All for Fun, and Fun for All

I've been to enough parties and weddings to know that you can't just stick people together with food, booze, and dancing, and expect them to be entertained. Some people don't chat while they're eating, some people don't drink, some people don't dance. In fact, I'm expecting many of these types of people to come to the wedding. So I've been thinking of activities that will hopefully keep people from forming bored groups around the tables. Here's what I have so far:

Personalized Guestbook Pages
I found this idea on a few wedding websites, and thought it sounded really cool. Instead of having a stuffy, boring, useless guestbook where people sign their names and that's it, we'll have a guestbook with pages or cards that each guest can personalize, draw on, write memories, etc. It'll be like the guestbooks at the GuestbookStore.com, but we'll make it ourselves!

• We'll buy sheets of cardstock or 4x6 notecards (in various colors, maybe?) and place in a basket with colored pencils, stickers, gel pens, and other artsy stuff.
• Each sheet will have a question on it, such as: How did you meet Kristine/Sam? What is your favorite memory about Kristine or Sam? If you had one wish for the couple and their future together, what would it be? What would you like Kristine and Sam to remember most about their wedding day?
• We'll set the basket of paper and artsy stuff on a separate table with directions to sign and fill out/decorate a page, then return it in a separate basket.
• If I get ambitious, we can set out an iZone Polaroid camera so guests can take pictures of themselves and stick them on the page they decorated.
• When Sam and I get back from our honeymoon, we can read through what people wrote and put them in a scrapbook!

Disposable Camera Scavenger Hunt
I also found this idea floating around wedding pages, and thought it'd be fun.

• We'll set out a disposable camera at each guest table (or every other one)
• Attached to each camera will be a tag with instructions and a list of about 5 pictures the guests need to take with the camera.
• The list of pictures will include things like... ~Everyone at your table, ~The photographer taking a picture of you, ~The bride eating cake, ~The best man dancing, ~Any couple who's been married for 20+ years, ~The maid of honor doing something silly, ~Guests filling out the guestbook, ~The person who caught the bouquet, ~The bride kissing the groom on the cheek, ~A recently married couple (2 years or less), ~What's left of the wedding cake
• The idea is that the guests will work together with their table to get the pictures on the list, chat with people to find out who's been married for 20+ years/2 years or less, pass around the camera to take fun pictures that aren't on the list, and generally just socialize and have fun.
• Sam and I will get the pics developed and probably compile those with the guestbook pages to create a super duper wedding memories book. We'd also try to get them on CD or scan them so guests could view them in an online gallery.

I think if we have too many activities, people won't know what to do with themselves, but I think between the guestbook and the cameras and the dancing, people should have more than enough to keep them active and happy. I really love these ideas too because they'll give us lots of unique, personalized memories that a normal guestbook and professional photographer would certainly miss. I have a poor memory too, so any time I feel like I'm forgetting something, I could always just open up the book and look back on it.

I really hope people get into it. These are the kinds of things I get excited about. I love keepsaking things (which is why I'm such a packrat) and I can't wait to see it all come together.