Wedding Venue Amenities: A Video and Photo Guest Book for Every Couple

Most wedding venue amenities are things couples can see on a tour: the room, the tables, the lighting, the sound. A guest book is different. It belongs to the evening itself, and it is the part couples keep. With Video Message, you can include one in every wedding you host, using nothing more than the phones your guests already carry.

This guide shows how you set it up, what happens in your venue during the event, and what each couple receives afterward.

What a digital guest book adds to your amenities

Guests scan a QR code or open a link in their phone's browser. There is no app to install and no account to create. They give their first name, then send video messages, photos and written messages.

For you, that means no booth, no equipment and no extra staff. For the couple, it means a guest book made of voices, faces and words instead of signatures, plus every guest photo gathered in one album. It sits comfortably next to the amenities you already list: tables, linens, a sound system, a screen.

Wedding reception amenities: one code per event

Each wedding gets its own code. A code comes with its own link, QR code, photo album, messages and films, kept separate from every other event. One account manages as many events as you host, so a busy weekend stays organized.

You have two ways to run it:

• From your dashboard. You manage the event yourself.
• Handed to the couple. They activate the event and then have their own dashboard for it.

A code is activated for one event when it is needed. Codes do not expire before they are used, so you can hold a few ready for upcoming weddings.

Professionals buy codes in Video Message Pro, a space reserved for event professionals (access on request). You may include the codes in what you offer your couples or offer them as an extra. Details are on the wedding venues page.

Where to place the QR code in your venue

The QR code can be printed on any support. Place it in several spots so guests meet it naturally:

• At the entrance, on a welcome sign.
• At the bar and the buffet.
• On table cards and menus.
• On flyers or programs handed out on arrival.

A clear line works best, so guests know it is a QR code for photos as well as videos and written messages. For wording ideas, see our guide to QR code sign wording.

The link is the main way guests contribute. The couple sends it to all their guests by message, WhatsApp or email, before the party and after it. Guests who cannot attend can take part too, with a video message, a photo or a few written words.

The live slideshow on your screen

Guest photos can play live on your venue's screen, TV or projector. You open the slideshow in a web browser with an internet connection. It shows photos only: no videos and no music.

Before the event, whoever runs it (you or the couple) chooses between two settings:

1. Automatic display, where each photo appears as it arrives.
2. Approval first, where each photo is checked before it shows.

A hidden photo leaves the screen but stays in the album. The slideshow page lists the details.

Moments to announce it during the evening

A short mention is enough. Good moments are:

• At the welcome, when guests are holding a drink and a phone.
• Before the toasts, so guests can send a message to the couple while the words are fresh.
• During dinner, when the slideshow starts filling the screen and guests see their own photos appear.
• Late in the evening, as a reminder that the link stays open.

Each video lasts 1 minute at most, and each guest can send up to 3 videos. Guests film with their phone camera or pick a video already on the phone. They can send as many photos as they like from the evening, and guests send during the party and for a few days after.

Ideas for a guest experience couples remember

• Put the code where people pause. The bar and the buffet are natural places to take out a phone.
• Let the screen do the inviting. Once the first guest photos appear on the slideshow, others want to add theirs.
• Include loved ones who are far away. The couple can send the link before the wedding, so their messages are part of the guest book too.
• Remind guests after the party. A reminder of the link brings in the photos and videos still sitting on their phones.

What each couple receives

Four deliverables, all handed to the couple:

• The video messages, each one kept on its own.
• The photo album, with every guest photo. It goes to the couple only.
• The written messages, also as a PDF book, digital only.
• Two films: a first automatic film of the video messages, then a personalized film that can mix videos, photos and written messages. The couple chooses content, order, mood, music, color look, transitions and opening and closing text. See films.

The first film is ready within 24 hours after the collection closes. The couple chooses when the collection closes and can send guests a reminder. The later it closes, the later the first film arrives.

Guests do not see each other's photos unless the couple opens the guest gallery, which is closed by default. If they open it, they decide what it shows (photos, videos, written messages) and whether guests can comment or download, and guests can leave hearts.

A note on privacy and keeping everything

Everything stays available for 3 months after the first film is delivered. This protects your guests' privacy. Couples download the films, photos and messages to keep them forever.

Offer it at every wedding

One code per event, one QR code on your signs, one screen showing the evening as it happens. When you are ready, find the codes in the shop: one event is $49 and a pack of 3 events is $99. As a venue, you can also request access to pro pricing in Video Message Pro.