When it comes to the world of weddings, one of the biggest trends right now for couples on their wedding day is having a photo booth! As wedding photographers, we love this idea and for a few reasons we will go over soon! To start let’s go over the 4 most popular types of wedding photo booths!
The first photo booth option is what we call the all in one-er! These are photo booths offered from companies like Tap Snap! They are very interactive and customizable! You can change background, get instant printouts, instant social media sharing, and digital props! There are a host of other options they can offer but generally these are the most popular. Most companies offering this type of set up also offer a specialist to come and engage wedding guests, help them use it if they are having trouble, and keep everything running smoothly as the night goes on. Having been at weddings and corporate events that have utilized these types of photo booths, we can tell you they are impressive, offer a high quality digital image, and are convenient! Given all the bells and whistles offered, and depending on the length of time you are planning on having it for, they generally cost the most.
Then you have one of the coolest options on the market in our opinion, which is when companies convert an old VW bus into a photo booth! There are companies like The Bus Booth that offer this convenient and groovy option that will show up wherever your wedding is and set everything up for you, as well as bring all the props! You just hop in and do the rest! Some even offer the instant digital print out as well. Also, as a wedding photographer, we love the character that the bus itself lends to the décor and some of the pictures of guests and the bride and groom! If you have an outdoor reception area and are looking for a fun way to add a photo booth, consider this option!
Another option which we also recently got into, is ask your wedding photographer is this is a service they offer as well. Everybody has a potentially different set up, but in short they provide a backdrop, props, and possibly some customizable options and décor specific to your wedding! At a certain point during the day, you can request that your photographer, or one of your photographers (if they work in a team of have an assistant) man the booth. This is a fun option because it allows you to create a separate photo album of just the photo booth and you can send these out as gifts to your friends or share the digital images with them online for social media. Given that your photographer will likely have a better camera than most general booth options, the image quality will typically be higher. Also having one of your photographers work a booth can really help engage your guests and help to make some fun memorable moments for everyone later!
The last option is the DIY! This is where you try your hand out at creating your own fun and unique design when it comes to backdrop, props, and any other little items you want to add on or systems you want to create. You can give guests the option to use disposables, the new instapix, a personal digital camera, and their cell phones! One of our past brides Lauren did this with the instatix option and also had a cute collage frame so her guests could take the instant printouts and leave her a fun and sentimental gift instantly so she can look by on her wedding not only remember the good times her and her husband had, but also everyone else! This option is generally the least expensive, but requires the most time and effort. If you are a DIY kind of couple, and have the extra time and effort to spare, this is a cool option for you, but if you are already stressed to the gills and don't have any extra time to set aside for creative endeavors like this, maybe consider one of the other 3!
NOW! 3 reasons a photo booth may be a great options for your wedding:
It’s entertainment for your guests!
One of the things we’ve seen couples put the most time and effort into when it comes to planning for a wedding, especially now-a-days, is planning for entertainment for your guests. A photo booth is a great way to keep people entertained during certain times of the wedding especially post ceremony when the majority of couples decide to do their family photos or couples portraits, this gives your guests something fun to do to keep themselves entertained while you are busy with your wedding photographer!
Cool memories for later!
One of the things that we’ve had requested a few times is being able to capture a picture of “everyone at the wedding” or a picture of the bride and groom with everyone at the wedding. This is a fun and easy way to put your guests at ease in front of the camera (no one takes themselves too seriously in a photo booth) and these captures with them in the photo booth tend to have a bit more character then simply just walking around and throwing your arm around everyone you see. Not to mention if you are looking for a personalized option for thank you cards, how fun would it be to send guests a card with a picture of you and them on it for keepsake?
Not everyone is a dancer!
I would say in the majority of the wedding we do throughout the year (especially big weddings) at least half of the guests don’t partake in dancing! So let’s face it, not everyone is a dancer, but just about everyone loves a fun photo of themselves and their friends & family. Having an interactive photo booth option at your wedding can help include some of the guests who may feel just a bit left out once the lights go down and the bass goes up!
So if you were ever thinking about a photo booth for your wedding, fear not, there is a perfect option for everyone! Whether out door or indoor, whether in a bus or standalone, photo booths can be a unique and more importantly fun addition to any wedding!
-Joe & Jenny