Weddingbee Blog

Yes, we had one!! And I’m so excited to share it with you!

Personal photos

I was rather silent about this during our planning, largely because I wasn’t sure it was actually going to happen. There came a point a few weeks before the wedding where Foxy gave me an option: we could either have a stationary veggie tray during cocktail hour (in addition to our passed hors d’oeuvres…don’t ask, I really wanted one), or we could have a DIY photo booth. Both would equal out to about $300 when all was said and done.

Well, I mean, hi…I picked the photo booth. People could get their veggies in the gazpacho, right?! Right.

Photo by Exclamation Imagery

Before we get to the good stuff, here’s how our photo booth came together.

1. We followed Mrs. Pin Cushion’s amazeballs PVC pipe frame tutorial and assembled everything at the venue the night before the wedding. The backdrop itself consisted of a super-old shower curtain I still had lying around (conveniently in the perfect shade of turquoise) and a paper circle garland that my friend HK was sweet enough to put together for me! (I also spray painted the PVC pipe silver, since I knew a lot of it would be showing.)

Personal photo

2. I bought and downloaded a program called Sparkbooth onto my laptop, which would serve as the photo booth software. If you’re in the market, this is a great program that I highly recommend! I was able to lock the screen so guests couldn’t exit the program, and all that they had to actually do was hit the space bar to start the photo countdown.

Personal photo

The only down side to using this program is that the pictures will only come out as good as your quality of webcam. I just used the one that’s built into my laptop—which is good, but not great—so I’m limited in how large I can actually make the photos. But that’s OK—I think half the fun of photo booths is the experience, no?!

3. For props, I enlisted the help of Brideslady M, since she has access to tons of fun things from different costumes via the dance studio she runs. I had a few things of my own that I added to the mix, as well—sparkly cat mask anyone?!

Personal photo

(You may also have noticed the lamp in the right corner of the second to last picture—this was to ensure we had at least a bit of lighting for when it started to get dark outside. Foxy didn’t think we needed it, but let me tell you, we realized it was genius on my part later in the evening!)

4. I whipped up a couple signs to encourage folks to partake in the photo booth fun, as well as created some “business cards” with information about our photo-sharing site (we chose Wedding Turtle—another site I super highly recommend!). I figured this would be a great way to encourage everyone to share whatever pictures they may have taken that day, as well as let them see their photo booth pictures before I had a chance to send them out in their thank yous.

Personal photo

I toyed with the idea of connecting a photo printer to my laptop so that the pictures could print out immediately, but it just ended up being more trouble than it was worth. I asked a lot of people about their opinion on the matter and got really mixed reviews, but the overall consensus was that no one would judge me too harshly for not having photos that would print on site. (Plus, as I mentioned, everyone got theirs a few weeks later in their thank yous!)

I think that takes care of all of the prep work…on to the faux-tos!

Personal photos

Photo by Exclamation Imagery

Personal photos

Photo by Exclamation Imagery

Personal photos

Personal photo

Personal photos

Photo by Exclamation Imagery

Personal photos

Photo by Exclamation Imagery

Photo by Exclamation Imagery

By the way, that last picture? Totes my fave. Foxy has some seriously awesome friends.

So was our photo booth perfect? No. The computer got moved, the background got wonky, the lighting wasn’t always cooperative, and the quality of pictures on my computer was worse than I thought.

But was it fun? Hells to the yes! And do I think you should do it, if you’re on the fence about one? Abso-freaking-lutely. The pictures you get are truly priceless!

Are you having a DIY photo booth at your wedding? Any good tips?!

Miss a recap? Catch yourself up!

• It’s Wedding Week! – The week of the wedding started out pretty hectic, but we made it through (relatively) unscathed.
• We’re Cool People (who had to deal with a slight change of plans) – On Friday, we made our way to the venue, had a relatable moment on the radio, and learned about some last minute changes that we made an effort to take in stride.
• Practice Makes Perfect…And Crabs Don’t Hurt, Either – After most everyone was settled in on Friday evening, we had our rehearsal followed by the best dinner ever—a Maryland crab feast!
• Rise and Shine! – Wedding morning was soon upon us, and I woke up at the crack of dawn ready to get prettified.
• Pretty Women – Over the course of the next several hours, the girls and I hung out, got our hair and makeup done, had a photo shoot, and drank champagne.
• Dressing Up – Soon enough, it was time for me to slip into my dress!
• Dapper Dudes – At the same time, Foxy and his guys were ironing and getting into their suits—and Foxy was opening his wedding-day gift!
• The First of Many Looks – We had our first look, and both felt so much better after being able to see each other for the first time that day.
• A School Bus Photo Shoot – Our vehicle of choice for the day was a school bus, which we turned into a photo-op both inside and out!
• Smiles and Sun – The photos continued by the lighthouse and pier…with sunglasses and a few funny stories along the way.
• ALL the Family – We then met up with family at the lock house for even more pictures, and I started getting a bit antsy and having problems with my dress.
• And Then There’s Us – I kinda-sorta-maybe forgot all about couple and bridal pictures. Thank goodness for our amazing photog reminding us!
• Final Touches – Slight chaos then ensued in the minutes before the ceremony started, consisting of me getting sewn into my dress and the boys getting their bouts pinned on at the last minute.
• And So It Begins – The guests arrive, the wedding party lines up, and the ceremony space is revealed—complete with programs, white knots, and bubbles!
• All I Want Is You, Will You Be My Bride? – The time had finally come—we all made our way down the aisle while my stepdad and stepbro played and sang a beautiful, acoustic version of “All I Want Is You.”
• Take Me by the Hand and Stand by My Side – In other words…the ceremony!
• Bubbles and Bustles and Beverages, Oh My! – Bubbles are blown, my bustle is tied in, and cocktail hour commences with lots of love, hugs, and drinks.
• The Guestbook – The final version & reveal of our fingerprint guestbook—and some tips, should you want them!
• I’d Do Anything for You – The reception kicked off with our oh-so-intricate first dance sway to “Wake Up” by Coheed and Cambria, which our guests joined in on halfway through.
• Make ’em Laugh, Make ’em Cry – Which is exactly what we did, thanks to our bestest friends’ amazing and beautiful toasts.
• Food & Details – All the details about our cocktail-style reception and rustic decor.
• Good Times, Bad Touch – Our guests got down with their bad selves on the dance floor with a lot of finger pointing, interpretive dance, and…our very own rendition of “Bad Touch.”