A traditional guest book gets a line or two from each guest and then lives in a drawer. An audio guestbook gets their actual voices: your nan's advice, your best mate's slightly wobbly speech, the kids singing. Guests pick up a vintage-style telephone, hear a greeting from you, and leave a message after the tone.
Ours is a postal service, so it works for any wedding or party in the UK, not just the venues we cover with a photo booth. Here is how it works from booking to listening back.
How the postal audio guestbook works
- Book your date. Book online or by phone. Order at least two weeks before the event, or four to six weeks ahead for peak wedding season (May to September).
- We record your greeting. Tell us what you want guests to hear when they pick up, and we programme it into the phone before it leaves us.
- It arrives by post. The phone is sent free by Royal Mail tracked delivery and arrives three to five days before your date, fully charged.
- Switch it on and set it out. Press the power button underneath until the light turns blue, put it on a table with the sign from the box, and you are done. Guests just lift the handset and talk.
- Post it back. Use the pre-paid return packaging in the box. We send your recordings digitally within seven days of the phone reaching us.
What is in the box
- The vintage-style telephone, charged and pre-programmed with your greeting
- An instruction card and table sign for your guests
- Pre-paid Royal Mail return packaging
There is no limit on the number of messages, and each guest can talk for up to three minutes. It records all evening.
Tips for getting more (and better) messages
- Put it somewhere people already gather. Next to the bar, the card table or the photo booth works far better than a quiet corner.
- Give guests a prompt. A line on the sign such as "Tell us your best marriage advice" or "What's your favourite memory of us?" gets past the "I don't know what to say" moment.
- Ask someone to start it off. When the best man or a bridesmaid leaves the first message early in the evening, others follow.
- Mention it in a speech. One sentence from the top table sends a queue to the phone.
- Keep your greeting short. Ten seconds of "Hi, it's us! Leave us a message after the beep" is plenty.
What it costs
Audio guestbook hire starts from £129, with free delivery and free return postage anywhere in the UK. A £100 refundable security deposit applies, and it is returned once the phone is back with us. Full details and availability are on the audio guest book hire page.
Still deciding whether it is right for your day? Our guide why an audio guest book is a wedding must-have covers what couples love about it, and you can check availability for your date in a couple of minutes.