Audio guest book hire FAQ

An audio guest book is a vintage telephone your guests pick up to leave a short voice message instead of signing a paper book. After the event you receive every recording, heartfelt, funny and unscripted, to keep forever.

Guests lift the handset, hear a short greeting you've recorded, then leave their message after the tone. There's nothing to set up on the night. The phone runs on its own, no wifi or signal required.

Weddings are the most popular, but the audio guest book is just as at home at milestone birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, baby showers and farewells, any moment you'll want to remember the voices of the people who came.

As long as they like. Most messages run 20 to 60 seconds, and the phone's built-in memory holds hundreds of them. There's no limit that will catch you out on the night.

Neither. The phone records to its own internal memory and runs on a full charge, so there's no cable to hide and no signal to worry about. Put it wherever suits the room, on a side table by the door or tucked into a quiet corner away from the band.

Hundreds. The phone records to internal memory with room to spare for a full event, so there's nothing to check, clear or manage on the night.

Your phone arrives fully charged and ready to use, with at least eight hours of battery, comfortably longer than most events run. There's nothing to plug in and nothing to charge on the day.

That depends on what you want to keep. A paper guest book gets signed by half the room and read once. An audio guest book captures the things writing can't, your grandmother's voice, the toast someone was too nervous to give out loud, a friend's laugh mid-sentence. Those recordings are yours to keep, and they don't fade the way handwriting on a page does.

Whichever one feels like your event. Every phone in the collection records the same way and comes with the same inclusions, so the choice is purely about character, the look you want on the table and the atmosphere you're creating. First-day prices vary by model, from $270 to $320.

Hire starts at $270 for the first day and runs to $320 depending on which phone you choose, with each additional day at $150, up to five days in total. Shipping is included both ways, so the price you see is the price you pay, wherever you are in Australia.

The moment our collection catches your eye, we'd love for you to book. Dates fill quickly, and securing yours early is one less thing to think about. We ask for at least 30 days between booking and your event date, wherever you are in Australia — we're unable to accept bookings closer than that. You'll usually have confirmation instantly, or within 24 hours.

Once your booking is confirmed, your event appears in your events portal, where you can record and upload the greeting your guests will hear when they lift the handset. Change it as often as you like, right up until your greeting due date.

In the event you need to cancel your booking, we offer free cancellation 2 days before the shipping date. Please contact us if you need to cancel your booking and we'll be happy to assist.

We will upload a standard greeting that your guests will hear before leaving their own message. While we know this may not be perfect, due to preparation and shipping timelines we need to stick to due dates.

The handset uses a high-quality microphone chosen to reject background noise, so it holds up well in a full room. That said, the quieter the spot the better the recording, so where you can, place it away from the speakers or the dance floor and the messages will come back all the clearer.

Every hire includes a small printed card that sits beside the phone and invites guests to lift the handset and leave a message. In practice it explains itself, one person picks up the receiver, hears your greeting, and the rest of the room follows.

If there is an issue with your phone please contact us immediately, we will be able to assist with resolving any common issues.

Once your event wraps up and the phone makes its way back to us, we upload every recording to your dedicated portal, ready for you to download, enjoy and share.

Yes, both ways. Shipping is included in every hire and your phone arrives with a prepaid return satchel in the box, so there's nothing extra to pay and nothing to arrange when you send it back. That's the same anywhere in Australia.

The Party Line ships audio guest books Australia-wide.

We send your phone and starter kit with Australia Post Parcel Post. Tracking details are emailed to you as soon as your order is on its way, and sent by SMS too if you've provided a mobile number, so you can follow it right to your door.

Returning the phone is easy. Your hire includes a prepaid Australia Post parcel label and a shipping satchel. Simply repack the phone, place it in the satchel and drop it off at your local Australia Post office or agency.

Australia Post shipping information needs to reach us within one business day of your event ending, so the phone is best dropped off the next working day. Everything you need is already in the box, so it's simply a matter of repacking it and handing it over the counter. Delays in returning the phone may incur additional charges to the card on your account.