A few years ago at one of our Bridal Expos, I discovered this new trend in weddings where (in addition to the official photographer)couples were hiring photo-booth companies to bring a portable booth to the reception to allow their guests to take fun snapshots in the privacy of a cloaked ‘room’. I immediately had to try it out. I was surprised at how quickly it produced the photos, the quality of the photo itself and how there seemed to be some magical quality about the experience. I was sold.
The benefits of the photo-booth are many:
1) Get the guests up out of their seats, moving around the room and interacting with people outside of the table. You might run into someone you haven’t seen in a long time and you might meet a new friend and discover you share a common bond with the bride and groom. At the very least you will be able to have a richer experience of the wedding.
2) See a side of your guests that may have previously gone unnoticed. By getting everyone involved in this, table by table or as individuals, they will lighten up a bit. Maybe, just maybe, they will let their hair down a little and loosen up the tie long enough to have fun and (dare I say it) even bust a move on the dance floor a little later. The door is open.
3) Get your guests talking. This will be a conversation piece as well as a functional method of preserving memories. People will be buzzing about the photo-booth, keep that in mind when booking your photo-booth professional.
Once you have decided to book a photobooth for your wedding always remember to check references and their work. Just like photographers, they are not all created equal.
-Some offer different options like a photobooth album or additional prints.
-Some offer different backdrops customized to your wedding colors.
- Ask if they offer customized photo strips.
- Make sure there is a professional attendant on hand to oversee any shenanigans or technical problems.
As with any contract, make sure you have everything in writing!
Recently I came across the photos I had captured in that first photobooth I saw at Bridal Expo in OakBrook, IL and it reminded me of being a kid and slipping into a photobooth at Woolworth with my friend. Then, miraculously, it all came together: the Photobooth experience is not just about the photos. You will get hundreds of photos taken at your event; staged, portraits, group shots, candids, and more. This is something more, it is something to bring everyone together to one place in time. A time where something as simple as slipping into the photobooth is guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s face…. like time travel without the flux capacator and all the other complications involved. Rabbit Ears are welcome.
-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago
