DIY Rustic Wedding Guest Book

Prior to getting married (or getting engaged for that matter!) my Pinterest account was almost entirely dedicated to wedding ideas.

So when it came time to actually get married, I was well prepared!  I knew I didn’t want to go the traditional route and have a guest book.  It was just another thing that would collect dust in my home, and I could pretty much guarantee that I would never look at it.

Instead, I wanted some sort of board that our guests could sign, and include personal messages on.  I began scanning the internet for custom boards that we could use.  I learned pretty quickly that these will cost you over $100 easily.  In our case, even more since we had 200+ guests.

More guests=more space needed.  So buying online was no longer an option.

My only option was to create one of my own.  This was a quick project and it cost me less than $10!

I also created this gorgeous farmhouse style Window Frame Seating Chart that went perfectly with my wooden guest book.

Wooden Guest Book Board Tutorial

Materials

• Six solid wood 2×4 boards cut to same length (Tip: HD or Lowes can do this for you if you don’t have a saw)
• Two solid wood 2×4 boards cut to 22″ (Or slightly smaller than total height)
• 12- 3″ Screws
• Small can of stain (Tip: Check your garage before heading out to the store!)
• Rags
• Drop Cloth
• White Paint
• Optional: Scotch Tape and/or Stencil

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Your Workstation

Start by setting up your workstation.  For me, this was my living room floor, but regardless of where you work, I highly suggest using a drop cloth to avoid getting the stain everywhere!

Step 2: Arrange Your Boards

Arrange all six boards face down, and line them up evenly in the order that you like best.  

I flipped a few around until I decided on the level of imperfection i wanted to show on the front. Once you have arranged the boards in a way that you like, you are going to place the two support pieces perpendicular to them. Roughly 3″ from the end on each side.

Step 3: Secure Your Boards

Next, using screws, drill the support pieces into each of the wood boards.  As shown below.  If you like you could also utilize wood glue to get a good hold.

Note: I forgot to take a picture before I stained it 🙂

Step 4: Stain

These are my best staining tips (it’s easy and difficult to mess up):

• Using a rag (I prefer old white t-shirts) rub stain onto the wood.
• Be sure not to put too much on, as it will clump or sink through the cracks.
• Repeat this step to achieve a darker appearance.

Allow the stain to dry before moving onto step 5.

Step 5: Adding A Heart Decal with Initials

Using tape, create your initials.  Make sure the tape is pressed onto the board to avoid paint seeping under it, and paint a large heart around it.  (I did this freehand, and left the initials as negative space, but you could always use a stencil!)

Step 6: Enjoy your new board!  

I highly suggest heading to your local craft store and buying a few different paint markers to see which works best with your stain.

Have you completed a similar project for your guest book?  If so, I would love to hear from you!

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