Audio Guest Book

the idea

Bring your guestbook to life and capture authentic and unfiltered voice messages from friends and family to treasure forever

rose gold retro telephone audio guest book set up next to an instructions sign inviting party guests to record a message

woman recording a message on a telephone audio guest book at a party

the how

Choose style of phone and color
Some are powered by rechargeable battery, others are plugged into mains supply
Record a welcome greeting for your guests
Set up the phone alongside a printable instructions sign (see below)
No Wifi or phone line connection needed
When guests arrive and pick up the handset they hear your greeting a leave a recorded message after the tone
Once guests hang up, their message is saved to the audio guest book in an mp3 format
Post event, connect the audio guest book to your computer to access the recordings
Alternatively, have them pressed on a custom vinyl record (see below)

yellow retro telephone audio guest book set up next to an instructions sign inviting party guests to record a message

the why

This Idea

Conversation-starter; gives guests something to talk about and discuss with one another
Contributory; sharing a memory, anecdote, photograph, or well wishes allows guests to participate in something meaningful
Personal; celebrates the guest of honor and your relationship with them
Feel good; makes the guest of honor feel special, loved, and appreciated
Nostalgic; a walk down memory lane with friends and family is a wonderful way to celebrate a special occasion
Touching; gives people the opportunity to articulate things they might think, but rarely say
Keepsake; creates tangible memories for the guest of honor to revisit in future
Thoughtful; shows you’ve made an effort to create something special for the guest of honor
Entertaining; will keep guests entertained during the party
Interactive; allows guests to get involved rather than standing on the sidelines
Surprise; a great way to surprise the guest of honor
Unusual; a less common party idea to impress guests
Bestseller; an idea that’s proved popular with my site’s visitors

black vintage telephone audio guest book set up next to an instructions sign inviting party guests to record a message

audio guestbook instructions printable sign

the why

party activities

Engagement; essential for creating atmosphere and ensuring people have a good time
Circulation; activities encourage circulation, which raise energy levels
Atmosphere; keeping guests moving, exploring, and discovering creates a lively atmosphere
Mingling; activities help prevent guests clustering in corners with people they came with
Flow; giving guests things to engage with diffuses crowds, prevents bottlenecks, and helps flow
Introductions; allows guests who arrive alone or don’t know many people to connect with others
Ice-breaker; arrival activities let guests ease in gently before walking into a room full of people
Conversation-starters; funny, creative, or quirky activities give guests things to talk about
Interactive; allows guests to participate so everybody feels included
Bonding; a shared experience creates a bond and unites different groups as one; people that are all important to the guest of honor
Entertainment; activities keep guests entertained and prevents boredom or leaving early
Distraction; gives guests an excuse to change the subject or extract themselves from awkward conversations
Memorable; gives guests something to talk about, photograph, share, and remember
Experiential; guests leave feeling as though they’ve had an experience

audio guest book messages transferred onto a custom vinyl record with a custom photo sleeve

ADVICE FROM A PRO

Matt’s tip

“While these are a little expensive, the great thing about them is they’re completely re-usable. So you can use it again for any kind of future occasion from birthdays and weddings, to graduation and retirement parties, and even holiday parties.

As you record the outgoing message yourself, you can decide what type of message you want party guests to leave. For example:

> Share your favorite/most embarrassing memory of the guest of honor

> Share some of the things you love about the guest of honor

> Share a piece of advice for the guest of honor

> Share ‘bucket list’ suggestions for the guest of honor to do before their next birthday

Whether it’s parent’s leaving a sentimental, heartfelt message, old college friends recalling an embarrassing incident from the past, or grandparents sharing advice for the future, capturing these memories in their own voice will make for a cherished keepsake to revisit again and again in the future.“

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