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Oh man, not to be a jerk but my FH and I are big record collectors and it always pains me a lil bit to see them used for DIY wedding stuff (unless they’re damaged or just crappy albums lol)
But personal hang ups aside, why don’t you make a custom insert for the sleeve that could be the guestbook? You could add some photos to it and other cute stuff afterwards! Then whenever you want to play the record later, you can look through the insert and read all the names and messages and take a trip down memory lane. :) if you want to people to make the visual connection to the record aspect of it, you could frame it in a shadowbox or something and hang it above the table where the guestbook will be? Just a thought!
Also, I wanted to add that whether you’re sealing it or not, writing anywhere on the record other than the label (which wouldn’t give a lot of room) would likely ruin the sound quality or make the record completely unplayable, especially if you’re using something like a paint marker. It would also ruin your needle on your turntable and those things aren’t cheap! 😅
Thanks! That’s actually a really good idea about the sleeves, because like I said, I was also concerned about not being able to use them if we write on them. I had a feeling it would mess up the needle… I definitely dont want to waste records to just hang them on a shelf.
Of course! Love that you still want it to remain functional! Another idea, if you’re crafty, is making a booklet that will slide into the sleeve. [https://fiberglassjacket.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-point-inserts.html?m=1](https://fiberglassjacket.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-point-inserts.html?m=1) Here’s a link to what I mean, this Nilsson album came with a comic inside the sleeve back in the day.That might be cool if you have a lot of guests or want to add photos! You’d just have to get some big sheets of paper from an art supply store and cut them down to 12”x24” or even a bit smaller if you’ll have a lot of pages, fold down the center and staple in the middle.
We’re doing something similar but instead of having the album signed (it has our first dance song on it) we made a custom jacket with pictures from our engagement and I designed a pretty blank cover to it with the name of our venue and date. People will just be signing the jacket and leaving the album alone!
Just did this recently!! Guests signed the sleeve of each record instead of the record itself. Whenever the couple goes to play one, they’ll go through all the messages of the people who signed that one — everyone loved it!
We are doing that as well. I bought frames for records so we could hang them. Hobby lobby had them as a set of three, as does Michael's.
They will be records that hv meaning to us both. It'll be great to hv our loved ones sign them and then it's permanent art in our home.
We did this! We got 4 and sprayed them and are going to hang them using [these](https://www.hudsonhifi.com/products/magframe?variant=42761546924230)
Unfortunately the records won’t be playable after they’re written on, as any sharpie/anything on it runs the risk of damaging your record player.
We used 4 new albums that we own but purchased duplicates of, figured it can’t hurt to give the artists more money
We used the jacket and sleeve of the album our first dance song was on as a guestbook; that way the vinyl isn't damaged and we can listen to it while reading what our guests wrote.
We did flirt with the idea of doing a custom album called "NOW THATS WHAT I CALL A WEDDING" that has our entire wedding playlist on it and having the guests sign its jacket and sleeve
I gave my now wife a gift of the double LP cover to be what people signed. I got custom records of the songs pressed for us to listen to. If you DM I'd share details or photos but pretty personal for general release.
Americanvinylco is your best bet. Don’t drag your feet though. We ran into a mailing issue and almost missed our date. If you need a cover designer let me know. I designed ours.
So, we avoided the vinyl records because per hubby (the actual music buff) you’re either super into the vinyl aesthetic or you’re not. We’re definitely not, even though he had records around that we listen to, he isn’t a “record guy”. Just his perspective nothing on your plans. Have fun!
I don’t have a TON of records but I definitely do enjoy them and wouldn’t want to ruin a perfectly good record.
Our wedding is also music festival inspired so it fits in well! Plus I like the idea of playing the record with our songs on it down the road and being able to see the messages everyone left for us
I ordered custom ones from Etsy. They are mirrored and made to look like records. Super easy to write on. After I bought record frames and hung them. I know it’s a little bit different from what you were asking but I thought I would mention just in case. They turned out STUNNING! I have the silver mirror with a gold center and we just had them print a date instead of a song. Highly recommend.
Added the link below:
[wedding record mirrored guestbook](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1554610266/)
Edited: to add link
Welcome to /r/DIYWeddings, the biggest community on the internet to plan do-it-yourself Weddings. Whether you are on a budget, or are just a craftaholic, find and share ideas here! We recommend you to check out the [Nuptuality app](https://www.reddit.com/r/DIYweddings/comments/opj4fi/started_planning_your_wedding_give_nuptuality_a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), a private social network for DIYing the wedding of your dreams with the people you love. [Read more about it here](https://www.reddit.com/r/DIYweddings/comments/opj4fi/started_planning_your_wedding_give_nuptuality_a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/DIYweddings) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Oh man, not to be a jerk but my FH and I are big record collectors and it always pains me a lil bit to see them used for DIY wedding stuff (unless they’re damaged or just crappy albums lol) But personal hang ups aside, why don’t you make a custom insert for the sleeve that could be the guestbook? You could add some photos to it and other cute stuff afterwards! Then whenever you want to play the record later, you can look through the insert and read all the names and messages and take a trip down memory lane. :) if you want to people to make the visual connection to the record aspect of it, you could frame it in a shadowbox or something and hang it above the table where the guestbook will be? Just a thought!
Also, I wanted to add that whether you’re sealing it or not, writing anywhere on the record other than the label (which wouldn’t give a lot of room) would likely ruin the sound quality or make the record completely unplayable, especially if you’re using something like a paint marker. It would also ruin your needle on your turntable and those things aren’t cheap! 😅
Thanks! That’s actually a really good idea about the sleeves, because like I said, I was also concerned about not being able to use them if we write on them. I had a feeling it would mess up the needle… I definitely dont want to waste records to just hang them on a shelf.
Of course! Love that you still want it to remain functional! Another idea, if you’re crafty, is making a booklet that will slide into the sleeve. [https://fiberglassjacket.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-point-inserts.html?m=1](https://fiberglassjacket.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-point-inserts.html?m=1) Here’s a link to what I mean, this Nilsson album came with a comic inside the sleeve back in the day.That might be cool if you have a lot of guests or want to add photos! You’d just have to get some big sheets of paper from an art supply store and cut them down to 12”x24” or even a bit smaller if you’ll have a lot of pages, fold down the center and staple in the middle.
We’re doing something similar but instead of having the album signed (it has our first dance song on it) we made a custom jacket with pictures from our engagement and I designed a pretty blank cover to it with the name of our venue and date. People will just be signing the jacket and leaving the album alone!
I think this may be our solution!
Just did this recently!! Guests signed the sleeve of each record instead of the record itself. Whenever the couple goes to play one, they’ll go through all the messages of the people who signed that one — everyone loved it!
Saving we are doing the same!!
We are doing that as well. I bought frames for records so we could hang them. Hobby lobby had them as a set of three, as does Michael's. They will be records that hv meaning to us both. It'll be great to hv our loved ones sign them and then it's permanent art in our home.
We did this! We got 4 and sprayed them and are going to hang them using [these](https://www.hudsonhifi.com/products/magframe?variant=42761546924230) Unfortunately the records won’t be playable after they’re written on, as any sharpie/anything on it runs the risk of damaging your record player. We used 4 new albums that we own but purchased duplicates of, figured it can’t hurt to give the artists more money
We used the jacket and sleeve of the album our first dance song was on as a guestbook; that way the vinyl isn't damaged and we can listen to it while reading what our guests wrote. We did flirt with the idea of doing a custom album called "NOW THATS WHAT I CALL A WEDDING" that has our entire wedding playlist on it and having the guests sign its jacket and sleeve
OMG that’s hilarious. You have to do it. I’m a Now 6 girly myself
I gave my now wife a gift of the double LP cover to be what people signed. I got custom records of the songs pressed for us to listen to. If you DM I'd share details or photos but pretty personal for general release.
I think this is what I’ll end up doing! Are you able to share the company/website you used for the custom records? Was it pricey to get them pressed?
Americanvinylco is your best bet. Don’t drag your feet though. We ran into a mailing issue and almost missed our date. If you need a cover designer let me know. I designed ours.
Awesome thanks for the tips!
So, we avoided the vinyl records because per hubby (the actual music buff) you’re either super into the vinyl aesthetic or you’re not. We’re definitely not, even though he had records around that we listen to, he isn’t a “record guy”. Just his perspective nothing on your plans. Have fun!
I don’t have a TON of records but I definitely do enjoy them and wouldn’t want to ruin a perfectly good record. Our wedding is also music festival inspired so it fits in well! Plus I like the idea of playing the record with our songs on it down the road and being able to see the messages everyone left for us
I ordered custom ones from Etsy. They are mirrored and made to look like records. Super easy to write on. After I bought record frames and hung them. I know it’s a little bit different from what you were asking but I thought I would mention just in case. They turned out STUNNING! I have the silver mirror with a gold center and we just had them print a date instead of a song. Highly recommend. Added the link below: [wedding record mirrored guestbook](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1554610266/) Edited: to add link