Weddingbee

I any type of photobooths, photo backdrop setups with digicams/polaroids, or even just polaroids at weddings. They get guests involved and make for great keepsake guestbooks.

This one’s from a wedding we attended early last year. Everyone’s expressions, except for my boring ones, are priceless, but I don’t have the proper clearance to reveal them. Yes, I took pictures of pictures pasted into guestbooks when at weddings, even before I became wedding obsesssed.

The above pictures came from a black & white only booth, the one at a wedding I attended this past weekend was color only (and rented from photo-me.com). There are vintage booths, and there are digital ones that tend to be slightly cheaper and more flexible in terms of layout, like the following rented from partybooths.com.

[Photo courtesy of my friend who was a bridesmaid this past weekend at another wedding.]

Price wise, photobooth rental in the Los Angeles area seems to run from around $1000, with the average seeming to hover around $1500-1600, to maxing out around $2000 (these are just estimates from my very limited research/not-completely-conclusive study of recommendations and online prices). Of course, this all depends on how long you want it for, and the basic packages seem to start around 4 hours of rental with delivery, setup, and teardown.

I’ve seen a few inquiries for photobooth referrals, so I thought it’d be good to gather the links in once place. These are referrals I found that service the Los Angeles area, but it seems many of the companies are nationwide or have representation in most areas.

- http://www.photoworksinteractive.com - On the pricier side, but stylish. You can rent or buy via this site (ya know, just in case you throw other parties in the future that would require one, or like to take lots of pictures a la Amelie’s mystery man).
- http://www.redcheese.com - Major California metropolitan areas only with good reviews online.
- http://www.photo-me.com - My friend used them this past weekend, and I haven’t gotten a full review from her, but the seemed to be on time for setup, and the booth was a hit. Looks like nationwide coverage from their website.
- http://www.photoboothscrapbooks.com
- http://www.classicphotobooth.net
- http://www.photomachine.com - Maybe a bit beebee or teenybopper, but this company rents the sticker picture machines that were popular awhile back.
- http://www.partybooths.com - This source has the digital ones as well that can produce a “titleblock” like the “Salamat Po’” ['Thank you,' in Tagalog, I believe]. Notice the customized text block. They can even plant a “spycam” inside to take candids for you unbeknownst to your guests (this could be a good or bad thing).

http://www.photobooth.net - A great resource site with blog on photobooths.

Unfortunately, a photobooth is not in my budget. Mr. Lime does not want any of the above as he hates the traffic jams these elements tend to create if not managed by the most vigilant photobooth/station/polaroid nazis. He does have a good point, as I missed the grand entrance at the reception on Saturday because of the wait for a photobooth and guestbook.

BUT…it’s fun, it’s a favor guests love, and it makes for a great guestbook. If you decide to do any of the above, just make sure you have some vigilant, persistent attendants/friends/family members to inform people of what to do (many guests at the wedding were quite confused and wowed by the whole thing), keep the lines going, and make sure people participate.

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