Guest book sign wording and free printables

A guest book sign needs a clear request, such as “Please sign our guest book”, and one line that tells guests what to write. Below are 30 wordings sorted by occasion, plus six free signs you can print at 8 by 10 inches.

What a good sign says

Most people read a sign in passing, on the way to a drink or a seat. So the request goes at the top in big letters, and the second line says what you hope for: a wish, a memory, a piece of advice. Names and a date are a nice extra if there is room.

Keep it to those lines. A poem or a long story is lovely on a card, but on a sign it slows down the line at the table, and the people behind start drifting away without signing.

Wedding guest book sign wording

“Please sign our guest book”
“Please sign our guest book and leave a little love for the newlyweds”
“We’d love to hear from you. Please sign our guest book”
“Leave a note for Ana and Tom”
“Share your best marriage advice”
“Help us remember today. Sign our guest book”
“Grab a pen and leave us a wish for the years ahead”
“Sign here, then go find the dance floor”

The first line works anywhere. The playful ones suit a relaxed party, and the advice line tends to get the longest answers.

For a baby shower or a bridal shower

“Leave a wish for baby”
“Please sign our guest book and leave a wish for the little one on the way”
“Words of wisdom for the new parents”
“Guess the birth date and the weight, then sign the book”
“Leave a note for the bride-to-be”
“Share your best advice for the bride”

A shower guest book often doubles as a game. If you use the guessing line, leave a small column for the guesses and read them out after the baby arrives. More ways to run it are in our baby shower guest book ideas.

For a funeral, a memorial or a celebration of life

“Please sign the guest book”
“In loving memory of Margaret. Please sign the guest book”
“Please share a memory of Margaret with the family”
“We are glad you are here. Please sign the book”
“Celebrating the life of Margaret. Leave a memory or a story”

Plain wording is kinder here. If you want ideas for what visitors can write, our guide on what to write in a funeral guest book has 30 examples you can print next to the book.

For birthdays and other milestones

“Help us celebrate 60 years of Linda. Sign the book”
“Sign the book and leave Sam a birthday wish”
“Congratulations, graduate! Leave your best advice for what comes next”
“Sign the book and share a favorite memory of working with Ken”
“Happy retirement, Rosa. Leave a note, a memory or a travel tip”

For a photo, audio or QR code guest book

A sign matters most when the guest book is not a book. Guests need the steps, in order.

“Snap a photo, stick it in, sign it”
“Take a picture, add it to the book and write us a note next to it”
“Pick up the phone, wait for the beep and leave us a message”
“Leave us a voicemail we can play back on our anniversary”
“Scan the code to sign our guest book from your phone”
“Too shy for the phone? Scan the code and write us a note instead”

More ideas for books that are not books are in our guide to wedding guest book alternatives.

Size, paper and where to put it

Our signs are 8 by 10 inches, the print size Wikipedia’s list of photo print sizes calls 8R, so a ready-made photo frame fits them. Each one sits in the middle of a Letter or A4 page with crop marks at the corners: trim along the marks and slide it into the frame. Print on card stock if your printer takes it.

For size and placement, the stationery company Paperlust gives clear numbers in its guest book table guide. It suggests a 5 by 7 frame on the table itself, and an 8 by 10 sign on an easel when people have to read it from a few feet away. It puts the table near the cocktail-hour entrance, where guests pass anyway, and it wants three pens at the very least, five to be safe. For an entrance easel, a print shop can enlarge the same file to 11 by 14 or 16 by 20.

The six free signs

The PDF holds six signs, one per page:

Wedding, with lines for your names and the date
Baby shower, with a line for the baby’s or the parents’ name
Memorial, with a line for the name of the person you are remembering
QR code, for a guest book people sign on their phones
Photo guest book, with three steps
Audio guest book, with four steps

Write the names by hand with a fine marker. It looks warmer than print.

The QR code sign has an empty square for your own code. We make a free online guest book for weddings and for memorials, so take this part with that in mind: you can download your guest book’s QR code from its Share page, print it and stick it in the square. Guests who skip the table can still sign from their phones, during the party or on the way home.

Quick answers

What do you write on a guest book sign? The request, then one line on what to write, for example “Please sign our guest book and leave a little love for the newlyweds”. Add your names and the date if there is room.

What size should a guest book sign be? A 5 by 7 frame suits a small table. An 8 by 10 sign on an easel reads from a few feet away, and an entrance sign can go up to 16 by 20.