Photobooths: A Piece of the Past for Your Modern Wedding By Lori Swadley of Swadley Studio 

Want a sure-fire way to keep all your guests entertained throughout your reception?  Then hop on one of the hottest trains in the industry and rent a photobooth!  Whether you choose a traditional photo booth that prints a photostrip within a matter of seconds (like the kind you used to see at the mall), or a full-service professional booth hosted by a photographer, you and your guests are sure to enjoy the excitement that a photo booth will bring to your reception!
 
Some thoughts to consider when choosing your photo booth:

 · Print Quality - If opting for a traditional booth, make sure the company uses archival paper & inks.  Many booth companies still use digital prints that fade in a matter of weeks.  Find a company that guarantees their prints to last a lifetime

 · Logistics - Make sure to discuss your photobooth plans with your reception venue.  At an average of over 700lbs, a traditional booth is hard to transport and sometimes is unable to be in the same location as your guests, but takes up less space when set up.  A full service booth is simple to transport and can be set up anywhere without an issue, but can take up more space.  Sharing your photo booth plans with your venue will give you a better idea of what they can accomodate.

·Appearance - How will the aesthetics of the booth affect the overall atmosphere of your venue?  If your reception is in a grand ballroom, you may want to forego a booth with distracting graphics that will take away from the grandeur of the event.  Ask to see a picture of the actual booth itself so you can prevent any upset to your wedding ambiance.
·Wait time- Are you willing to sacrifice the convenience of onsite-printing to get the quality & unique shots a full-service booth offers?  While full-service booths give noticeably superior, professional results along with accomodating larger groups than the traditional booths, they also generally come with a longer wait time for your images.  Depending on the photographer's set-up, you can expect to wait anywhere from an hour up to a few days to have printed images.  Both the traditional and full-service booths offer online viewing of all your images within a few days of the event with the option to purchase a disk of all images for your printing needs.
· Cost - Due to the complexities of transportation, along with the convenience of on-site printing, traditional booths tend to cost more at an average starting price of $1000 with lots of options you can add for an additional cost.  Full service booths can cost about half that, depending on the photographer hosting the booth.  In any case, be sure to ask for a list of all costs that will be associated with renting a photo booth.
 
With so many options out there, you're sure to find the booth that's right for you!