It’s amazing how advances in technology have changed every aspect of the bridal industry. The rise of digital cameras not only forever changed the world of wedding photography, but also changed the world of wedding entertainment. Your reception entertainment options go far beyond the “should we have a DJ or band?” debate! Photobooths, flipbooks, slow motion video booths, and even custom smart phone apps have all begun to make their way into wedding receptions all over the world!
The most popular of these entertainment options is by far the photo booth. Bridal industry experts have declared that the photo booth revolution is here to stay. It is no longer considered a fleeting trend or a one off. Photo booths are becoming more prevalent in today’s wedding receptions. Here’s a few reasons why this throwback from the 1850s been resurrected in today’s popular culture.
#1: Photo booths offer instant fun: Gone are the days of waiting 4 minutes for your black and white, slightly out of focus, 4” photo strip. Today’s photo booths print high quality, digital color images in as little as 8 seconds! Photo booth companies that use dye sublimation (dye sub) printers deliver the highest quality, crystal clear, smudge, water, and UV resistant photos in just 8-14 seconds! Other photobooth companies use ink jet printers, which can take up to 90 seconds to deliver a print. While ink jet printers, print great images, they don’t offer protection from water, smudges, or UV coating. You don’t want the condensation from your glass of wine ruining your photobooth pictures, right? When you’re shopping for a photobooth, be sure to ask how long it takes to deliver a print; the faster the printer the more photobooth fun you can have during your reception!
#2: Photo booths are flexible: No matter what your décor, there’s a photo booth to compliment it. Higher end companies offer authentic, vintage styled, one-piece machines; while others use pipe and drape with a wooden, plastic, or metal tower, back drops, or kiosk style photo booths. The construction of the booth will determine how many people can comfortably fit inside the booth. The external appearance and construction of the photo booth isn’t the only thing you need to consider while shopping. What about the photo strips?
Some photo booth companies don’t allow you to customize the photo strip at all, but most do. Most photobooth companies offer 2×6 photo strips with the option to customize the header or footer with graphics or text of your choice. While other companies give you even more flexibility by offering 4×6 or 2×6 prints and up to 18 square inches to professionally design and customize your photo strips with your own graphics. Take a look at their previous work. Look for a company that provides crisp, unique, error free graphics, and doesn’t promote their own business on YOUR photo strip! Ask the company you’re interested in if they have any upcoming public events where you might be able to catch the booth in action.
#3: Photobooths have mass appeal: Chances are everyone at your reception has had an experience with a photobooth. They often bring up fond memories for people. It may bring back a memory of a trip to Chicago’s famous Navy Pier for your grandparents, while your little cousin may remember jumping in a photo booth at Disney World. Everyone, regardless of age, loves getting in a photobooth! Even people that normally don’t like to have their picture taken will dress up with goofy props and squeeze in tight for a few shots. Of course, there’s always a handful of people that will never get in no matter how much their friends beg them, but that doesn’t mean they won’t get a kick out of watching everyone else dress up for their photos. A few photobooth companies offer external photo projection. Once a photo is taken it will appear on a screen on the outside of the photobooth. Some photobooths have small screens that sit on top of the booth or are built into the booth’s cabinet. These screens are typically only viewable from the immediate area. It’s a good idea to look for a company that offers a larger freestanding screen that can be viewed from further away so everyone can join in the fun!
#4: Photobooths make great party favors: Have you ever walked around the reception venue once everyone has left and seen all of the bottles of bubbles, bags of uneaten candy, match books, and can huggers all over the floor? Do you know what you usually don’t find on the floor? Photo strips! That’s because people actually taken them home! Twelve years ago when my lovely bride and I said our vows, little did we know that we’d be going to our new home with a lifetime supply of custom matchbooks. Don’t get me wrong; having cases of matchbooks certainly did come in handy for all of those candle lit dinners over macaroni and cheese in the early years, but now they’re just in the way! Walk around your office and take a peak at the desks, I bet you’ll find a photo strip or two on some of your coworkers desks. If you need to free up some space in your budget, why not use the photo booth as your party favor as well as some entertainment?
Don’t let all of the entertainment options overwhelm you. Use the resources that are available to you to sift through less reputable companies. The Better Business Bureau, Secretary of State office, and local chambers of commerce are great places to begin your search to make sure you’re getting a true professional.
Thank you to David Johnson, today’s Guest Blogger. David and his wife, Kat, are owners of Snaparazzi PhotoBooth Company LLC. Although they live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, they service brides and others from Louisiana to Florida and everything in between. Contact David and Snaparazzi PhotoBooth Company at: Snaparazzi Photobooth Company, LLC
For more information and local wedding resources in your area, check out www.premierbride.com. Do you have your copy of Premier Bride of Mississippi? Pick up your free copy at any Premier Bride advertiser. Find them at www.premierbridems.com