Sometimes great ideas emerge and everyone wants to reproduce them. This is a bit what happens with the “photobooth”, those photo booths that have flourished in weddings in recent years. Admit that the idea is terrible, it’s a great alternative to the traditional group photos, which put everyone on the steps of the church or the town hall, while the photographer bows so that all the guests gather, look in the same direction and are almost all smiling.

Instead, you book a place where people can take pictures of themselves, in groups, alone, with accessories, with signs to spread a nice word… In short, all ideas are good! This is a bit the advantage of the wedding photobooth, it is 100% customizable to look a maximum to what you like and to the atmosphere of your wedding.

I have tried here to gather ideas and inspiration so that you can create your Photobooth. But first, let’s think together about what we need to do to ensure the smooth running of the photos throughout the evening..:

Choose the location of the Photobooth. It must not be in any way where it could disturb the guests (in the passage of the waiters, too close to the dinner tables…) nor in a too hidden place where it would pass unnoticed.

What kind of Photobooth? Here it is up to you to play, either you rent a Photomaton ready for use (see end of article), or you create yourself a photo booth. For that all the ideas are welcome, inspire you photographs throughout this article to choose what it will please you. Use a background that is sufficiently plain (or patterned!), such as a large stretched sheet, which clearly defines the space where the guests will have to stage themselves. Don’t forget that it’s more fun to take pictures with several people, so plan a fairly large space.

The camera is the most sensitive issue. Three options are available to you: either you hire a photographer to take the photos all evening (so you have to budget for that), or you use an instant camera such as Polaroid (available on The impossible project) or Fuji Instax, or you position a tripod with a digital camera and a remote control. Most camera brands make remote controls that allow remote triggering. This last method will be the most economical, instant camera films are quite expensive and you will need to provide a large quantity. Still choose a quality digital camera and preferably with a flash, it would be a shame if the photos are not very successful in the end… In the last 2 cases, it is the guests themselves who will take the photos.

Ask someone close to you to supervise the Photobooth. That doesn’t mean spending the whole evening there watching and taking pictures, but taking care of them in case of problems. When it is necessary to charge a new film, if there is a battery problem on the digital camera (another charged battery is also very important, remote controls tend to quickly discharge the battery). Because it is obvious that you will not have the time to deal with this yourself!

Bring accessories to dress up and a board to write a message. All follies are allowed in this last point! Etsy is full of crazy finds to disguise and stage your Photobooth.

After the ceremony, don’t hesitate to gather all the photos in a book to keep it, but also on the internet (using an online gallery like Picasa or a blog like Tumblr) to share the photos with your guests.