Best Time and Place for a Photo Booth or 360 Booth at a Wedding

In this blog entry, photo booth and 360 video booth can be used interchangeably as the tips apply to both types of booths.

These are two questions that we get often from people planning their weddings: "Where should I put the photo booth?" and "When is the best time to have the booth running?"

Best Location for a Photo Booth at a Wedding

For each booth, we'll ideally need a 10x10 ft area that is next to a power outlet. If you're getting both a photo booth and a 360 booth and placing them next to each other, we'll need about 10x20 ft. A popular location choice is outside the main hall in the foyer. This is typically where the bar is located, and has an open cocktail reception area. Wherever you decide to put the booth, make sure it's in a visible area and also close to your guests. They can't enjoy the booth if they can't find it, and if they need to make a long trek, they may not want to make the trip (especially in heels!).

Best Time for a Photo Booth at a Wedding

Wedding receptions commonly follow this schedule: cocktail hour, dinner/speeches/first dances, and then the dance floor opens.

We most commonly get requests for the photo booth service period to be the same time as when the dance floor opens up after dinner. This is when the speeches and formal parts of the wedding are over and guests can use the photo booth without worrying about missing out on anything else. Additionally, those who are part of the wedding party typically have less responsibilities during this time and will have a chance to take a breather and enjoy the photo booth.

The second most popular time for the photo booth is during the cocktail reception near the beginning of the event. This is when the guests are mingling and some are seeing each other for the first time in a long while so it's a great time for people to hop over to the booth and snap some pictures together. Having the photo booth operational during this time also allows for guests who aren't planning on staying long after dinner (like parents with young children!) to experience the photo booth as well.

We also have clients who would like the photo booth to be available during the entire wedding reception. If you have a lot of guests, doing this will allow for everyone to have a chance to have some photos taken at the booth.

If you'd like to have the photo booth available during both the cocktail hour and after dinner, but you don't think it'll see much action during dinner or you want everyone present in the main dining area for other important things on the schedule, you can opt to add idle time to your booth booking. Idle time is when the photo booth is shut off, and service resumes after the idle period. Idle time is charged at a greatly reduced hourly rate and is a great option to save money if you want the photo booth for the entire reception but have certain hours when you don't necessarily want it to be running.

Wherever and whenever you decide to have the booth operating, keep in mind that we'll need to be there about an hour before the booth start time and an hour after the booth end time for set up and take down. This can be very distracting to guests (especially to those with short attention spans -- look, a squirrel!), so don't have us setting up next to the dance floor when the first dance is happening. That's an extreme example but you get the idea!

If you're still not sure, just ask us! We know that planning a wedding can sometimes be a headache so we're more than happy to remove some stress so you that you have one less thing to think about.