Thursday, March 18, 2010

Wedding Day Photo Booth: Splurge or Skip?

In the back of my mind, I can almost hear my wedding budget start to groan as I say what I’m about to, but here goes. After thinking about it at the beginning of the planning process and then deciding against it, I may be jumping back on the photo booth train, especially after reading about how much fun it was for the Relentless Bride and her guests!

I, for one, love photo booths and have never met anyone who doesn’t, for that matter. They’re a great way to lighten things up at an otherwise formal or semiformal celebration, and they’re always one of the first things people remember looking back on the day. But with one company’s website quoting $1,300 for four hours, I’ve learned that the fun definitely doesn’t come without a hefty price tag.


Nevertheless, I can’t help but wonder whether we can make it work. In keeping with our “California Romance” theme, I envision a goodie basket filled with sunglasses, beach balls, and other fun, cheesy California memorabilia. If we want to get really fancy, we could even tie in Golden State backdrops and scenery.

What do you think? Are you having a photo booth at your wedding? If you’ve been to a wedding or party with a booth, did you enjoy it? Do you think it’s worth the expense?

(Photo Credit: Funbooth)

10 comments:

  1. I think it would be awesome to have one of these but alas not in our budget. Plus I would worry that the guests would just be crowded around that for most of the night waiting for their turn rather than dancing and having fun.

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  2. We aren't doing one for our at home party, but in my experience with them at other weddings, they are so much fun! I just wish they weren't so costly. The pics also make great guest favors!

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  3. I told my girlfriend about this a couple years ago and she got one for her wedding...it was a big hit. They had it out at their cocktail hour.

    We are doing one (though it's a surprise for Mr Fix It) and I am using it as 1) favors for the guests and 2) photos for our guestbook. The company (same as Amy J's from Relentless Bride) provides 2 sets of the prints - one for the guest and one for the couple.

    The company that we are using, Cheesy Photobooths, had a deal going on where I was able to rent the booth for six hours for $1,150. That includes the two sets of color prints plus a CD of ALL of the photos that the booth took (in case guests walk off with both sets), and a box of props - though I also purchased some of my own as well.

    Ours will be open for an hour BEFORE the ceremony (for the wedding party and early guests to use) and then will be open during cocktails through the reception (from 6 pm to 11 pm). I am super excited about it and definitely say it's a splurge but a super fun one well worth it!

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  4. I love the photobooth idea, but I don't think it'll work for us. It's not so much a budget thing as it is a logistics thing - with 400 guests, I just don't see how we can make it work without having a huge traffic jam. I think we'll allocate the money we would have spent to some sort of specialty drink or food cart. Can't wait to see what you decide!

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  5. I really want to have a photobooth at my wedding, but I don't think it is in our budget. I'm still holding onto the hope that somehow, we will scrape up the money to get one. I think that photobooths are so fun! Especially when you add props. :)

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  6. Love photobooths! We had sorta one because I had my favorite hats, signs, and other props and our photographer took pictures for 30 minutes or so. If we had a bigger budget, I would have done the photobooth (so everyone could have pics, not just us) though I was happy with out version!

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  7. I wish we could fit one into our budget! They look like so much fun and serve as a great favor for guests!

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  8. If you can afford it I say YES!!!!!! So wish we had enough $$ for one. We adore photobooths.

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  9. My friend had one at her wedding. It was SOOOO MUCH FUN! You are right, people did crowd around that both, but that is because there was no dancing so it was the only thing to do after dinner.

    She also set out a scrap book, some scissors, glue sticks and some pens so each person that used the booth was to cut out one picture and put it in the scrap book. It was SUPER cool! Super fun!

    That is just my two cents.

    Congratulations Heather, I am so excited for you. I am just thinking back in the day during our talks at Jamba Juice and our commute to Grover Cleveland High School. We have come a long way and have grown so much!

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  10. Hi

    we are the owners of funbooth.com.au and we have just found this article on your site..as flattered as we are in seeing this your prices are totally wrong and is not as dear as you are making out..... in turn this is also reflecting on our business as people read your blog they are assuming that the price is high.... please contact us for the correct costs involved..

    thanks

    funbooth

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