Remember the old fashioned photo booths back when you were a kid? You twenty-somethings may not remember, but we seasoned photo booth veterans remember well. Our local amusement park, Kennywood, used to have a photo booth. As kids, it was something we simply had to do each year--it was a blast. As a teenager, my friends and I loved going in the photo booth at the mall and I have the stacks of photo strips to prove it!
Now that fun can be recreated at your wedding. Photo booths have become a very popular feature at weddings and guests go crazy over it. Photo booth companies set up a portable photo booth at your reception and supply silly props for guests to get creative with. The photo booth prints out two copies of the silly photo strip. Depending on what services you choose, guests can receive both photo strips; or, keep one copy and the other is put into a scrapbook for the bride and groom. This is the standard premise with most photo booth companies; however, there can be big differences in price and service.Therefore, when booking a photo booth for your wedding, consider the following:
- Is the photo booth a private automated booth or is it a paper background with a photographer working the camera? The latter is not ideal since guests enjoy the privacy of a real booth and will feel awkward posing for a photographer.
- Is the photo booth well-made? Some photo booths are made with plastic pipe and curtains. It's extremely portable and lightweight making it easy for the photo booth representative to haul and setup. The drawback is, it can easily collapse when large groups go into the booth or blow over when located outdoors. In addition, while some pipe and drape setups look professional many look rather cheap. Be sure to view photos of the company's photo booth before booking so you know what you are getting. If the company does not have photos of their booth on their website, consider it a red flag.
- The scrapbook... Most companies offer plain black paper and gel pens a "scrapbook." This service is an extra cost and frequently provided as a guest DIY project. Although cost-effective, allowing inebriated guests to glue and write messages in your scrapbook may not be the best idea ;)
- Does the photo booth company offer an online web gallery? With social media being an important part of our lives, guests appreciate being able to view all the event photos and download a digital copy of their photo strip for their Facebook page.
- Does the company charge extra for props, or custom artwork on the photo strip?
- How long has the company been in business? New photo booth companies pop up each day and are easily spotted by the low prices they charge. Getting a deal is great, but if having a photo booth is an important feature to have at your wedding, consider whether the risk of using a newbie is worth it. Also compare the other factors mentioned above to see if you are truly getting your money's worth.
If you are considering a photo booth for your wedding, I highly recommend adding the scrapbook feature. Although most companies will give you the digital images on CD or USB drive after the wedding, it's simply not the same as having a hard copy book to review and share with your family. My feeling with the scrapbook is... If you are paying the added cost to have a photo booth at your wedding, why not have something to show for it yourself! Guests will enjoy taking silly photos, and you won't miss out on any of it by adding the scrapbook feature to your photo booth package.
Wow - those scrapbook pages look good along with the photo strip artwork. You picked a good one to feature.
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