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How to care for your guestbook barrel head

Midwest Barrel Co.

Engraved barrel head guestbook with signatures and messages from wedding guests

Many people will tell you that your wedding day is one of the most important days of your entire life – and possibly the biggest day you’ve experienced to that point. 

It’s true that weddings are key, unforgettable moments in our lives. Most brides, grooms, their friends and their family pour countless hours into planning out the wedding day in hopes that everything will go flawlessly. Of course, let’s be honest, absolutely 100% flawless is almost always an impossible standard to meet. 

Still, there are so many ways to make sure your wedding is a beautiful day that you will always cherish and remember. That fact that you’re getting married to the love of your life is made only better by being surrounded by all the people who mean so much to you – your friends and family. 

Now, you’ll likely have many photos and videos to look back on and remember those loved ones who witnessed your big day and celebrated with you. But aside from the best, select few photos, how many pictures do you have hanging up on your walls that truly show and remind you how many people were present that day? The video is wonderfully made, sure, but how often do you sit down and watch it?

Three pictures: 1) Full-size barrels with wedding desserts on glass tabletop 2) Laser-engraved barrel head with "R" and name "Ross" 3) Bride and groom near full-size barrel with glass tabletop

Barrel head wedding guestbooks are unique, beautiful and remind you of your wedding day

That’s where our custom, personalized barrel head wedding guestbooks are perfect. Your guests can sign their names and leave messages to you and your spouse. The guestbooks are truly unique, as each barrel head is a little bit different. Not only do the heads tell the barrel’s story, but now they tell yours, too.

Plus, with a little additional care, you can place these barrel heads on display in your home. It’s an ideal way to commemorate your wedding and remember the wonderful day and all the people who were there with you. 

Here is how to care for your guestbook barrel head once it has been signed by guests and is ready to display as a beautiful home decor piece. 

Care tips for engraved
barrel head guestbooks

By the time you order, design and receive your custom engraved head, our team has already done a great deal of work to spruce up its look. They’ve screwed the rings to the staves, sanded down rough areas, removed excess char from the inside (if it’s a whiskey barrel head), and applied wood glue around the inside perimeter of the head to help it stay firm and secure.

If it’s a wine barrel head, then we’ve also stained it – unless you requested no stain. We don’t stain the whiskey barrel heads.  

Apply polyurethane
to help seal wood

As for what you should do to the head once it has been signed, we recommend spraying a coat of clear polyurethane wood finish to help seal the wood. You can find a good spray in the home improvement section of most stores or at a home improvement retailer. 

After that, you can go about deciding where to hang the barrel head in a place where you will always be reminded of your big day!

Person spraying barrel head with polyurethane spray

Looking for a personalized
barrel head guestbook?

Midwest Barrel Co. loves to tell stories. That’s one of the key reasons why we love barrels. Like the couples who buy our barrel head guestbooks, each is unique in its own way and has taken its own path to our warehouse. 

Browse our website to learn more about our custom guestbooks and other laser engraved barrel decor and gifts.

Cheers! 🍻

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Just your resident barrel slingers delivering some damn good content.