Wedding Mailbox Guestbook Alternative: BUY or DIY?

I’ve had mailboxes on the brain ever since a lovely reader asked where she could get her hands on a postbox similar to this rather awesome DIY wedding card holder mailbox from this equally awesome grey & yellow wedding.

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Photo by Kreatid Photography ~ see the rest of the DIY wedding here

I had no clue whatsoever.

We don’t really do postboxes with cute little flags in the UK ~ the postman or woman (postperson?) has to come right up to our letterboxes to deliver our mail. But I’m always up for a wedding related challenge and I thought it’d be a fab subject for a BUY or DIY? post.

So here we are…

Lets start with a little inspiration, shall we?

Wedding Mailbox Card Holder

Vintage looking mailboxes surrounded by jars of flowers and /or succulents are a wonderful addition to the gift table. Or you could have your guests fill in postcards or notes to pop in the mailbox as a guestbook alternative. Or how about sharing some marriage advice?

via Mandy Lynne | via Martha Stewart Weddings | via 100 Layer Cake

There have been a wave of ‘Up’ inspired mailboxes popping up at weddings. Understandably so, it’s such a sweet moment in the film. Haphazard handprints are not just for children’s art projects anymore!

via Wildflowers Photography

All you need to recreate the look is a cheap mailbox, a paintbrush and two cans of paint in your favourite / wedding colours. Oh and be prepared to get your hands dirty, it’s all part of the fun!

Mailbox Escort Card Holder

I absolute adore this idea of using mailboxes all in a row for escort cards. Put letters on the front to organise the escort cards alphabetically, like this couple did below. Don’t you just love the succulent/moss and flower detail on the open lids?!

Photography by Robert Sukrachand

BUY

For vintage mailboxes, you could try thrift shops, yard sales, car boot sales, Etsy or Ebay. Or you could consider renting (if you will be renting other furniture too). 100 Layer Cake is listing this beautifully battered vintage mailbox at the moment for $75.

via 100 Layer Cake Market

Modern mailboxes with vintage charm are readily available in American hardware stores, on Amazon and even in Barnes and Noble (but at a much higher price, so be sure to do your research). These simple metal mailboxes range in price from around $15 – $100! You can also find mini mailboxes at David’s bridal for cute favour boxes.

White average sized mailbox via Amazon for $24.97 | white mini tin mailboxes via David’s Bridal $1.99 each

While BHLDN has a charming vintage esque mailbox offering with cute cut out heart flag for $78.

If you and your love are fans of Up you’ll love this personalized mail box available on Etsy for $49.95 (and you might just like this cute Up inspired anniversary shoot too).

DIY Wedding Mailbox

As mentioned above you could buy simple mailboxes then paint them pretty colours. Like this teal beauty. Add a flag garland and team with a matching vintage typewriter for a whimsical finishing touch to your gift table.

via Sarah Bray Photography

Or paint a bunch of mini mailboxes and paint/stencil/stick letters or decals on the front to use as escort card holders, or simply write ‘notes’ on five mailboxes, or ‘love’ on four (or any other word or phrase) and use as your wedding guestbook. You could even elevate them using mismatched candlesticks of different sizes to create an interesting display!

via Over the Big Moon | via The Anderson Crew (click the links for the full DIY tutorials)

A cheaper option would be to use paper mache ready made mailboxes available from Hobby Lobby and get crafty with paint, glitter, glue and anything else you want to stick on it to pretty it up. Ribbons, garlands, pom poms, vintage sheet music etc.