Best way to set up autograph photo frame for guests to sign

Hi Ladies,

My fiance and I bought a mat at Aaron Brothers. We are having it cut to fit an 8 X 10 photo. Then we'll buy a frame. My question is what is the best way to set it up for guests to sign? Putting it on an easel seems kind of awkward. We wouldn't want the pen to smear or the thing to tip over. We thought about putting in face up on a table.

What are you doing(that is if you are having an autograph portrait)? Are you putting a temporary photo in it? How does that work? Just remove the glass? I have no idea. Thanks!

We are putting it face up on a table with a wedge under it so it stays slanted.

my cousin had hers face down and pens all-around

no glass - how would people sign it if there's glass on top of it already??)  - just the photo - already matted etc

if you have it on an easel - people pushing down as they write may cause it to topple over

We did exactly what Dirty said.  We took the glass out, kept the pic in the matting & frame, layed it flat on the table and just had pens around.  It worked!

An easel looks really nice, but it becomes difficult for guests to write at that angle. And some pens won't write at that angle either. I'd recommend laying it on a table and having a bunch of pens around it.  You could always place a couple of books or something under the top portion so it's slightly upright and nicer-looking.

I do have one recommendation that often goes overlooked. (I used to be a picture framer and I saw this all the time) Don't display the mat all by itself, display it in a frame (with no glass obviously). The lip of a frame will cover about 1/4" of the edges of the mat. 99% of guests don't think about this when they're looking for a place to sign and will sign right to the edge. And, when you frame it, some of the writing will be covered up. The best way to prevent this is to display the mat within a frame. Even if you haven't chosen a frame yet, consider getting a cheap temporary one just for this purpose.

As far as what photo to display, I've seen a variety of photos... an engagement photo, a prom photo, baby photos side by side, or just a random photo of the couple. A friend of mine, knowing that they had planned to display a wedding photos after the wedding, displayed a goofy photo of herself and her fiance.

Good luck!

So many great replies! Thanks ladies. So helpful.

Batty- I like the idea of having a goofy photo. And very good point about having not displaying the mat all by itself.

Thankyouthankyouthankyou all!