Congratulations! You’ve chosen to make your reception even more fun by adding a photo booth to the attractions. Now where should it go?
Jerry Ohrbach had the best line in the movie Dirty Dancing - “Nobody puts Baby in the corner”
That's how we feel about your photo booth. If you hide it in an out-of-the-way corner your guests won’t discover it and use it.
Don’t let the booth location be an afterthought! Don’t let the caterer decide. They want their food to be the focus of the party but remember, you're the client. You know that those photo strips will be around long after the food is digested.
Location is an important decision and your experienced photo booth vendor will be happy - nay, anxious - to help.
Even a small photo booth takes up some space. For most, an absolute minimum is an area 8’ x 8’. If fun props are included, better allow more space - one company asks for 10’ x 18’.
While our open booths can be squeezed into a space only about 5 feet square, tables for props and a guest album (one of the most popular options) take up additional space.
Make sure your guests KNOW that it is a photo booth. With the many styles available, we’ve actually had guests ask us "what's this", which is why Hotlanta Photo Booths has started putting up signs like this:
In fact our attendants will even wander around the venue with a sign like this if the line gets short for the booth (don’t worry, they won’t be intrusive or interrupt the speeches).
Some essentials: we’ve been put outside in fields, which is OK if there’s good lighting and safe for the guests to walk without tripping.
But outside doesn’t work if the reception isn’t mostly outside. And the booth has to be protected from extreme heat and rain or snow, just as your guests must be protected to enjoy themselves.
If we're on a different level, even though guests walk past us on the way in, many won’t come back downstairs to use the booth.
Near the bar or other hub of activity is ideal. It’s high traffic and people are feeling in the mood for fun.
And remember: photo booths need their own source of electricity, usually just an outlet or two that isn’t shared with the band or anyone else.
The photo booth can be your best investment for entertainment - after all, we’re giving the guests something to do before the happy couple arrive - but not if you “put Baby in the corner!”
