Celebration of Life Archive album guest experience

By Wanda Wen

Recently, Soolip was called upon to create a deeply meaningful experience. A Celebration of Life event, designed and produced by event planner Jeff Brown of Brown Hot Events, featured our Archive Album Guest Book Experience honoring a local and beloved businessman and entrepreneur, held at the timeless The Lodge at Torrey Pines nestled in the hills of La Jolla just outside San Diego.

The vision came together quickly. Jeff, who had previously seen our Wedding Album Experiences, wanted to incorporate a similarly interactive keepsake into this memorial, thereby not only elevating the nature of the traditional sign-in guest book, but creating an opportunity for guests to partake in a hand and heart activity. 

I was moved by the calm, elegant space Jeff designed for this ritual. Architectural shelving, built against the hillside, became a serene alcove of photos and florals, within a palette of varying greens and whites.

The archive album, encased in a tonal green silk shantung, along with its protective clamshell box, accented with a gold and green marble pattern, was proudly featured front and center. Outside, the honoree’s name was printed on the cover in classic matte gold. Inside, each page held pale sage green envelopes. Guests were invited to pen a note, a thought, a memory on note cards letterpress printed with the founder's initials and place them inside an envelope, becoming a permanent part of the family archives. Guests also had the option to add a wax seal, to further personalize their offering. 

With its pages now filled with heartfelt notes (and later, accompanied with photographs assembled by our team) this piece is not just a typical guest book, but a resting place of tribute and remembrance to be enjoyed by the surviving family.

Where beauty meets purpose is the work I love most. A memory that is held in our hearts, made with our hands.