself or whoever is taking the pics with the camera. If you’ll be using it in the evening, test it in the evening to make sure that the flash works. Please don’t leave this until the day of the event – at that stage if there is a problem it will be too late to rectify it.
Make sure that you’ve got enough film
We always allow 10 extra shots per guest book for people who don’t like the first pic they take – or like it so much that they take it home.
Have spare batteries on hand
Especially if you’re going to be using the flash on the Instax camera – it’s quite greedy on the battery front and takes 4 x AA batteries at a time.
Get yourself a nice pen
Any pen will do as long as it doesn’t leave blobs of ink (which may smudge or damage your pics).
You’re all set for your big day (be that a wedding, birthday party or anniversary). You’ve gone for an Adesso photo guest book, so you don’t have to worry about glue or tape for your photo guest book (which can get mucky!) You’ve got your camera, film, spare batteries and photo guest book ready for use, but how can you make sure it gets completed and not left in a corner?
Complete your guest book
It’s easy. There’s two distinct ways that will work better depending on your type and size of event, and just a tiny bit of forward planning will make things run smoothly on the day.
Option 1: Show and tell
We call the first option ’show and tell’ and this option is what we used at our own wedding (you can view the result here). It’s perfect for smaller events, up to 75 guests or one guest book full!
What you need to do:
At the end of your wedding ceremony or when all your party guests have assembled, complete your photo guest book in front of all your guests (showing them how it works)
At this point, explain what you’re doing and tell them that you’d really like them to complete the guest book during your event. We asked our celebrant to do this for us, but you could ask the registrar, your master of ceremonies, or your wedding planner / co-ordinator
Tell your guests where the guest book will be kept during the event
Remind your guests about the photo guest book later in the evening. We did this during the best man speeches and that was fine as we only had 68 guests. You could also do this before you call guests to supper.
At the end of the evening you should have a perfectly completed photo guest book, ready to take away with you.
Option 2: Job’s a good’un
As you can probably guess, this option involves putting someone in charge of the photo guest book. It doesn’t necessarily have to be one of the bridal party (and in fact it’s sometimes better if it isn’t as they may be needed for photo’s) but it should be someone you can rely on, who likes chatting to people and is responsible. If you’re using an event planner or wedding co-ordinator they’d be perfect for this – just don’t pick someone who is likely to get drunk and fall asleep under a table!
What you need to do:
As with the ’show and tell’ it’s always a good idea if you can complete the guest book yourselves so your guests know what they’re doing.
Put someone in charge of taking the pics at an appropriate time. For example at a wedding this could be between the ceremony and dinner, or during a drinks reception
Having all the guests together in one place means that the photos can be taken quickly and easily and inserted into the book immediately
Show the guests where their picture is in the book, and let them know where the book will be available for completion
Alternatively, the guest book(s) can be passed around dinner tables and completed at that point (though if you’re doing this we strongly recommend a protective guest book cover in case of any spills)
Ask the person in charge to gently remind everyone later in the day. I’ve done this by popping round to every table during the dessert, but you could also make a general announcement
And that should be it. Just prepare to enjoy your fully completed guest book and enjoy your day!
There’s two ways of looking at this. Firstly in an emergency how quickly can we get a photo guest book package out to you? Well, we use UPS for our package shipments so it’s an overnight service and we can prioritise handling our end to get it out on the same day as long as you order by 11am. After 11am, your order will go the following day, so it’s a 48 hour door to door service. If you’re leaving to travel to your wedding venue, we can even ship directly to the venue which can also save time and hassle of waiting in for a delivery.
However although we do end up doing this quite a lot, we don’t recommend it because it increases the stress levels of everyone involved. Only last week, I spent an hour tracking down a parcel which was needed for a wedding ceremony as the ceremony was taking place. Luckily it turned up just as the meal started and the best man had a captive audience to complete the guest book swiftly!
We recommend that you order your photo guest book two to three weeks before your event. That allows time for delivery and also allows you time to test and familiarise yourself with your camera before your big event. Never unwrap your camera on the day of your wedding and then start trying to work out how to use it – you’ve got enough on your plate and if there’s a problem it’s too late to fix it!
Photo Guest Book Colour Options (Digital pictured)
We often receive calls from anxious bride-to-be’s who can’t make a decision on what colour of photo guest book to go for. But colour decisions are tricky no matter what type of party you’re planning for.
Our photo guest books for Polaroid, Fuji Instax and Digital all come in a range of colours: black, white, natural, red, chocolate brown, pewter grey, baby pink and baby blue. But what if your wedding is a sage green and ivory theme for example – what to choose?
Think Timeless
Our black and white albums are elegant and timeless – in 30 years time, you’ll barely remember what colour ‘theme’ your wedding was, but your black or white photo guest book will still look great. In addition, many photographers will provide wedding albums with either a black or white cover, so your photo guest book will look great alongside it. I’m often asked ‘which colour would you choose’ and I always recommend black – in fact it’s what I give to friends as a wedding gift.
Baby Albums Colours
Think Neutral
Again, neutral colours will always look good. For peace of mind, you could also consider a protective cover to protect a lighter coloured album against grubby fingermarks etc?
OK. So you’ve got your lovely photo guest book in front of you. You’ve tried your Fuji Instax camera and you know how it works – you’ve even had a trial run and taken the obligatory picture of your Dad who just happened to be standing nearby. What else do you need to think about?
Parker Pen from www.internet-ink.co.uk
Well, the obvious thing you need is a pen. Ideally you’d have a pen with archival quality ink. For laymen like you and me, that simply means that the ink won’t fade – it’s the sort that is used to fill the pens in your registrars office (so you’ll be signing your Marriage Certificate with one). However it’s quite tricky to find this type of ink and not everyone likes using a traditional fountain pen as they can be a bit ’scratchy’.
You can buy special ‘guest book signing’ pens, however these are generally large feathery quill like things – not my cup of tea at all. In reality any type of pen will do as long as it doesn’t leave blobs of ink that will smear on the page. Even a cheap Bic will do, but what will that say about the style of your wedding! I like Parker Insignia Pens (pictured above, from www.internet-ink.co.uk) because they’re made in the UK, they’re a classic style and they won’t break the bank. You can even have them engraved with your wedding date and venue, so you’ll have another little keepsake or present for a member of the wedding party afterwards.
For more unique party ideas, tips and customer reviews of our wedding guest books and wedding guest book ideas, please visit:www.instantforever.com/blog/
Great question. You need to consider three things: Timing / Availability, Picture Format & Cost
Timing / Availability
At the moment (January 2010) there is no Polaroid film stock available because it has been discontinued. The good news is that more film will be available from March (approximately) however initially it will be black and white only. The Fuji Instax 210 is widely available however supply of the cameras fluctuates and at the moment we’re only hiring cameras – however that may change in a few weeks as we understand that more cameras will become available.
Camera / Picture Format
Polaroid Picture Fuji Instax Picture
The Fuji Instax camera is just the same as Polaroid in that you point, shoot and out pops your picture. The major difference is the layout of the pictures (above). Both pictures are decent quality (not professional quality of course) with the Fuji version maybe being slightly better – although without the retro kitsch of the Polaroid.
Cost
We don’t have any prices yet for the new Polaroid film. When we had film available back in December, the Fuji Instax photo guest book package was significantly cheaper at £135. In fact, even if you already had a Polaroid camera, it was still cheaper to hire an Instax package than to buy a Polaroid guest book plus Polaroid film.
I’ll post another update on this as soon as the new Polaroid film is available (and just how exciting is that going to be???)
This is a question that crops up often. ’How far in advance should I order my 
