PHOTO BOOTH!

I have always loved a good photo booth. I can remember in high school, my friend Maria and I hopped in one at the mall (those were the days when it was cool to just go walk around the mall on a Friday night because what else were you going to do?). We each got a sheet of stickers with a dozen pictures of our goofy faces that I then stuck on my mirror. I’ve always been a saver though, and what remains of that sheet of stickers lives on in a memory box at my mom’s house as a reminder of the good old days of high school. These days I use an app on my phone and make either Ben or my sister (which ever one happens to be closest) do photo booths with me to mark special occasions.

When our wedding rolled around, Ben and I wanted to have some sort of entertainment at our reception…something more than just dancing, because dancing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (Ben being one such someone). So we got a photo booth. And now I have the same photo booth to take to weddings (or parties…or just places for fun) because we loved it so much. Like really loved it, not just, yeah-we-had-that-at-our-wedding. The pictures from it are still one of my favorite things to go through and the best memories of our friends and family who were there with us that day. And, maybe this is lame, but I adored seeing the photos from our wedding photo booth show up as everyone’s profile pictures on Facebook. They were so funny!

Even though the photo booth is not a traditional box, we actually liked the open-air concept better. Our guests would just pull other people into it, even the next person in line. And because they didn’t have to wait for a picture to print out, they would just snap photo after photo. But the best part is that they looked like they were having a good time and it felt authentic. And people got really creative with the props we provided – and it never fails that as the night goes on, props make their way over to the dance floor too.

And truthfully, as a photographer, it means that I can stay on the dance floor – in the middle of the action – and there are still tons of pictures of the guests at each wedding. And they are pictures that both the bride and groom and the guests actually like, because they got to be a part of it – they got to play a role in creating it.

Kelly and Nathan recently had a photo booth at their wedding. They chose to have the photos delivered in black and white, but there’s also the option to get them in color.

And here’s a snapshot of what it looks like from the outside:

I think Kelly and Nathan’s guests enjoyed it as much as our own guests did. At least it looks that way in the pictures. But the photo booth isn’t only for weddings – it can be rented for parties and other events too! If you’d like to have it at your next event, just get in touch and I’ll hook you up!