Monday, November 15, 2010

The Photo Booth That Wasn’t

I’m a huge fans of photo booths at weddings, and for a good while, I was entirely hooked on the idea of having one at ours. But it just wasn’t meant to be, or rather, we decided that it shouldn’t be, for a few key reasons.

First of all, many of the companies we spoke with quoted us at close to $1,000 for just a few hours of renting a booth. The price definitely gave us pause, especially since we’d already maxed out our budget by splurging in other areas. Beyond that, I also wondered how much use the booth would have actually get. After all, our wedding only included 75 guests, and except for two older teenagers, it was an adult-only affair. Was it really worth the price when everyone might have a chance to use the booth within the first hour or so, leaving it empty throughout the rest of the evening?


Though we carefully considered each of these issues, what really sealed the deal in the end was our sheer inability to squeeze in even one more meeting during our final trip to California before the big day. Planning a wedding from across the country was a huge challenge, and each time we did head to California, we inevitably arrived with a packed schedule filled with vendor meetings, shopping trips, and discussions with our officiant. Squeezing in a series of meetings with photo booth vendors? Just not worth the extra exhaustion, even for someone like me who adores wedding planning.

And there you have it. Though our guests may not be grateful that they missed out on a photo booth, my savings account sure is, not to mention my sanity. Does part of me still wish we’d had one, even just during the cocktail hour? Sure. Could we have stretched our budget to include one if we’d really, truly wanted to? Yes. But in my eyes, prioritizing means just that, and there were certainly other more pressing areas that commanded our money and attention.

Have you ever decided to abandon a certain project due to the cost or the fact that you just didn’t have the time?

(Photo Credit: Google Images)

10 comments:

  1. I think you made the right decision! I have put things off because of money as well.

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  2. I would have loved a photobooth but it wasn't in our budget and now that I think about it I suspect people would have spent more time there than dancing and mingling so it's probably best we didn't get one.

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  3. We loved our photobooth but had to cut corners on some other things to make it work - namely the cheese spread I wanted for our cocktail hour. I think we made the right decision because there was so much food at our wedding, and the guests loved the photobooth. It's all about what works for you, your guests and you budget!

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  4. I think they are really fun but it certainly was not in our budget

    I love how your wedding was so intimate. 75 guests is really sweet. I like smaller weddigns. ours was 101 haha

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  5. I couldn't do without the photobooth at our wedding (as you know) :) And though the younger kids did definitely monopolize the time they could for the six hours that we had it up and running, I have to say that A LOT of our older guests definitely had a blast in that thing.

    If you are thinking of cutting out a photobooth because you don't think it will get much use, DON'T. I promise you, your guests will love it.

    However, I completely understand that it wasn't within the budget for a lot of people. I had to cut out one thing I truly wanted at our event because of money but in the end was glad we did because it would have been too much with everything else we had going on.

    One thing I will say to those looking to get a photobooth: Don't waste your time meeting with photobooth vendors. You should easily be able to handle this vendor over the phone and through web sites.

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  6. i think you made the right choice for you because budgeting correctly is always best.

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  7. That stinks that you weren't able to have one, but I agree 100% that you have to decide what's important and where to put your $$.

    For brides reading this that want a photobooth but it isn't in your budget, ask your photographer if they offer one! We have a photobooth as an add-on. We actually bring a backdrop and lights and a photographer that only works the photobooth so we are still photographing the reception. Every single couple that has had a photobooth at one of our weddings has LOVED it! And it's a lot less than renting an actual photobooth, with much higher quality images. And at least with us, we put the images online for people to view and order if they want, we offer printing-on-site, and we design and deliver photobooth albums for every photobooth we have.

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  8. The cost of the photobooths is what got us too. No way could we fit $1000-1200 in the budget for just that, so we went the DIY way. And I really don't think your guests missed you not having one...after all, they probably didn't even realize it was an option at a wedding to have one!

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  9. I love the booth idea but the cost is just ridiculous! That being said a lot of photographers are now offering "photo boothish" ideas and options by setting up a plain wall and using props. Its def a cool option to think about

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  10. We're getting a photo booth (I found a good deal for booking so far in advanced) but I'm thinking of sacrificing the cookies and milk treat I wanted to give our guests at the end of the night. Like you said, it's all about choices. Damn the wedding industry for making all these cool things so freaking pricy!

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