Guest Book Tree

Want to put an efficient and creative twist on the traditional guest book at your wedding?  Then let me introduce the "Guest Book Tree".  Not only will your guests think it's neat, it also adds more decor if you're on a DIY reception budget.

Step 1: Find Your Tree

Scrounge around your nearby woods and pick a tree branch or woody bush for the branches.  Make sure the "base" or "stem" is proportionate enough to support itself once its placed in plaster.  If you're not sure about what size of tree to go with, bigger is better.  (This will give your tree more presence in the room.  My wedding had about 100 guests and our size was perfect)

Step 2: Select Base

Get any base or pot that matches your decor and is proportionate to the size of tree you found. (I got a wooden-pot-thing from the thrift store for $2 and spray painted it black.)

Step 3: Set in Plaster

Get a quick drying plaster at your craft store.  I got a huge tub at for about $5 and it set in only a few minutes.  Stir it up, pour it in your pot and place the tree in the plaster.  Hold it for about a minute and then it'll be set enough for you to walk away.

Step 4: Decorate the Base

You'll want to use some foliage to cover up the exposed plaster.   We chose some moss, little stones and a gnome.  (Moss was about $3 and we stole the stones from the landscaping outside our apartment) 

Step 5: The Note Tags

So, instead of a guest book, we had everyone sign a little manila tag and hang it on the tree.  I got manila tags from Office Max (300 for $15....crazy cheap) and tied black ribbon through the holes to give it a classier look.  You could also natural twine or anything else that's stringy (don't take that at full liberty though).  Set up a nice little basket with the tags, some quill pens and instructions and you'll have a beautiful treasure!  The thing we most appreciated about this is that it's much easier to store a little stack of cards than a whole big guest book.  Guests also took more creative liberty with the tags and drew sweet little pictures and notes. It was very special!