Our peacock fingerprint guest book was such a hugh success last year, we've added a few new designs recently, so here's a bit of an update.

You may have come across fingerprint or thumbprint trees, a popular trend at weddings. Guest book peacocks are a stunning alternative to this. Guests leave a fingerprint to act as the eye of a feather, sign there name in the feather, or both. A beautiful keepsake of your big day.

Shown above, from the top, is the stylised peacock, for the best effect the birds body and the background colour are the same. Second is the realistic peacock body, the colours here can be any from our selection and there is even a white peacock option. Lastly we have added a new design this month with a pair peacocks and a pretty paisley pattern. All are available from the 'i do' it yourself shop.

We couldn't have a tree theme this month and not take another look at thumbprint guest books. It still surprises me that some people haven't heard of this idea yet, they're a bit of a wedding phenomenon at the moment. So if you don't know what we're talking about you're in for a treat...

Customer pic of classic fingerprint tree

A thumbprint or fingerprint tree is an alternative to your standard wedding guest book, and can even be used at christenings, showers, birthdays and anniversarys - remember paper is the traditional gift for a first anniversary.

The guest book in this case is an image of a bare tree which guests place their fingerprint on to represent a leaf. The guests can then sign their name below the print as a symbol of their attendance. After the wedding a framed fingerprint tree makes a beautiful keepsake to display in your home and cherish forever.

Photo by Kaoverii Marapon of classic fingerprint tree

Ink and pens
To leave their print guests just press their finger onto a coloured ink pad then onto your tree. There are plenty of cute ink pads available from art shops and craft stores, our favourite is momento dew drop ink. It is acid free, water based and fast drying and comes is a cute little leave droplet shape. You can find moment dew drop inks here. It can be nice to have a few different shades for guests to choose from too. Other brands to consider color box, you can find these at your local art or craft shops and online.
Fine art and scrapbooking pens are best for guests to sign with, try Faber Castell and Memory Marker.

Is it messy?
No, just have a pack of wet wipes and a towel handy so guests can quickly clean up after and be more inclined to participate. A bin or basket nearby is good for the used wipes too. If you're still worried you can get leaf shaped stamp pads instead and just ask guest to use the stamp then sign. Or consider a signature only tree.





Of course it doesn't have to be a tree, there are guest book peacocks, grape vines, balloons and more!

Photo by Elizabeth Ryan Photography of grape vine fingerprint guest book

Guest book tree top tips

1. Test it first. Get a sample of the paper you plan to print on and test it with your ink. Make sure you like the effect before getting your tree printed, and check it after an hour or two to make sure the ink has dried properly on the paper. If you don't like the look or the ink and paper react funny, just change your paper stock or even try a different brand of ink.
2. Use quality paper. Ink is wet and we all know what liquid does to a sheet of normal paper, it bubbles. So make sure you have it printed onto quality thick paper or cardstock. 
3. Ask your bridal party or family to start things off. A big empty tree might seem confusing and no one likes to go first. Once a few people have had a go it will be easy for others to follow. 
4. Always have an ample supply of pens. If you want guests to sign as well as leave a print, make sure you have back up pens. The nibs can clog up with ink if people write over the prints when they aren't dry enough, so have spares. 
5. Display instructions. Let guests know the process or just that it's your guest book with a sign. There are loads of free signs to download on the I do it yourself website. More on that next post.

You might have come across fingerprint guest books before, usually they are trees and the fingerprints form the leaves. But we've got a really beautiful alternative - the peacock. In this design guests leave their print inside a feather, or they can just sign. They look fabulous filled in with different colours. Here are a few finished results.

Pics: Patrick Remington Photography, customer pic, Bear and Penguim Photography, De Nueva Photography

Today we have the first of two beautiful, but very different, peacock themed weddings to share. Keri and Tanner's wedding is classic, simple and elegant. Bold peacock blue bridesmaid dresses and a few elegant peacock feathers in the bridal bouquet and floral decorations. Proving that you don't have to go overboard to add a bit of peacock glamour to your day.


Keri and Tanner followed a wedding tradition growing in popularity - the grooms cake. While the wedding cake was beautifully decorated with orchids and peacock feathers, the grooms cake was playstation complete with edible game controller!

Guests danced the night away under plenty of pretty fairy lights and left their mark by leaving a fingerprint and signing the large peacock guestbook print from 'i do' it yourself. So great to see these brought to life and at such a lovely wedding. Thanks Keri and Tanner, and a big thanks to Patrick Remington Photography.

It seems a while since we posted about a new product in the i do it yourself shop but we think this ones worth the wait. We have a beautiful new fingerprint guest book design - the grape vine.

For those of you who haven't seen this idea before, guests leave a fingerprint on the poster and sign there name, this time to act as a grape on the vine! Perfect for a vineyard wedding.

Supplied as a print ready PDF, just take the file to your local print shop for a quick and easy poster.
Available in our etsy shop.

We're often asked at i do it yourself about the process for our the fingerprint guest book trees. If you're concerned it might be a bit messy here is what a recent customer Jillian had to say about her setup on the day:

"...the tree guest book was such a hit! I placed the print in a frame with the glass removed. The thumbprints were made from little stamp pads I found at JoAnns. They come in a pack of 4 and are in the shape of little leaves so it was perfect, just the right size for a thumb. We set up a wet towel on a tray next to the tree, as well as a dry one, so people could clean off their thumb."


You still might feel that the fingerprint idea just isn't right for your wedding guests. So here we have another lovely idea using a craft punch.

What you will need:
• A printed tree template
(such as one of our fingerprint trees available in our online shop)
• Leaf shaped craft punch
• Coloured card
• Pen
• Glue stick

Simply pre cut some coloured card with the leaf punch, there will be plenty of styles to choose from at your local art or craft shop, and have them on display on the day. Guests pick a leaf and sign their name on it, then glue it to the tree. Easy!

A new addition to our family of printable guest book trees this month - the tree of love. A lovely heart shaped design just perfect for romantic weddings. Here we've used pink ink pads to create a beautiful blossom effect but you can use any shade you like and we can custom the tree trunk and wording to match your wedding colour scheme or home decor.

$20 from the i do it yourself shop.

This year our most popular design and popular blog post by far has been the fingerprint guest book tree.

A beautiful unique way to make an impression on your wedding day is to ask guest to leave their fingerprint to act as a leaf on your tree. But lots of people have asked - how do I explain the process to my guests? So we've designed this pretty sign you can download, print and display next to your guest book.

To download for free visit the 'i do' it yourself website and check out our DIY and downloads section.

We just couldn't resist designing a new fingerprint guest book tree, they have proved so popular and are just the cutest wedding idea! Simply have different shaded ink pads available on the day for guests to leave their print - and something so they can clean up :)Available in a range of sizes so you can take to your local print shop for a quick and easy poster.

All you will need is a selection of ink pads available for guests (and something for them to clean up with) and the base image of a tree and branches. You can draw a tree yourself or we have loads of designs available in our online shop that can be customised with your names and wedding date. Have a few different shades of green available for your inks, it looks a little more interesting. If you like guests can also initial next to their thumbprint.