Funeral Guest Book Ideas

A trend gaining popularity at memorials and funerals is to present attendees with a special guestbook. This can be a thoughtful way to allow guests to write personal messages as they come to pay their last respects to someone who has passed. It also serves as a keepsake and allows the deceased’s family to see how many people have been touched and affected by them when they were alive.

If you are arranging a funeral and would like to include a guestbook at the service, we’ve given you our favourite ideas to help inspire you.

Photo album guest book

Buy a photo album or scrapbook and place your favourite photos of the deceased inside. Not only can the guests look through and reminisce, they can also add notes and memories to the photographs that have been displayed. You could even ask guests to bring along photos they have of the person who has died. This can be a lovely way to see and hear stories of your loved one you may not know already.

Thumbprint guest book

This guest book allows you to be creative and colourful as a way to celebrate all the people whose lives were touched by the deceased. By providing a range of ink pads with colours of your choice, you can invite guests to print their finger and initial it. You can do this in a book with room for writing a short note or on a canvas. Another option is to draw a memorial tree as the centre and the fingerprints as the leaves, to create an eye-catching display.

Signature picture frame

If you want a guestbook you can keep in your home after the memorial service, you may choose your favourite photograph as the centrepiece. Include a generous margin around the photo and ask guests to sign or leave a small message within the border. Once completed you can add a beautiful frame to display it proudly on your wall.

Globe guest book

To commemorate the life of a travel-lover, you could use a globe or world map instead of the traditional guestbook. Guests may want to sign on the places they’ve travelled together or on the countries they’d like to visit inspired by the loved one no longer able to go.

Jenga blocks guest book

If your loved one was a fan of board games and good times, you could honour them using their favourite pastime for guests to sign. They could sign squares on a scrabble board or write memories onto Jenga blocks. Have guests build a tower of memories as a lighthearted activity to remember the fun times they had with the departed loved one.

Memorial quilt guest book

Making a memorial quilt can be a comforting commemorative piece. Instead of a book, set out cloth pieces and permanent markers for guests to sign with supportive notes, quotes or memories. This can later be stitched together to create a blanket for the family to keep.

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