An engagement lasts a year and leaves almost nothing behind to keep. Gather a page from everyone who's thrilled for them — how they found out, what they love about the two of them together, what they've learned about being married — and print it as a hardcover.
Start an engagement book See how it worksThe proposal gets photographed a hundred times, and then the whole year disappears into planning. By the time anything gets made, it's a wedding album — and a wedding album is about one day, not the year two families spent falling in love with each other.
An engagement book catches that year while it's happening. Each person writes a page: how they heard the news, what they thought, the story about one of them from long before the other came along. Both sets of friends write into the same book, which is often the first thing the two circles do together.
It also takes some pressure off the wedding. The coworker, the college roommate three states away, the great-aunt who can't travel — everyone who won't make the guest list still gets to say something, and nobody has to be seated.
Unlike most occasions, there's no fixed date pushing this along — so pick one anyway.
Both their names, a photo, the engagement date, and a deadline — the engagement party or the shower are natural ones.
Two friend groups and two families, one link. Everyone opens it and goes, with no introductions needed.
Stories, photos and advice arrive and are arranged into finished pages. You read each one before it goes in.
Order the hardcover for the party, or keep the project open through the engagement and print closer to the wedding.
It's the one moment when two separate stories are about to become one, and nobody usually writes any of it down.
Two friend groups who barely know each other write into the same place, without anyone having to make introductions.
Married friends and relatives, asked directly and privately, give better advice than anyone gives in a toast.
Anyone with the link can add a page, so people who won't be at the wedding still get to say something.
Scans and phone pictures of prints are corrected when uploaded, so childhood and college photos of both of them sit beautifully together.
Every page is laid out for you, so planning a wedding doesn't also mean making a scrapbook.
A 10-inch square matte hardcover about the engagement itself — something the wedding album will never cover.
Ask for something specific. "Congratulations!" fills a page with very little.
Nothing is owed until you order a book, and gifts from contributors apply straight to the print cost.
Create the project, invite everyone, and gather photos and stories for free. You only pay if you print.
A 10-inch square matte hardcover with matte interior pages, plus shipping. Extra pages are $1.25 each.
Friends and family can chip in toward printing — each $1.25 covers one page of the finished book.
It covers different ground. A wedding guest book is signed on the day by the people in the room. This collects the engagement — how people found out, what they think of the two of them together, advice about marriage — from anyone, months in advance.
Either for the engagement party, or closer to the wedding with the whole engagement collected. The project stays open until you close it, so you can also print a PDF for the party and a hardcover later.
Most often a maid of honor, a best man, a sibling or a parent, as a gift to the couple. Some couples make it themselves and share the link as the engagement goes on.
Yes, and that's one of the best reasons to make one. Anyone with the link can add a page, whether or not they're on the guest list.
Setting up and collecting is free. A hardcover is $34.95 for the first 20 pages, then $1.25 for each page after that, plus shipping. Thirty contributors comes to about $47.45. The PDF is free.
Yes — once the book is finished you can order as many copies as you like, and both sides usually want one.
Other celebrations families make books for.
Start the project, send the link to both sides, and give them something the wedding album will never hold.
Start an engagement book