Weddingbee Blog

I mean, who needs those things anymore? Well, I do! Particularly if I want to make our DIY faux-tobooth/guestbook work (after the wedding, I will put people’s pictures in a guestbook next to the messages that they left us).

So, what do I need for this fxbooth?

Equipment
Since Polaroid film is, for the moment, no longer in production, I am thinking of turning to the Fujifilm Instax camera:

Source ($46.90 at Amazon and other locations (you can probably find it on eBay for cheaper)

The film costs about $15 to $20 per 20 exposures, which you can find at B&H Photo Video, Adorama, Amazon, etc.

As for albums, there are a variety of options. Some companies offer a kit, including an album, camera and film:

Source ($149.95 at Adesso Albums)

The Adesso option is great because everything comes together and the album has sleeves into which guests slide their photos.

However, I want to have an album with removable pages, not only to be able to add additional photos if necessary, but also to smooth the process for guests. Sometimes there can be a line of people waiting to sign the guestbook, but with removable pages, multiple guests can work on their messages at the same time.

My search told me that for elegant cloth-covered albums with removable pages, Kolo is the best choice.

First, there is the Trivino, an 11.75″ x 10.75″ three-ring binder available in cloth and leather.

Source ($25 for cloth cover, $39 for leather)

There is also the Newport, which was used by Mrs. Lime and others–it comes in 8.5″ x 11″, 12″ x 12″, and 11″ x 14″ sizes:

Source ($39 to $49 depending on size)

Lastly, there is the Newbury, which is the one I eventually chose. Because of its slightly smaller size (8.75″ x 10.25″), guests won’t feel pressured to fill a ton of space.

Source ($35, although I found it for $29 on at Adorama in certain colors)

Each Fujifilm Instax photo is about 3.5″ x 4.25″, so I was thinking about placing two photos per page, for a total of four photos on one sheet back and front.

While I’ve clearly thought about this fxbooth a lot, I’m not totally sold, particularly because I’m not sure whether people will take advantage of it. We’re having a no-dancing reception, so there won’t be as much time as in other receptions where people are getting up and mingling. Or, am I wrong? Will people wander around during courses? Man, I hate trying to predict human behavior. What do you guys think?