Usually when things become popular I tend to run in the opposite direction. I either want to be way ahead (doesn’t everyone?) or so far behind that what I’m doing is considered “vintage”, not trendy.
The photobooth became the exception to that rule. With a photographer willing to supply the manpower, and Mamacado in possession of the equipment, I just couldn’t pass it up. It was free after all.
I collected wigs, gloves, hats, feather boas, and other accessories for people to dress up in. I started to wish our wedding was on November 11 instead of on October 11, because we would have been able to get all kinds of great Halloween stuff for really cheap! Most of the supplies actually came from the dress-up box of an 8-year-old family friend.
The mini white board was a very last minute addition to the prop box, and ended up being the hit of the booth.
On the floor we rented at Hotel 1000 we had 5 different rooms at our disposal. The atrium for the ring ceremony, the great room for the dinner, the library and lobby for appetizers, and a side room that we turned into a storage/photobooth area.
The umbrellas you see below, and the darling girl behind the camera is Jaquilyn Shumate. She and her husband came and volunteered their time to run the photobooth for the evening.
Opposite the photobooth photographer was a blank sheet of white seamless background paper purchased from a photo supply store. It was clipped to a stand that my mom owns.
Guests were instructed to stand in front of it and to be much more interesting than these three groomsmen.
Mr. Avocado and I were the first official visitors to the photobooth. I quickly scribbled a message on the white board and jumped in the frame with him.
Afterward I realized it was silly of me to think that we would want to send out a thank you card featuring my chicken scratch, so I Photoshopped that out and put in something much prettier.
We are in love, didn’t you know?
The photobooth pictures are without a doubt the funnest pictures from the entire weekend. The props helped people loosen up, and you saw people taking photos together who probably wouldn’t have taken the chance to otherwise!
My dear photographer friend Kelli Nicole jumped in with me.
And took a moment to show us all how crazy she is about photography. Yes, she carries both of those cameras around her neck all day long.
All of my dad’s brothers and sisters were present and took the opportunity to have their picture taken together. I’m sad I didn’t encourage my mother’s side of the family to do the same thing, since 6 of her 7 siblings were present that night.
It gave Mr. Avo’s friend from Poland the chance to jump in a photo with 5 sexy ladies.
The white board gave our guests the chance to send us secret messages that weren’t revealed until we got our pictures back. Look at the hot action happening on the right side of this photo! I love these guys!
Some of the messages were inside jokes that we understood. Thanks MOH Shay and BM Bree, I was so concerned about our little friend Pho!
Some of our guests took the opportunity to showcase their dry wit and sarcasm.
But most just sent us messages we didn’t understand.
Apparently, this is how Mamacado would write “We Love You” in Polish.
The booth gave these two sisters a chance to show off how they really felt about each other.
And best of all, gave my Great-Grandma the chance to look sassier than I’ve ever seen her before.
If you do decide to use some kind of a board, I would go with chalk if possible, as some of the messages were hard to read because of the glare from the flash.
Out of our 70 guests, 36 had their photo taken in the booth. I wish I had done a better job spreading the word about it, and making sure people understood how much we wanted them to visit, so the turnout would have been a little bit better. There were aalso a few times when people had their pictures taken with their own (not very high quality) cameras, and didn’t wait to pose for the photographer. I don’t have many regrets from the wedding day, but I wish the photobooth had seen a higher turnout.
I am grateful for the pictures we have, however, when going through them I realized that I can’t fault people for not visiting. In a 45 minute period, I only hopped in two different times. Once with Mr. Avocado, and once when my cousin dragged me in to do my best Captain Hook impression. I hear eye patches and birdcage veils are all the rage on the high seas these days.
In the end, my favorite photobooth shots ended up being of the photographers running the show! How could you not love someone who looks this adorable? So hot Jaqui.
And she just happens to be married to this guy. I don’t even know this couple, but this shot is most definitely my favorite from the booth. Thanks Jaqui and Travis!
This time, Jaquilyn Shumate gets all the credit for the fabulousness you just feasted upon.
That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing The Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+ Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony
That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite
Definitely looked like fun! Were all the pics in b&w? Do you recommend this over color?
@MagPie518: Nope, they were all color. I just like the continuity and the nostalgia that comes from “black and white photobooth” images. I created an action in Photoshop to process them.
I am thinking of doing this too! So, Mrs. Avocado, did you have two photographers hired for the day? One to cover the reception and one for the photobooth? Or was the photobooth photographer a friend who volunteered?
These are great! I especially like the one of your Great-Grandma, so sassy! I wish we had done a photobooth.
Avo – I absolutely LOVE these photobooth pictures. I may have to add this to my photography list…I hadn’t made up my mind on it until right NOW. Love it!
@Miss Kitten: Kelli Nicole found the photographer for me. She always networks through twitter and facebook to find photographers who are just starting out that would like to act as second shooters. They do it for free and give her the photos for her to send to the client to get the experience and a little bit of exposure.
The whole project was something she was willing to do because we are friends, but it might be something to bring up to your photographer. Ask if they have the equipment that would be necessary for a booth like this. Ask if they would be willing to network and find someone to do the second shooting. You might get lucky and end up being able to do something similar!
I had the opposite issue as you. I ended up being obsessed with our photobooth, and I let that take me off the dance floor a little too much. But the pictures were amazing!
By the way, I know that the photobooth is a trend right now. But we are all so immersed in the wedding world that it makes it seem more popular than it actually is. None of my guests had ever been to a wedding with a photobooth, and only the ones who were recently married had even heard of it as an option.
Cute!!!
I like the white board! It could have worked really well as an alternative guest book idea too!
the white board is a fantastic idea! Love the shots.
i’m absolutely infatuated with all of your wedding details! BEAUTIFUL!!
…You have such good-looking friends and family… and they seem so fun! You should rent them out to other weddings 
Oh, this post makes me wish that we had a photo booth at our wedding!!! Weddings are wonderful because family all gets together – but all we have to show for it are some blurry, red-eyed snapshots. I wish that we had some good photos of my mom with her five siblings, and me with all my cousins that flew in from out of state…
The white board is SUCH a good idea!!! I haven’t seen that before – brilliant! DH and I aren’t ones to dress up or make funny faces, but you can bet we would have come up with something witty!
Oh man, how I wish we had done ours in black and white. These look amazing!!! Love ‘em all!!!
white board + black&white is genius, and i just love that photo of grandma, even if it’s the second time around 
Mrs. Avocado, Seattle Age and Occupation: 23, Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Consultant Engagement Date: July 27, 2008 Wedding Date: October, 2008 Blogging Since: June 30, 2008 Venue: LDS Seattle Temple & Hotel 1000 About Me: Somehow this little farm girl found herself a genuine Pole to fall in love and eventually move away to Poland with. I am an LDS bride attempting to plan a private religious ceremony, ring ceremony, seated reception for 100, and an open house while coordinating for guests flying in from across the United States and as far away as Poland. I try to avoid fads, excess waste, and saturated fat. I strongly endorse photography, DDR, calorie counting, rss feeds, cooking, and utilizing your resources.
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