My sister-in-law is getting married in a few weeks and has asked for some help with their wedding guest book. She was given some log rounds (approx 20" diameter) that she wants to have people sign or write a memo on to use as the guest book. I haven't seen the slabs yet but she is asking me to smooth them out so it will be easier to write on and then after the wedding have me apply a finish to protect the signatures. I assume she will have the guests use extra fine point sharpies or something similar but I'm curious if I should apply a finish first to make it easier to write on? I thought about maybe just a seal coat or two of shellac pre-signatures and then some type of poly to protect after the wedding. Anyone do anything similar or have any pointers?
Thanks
Dan