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How to build your own photo booth

Looking to cut costs and build your own photo booth? Here’s how you can do it.

Entertaining your guests can become expensive – bands can cost hundreds of pounds, as can DJs, and what about the cost of a magician? Whether you’re trying to save the pennies or you want to do something fun for your guests, creating your own photo booth could be the answer.

 

How to make a photo booth

First, you’ll need a camera or a smartphone with a good quality camera, and a tripod to put it on.

You’ll need a mixture of props. Think hats, glasses, masks, inflatables, false beards, wigs, etc. The crazier the better! To make it easier, you can buy ready-made sets of photo booth props. Just take a look at somewhere like Hobbycraft for ideas.

 

Where should I put the photo booth?

Now that you’ve figured out what props you want, you need to find a place for your photo booth.

It would be a good idea to have it close to the dance floor or in the same room where the main reception is. You don’t want to set it up in a place where your guests won’t be able to find it.

You should also consider the backdrop and the lighting. Are there any curtains around a window that can be closed to create a backdrop? You may be able to find a blank wall that can be used.  You don’t want the background to detract from the guests in the photo, so choose something plain. Remember that the camera flash could reflect on a shiny background so, to avoid glare, make sure the wall doesn’t have shimmery wallpaper.

If you wanted to, you could create your own backdrop. You could hang chiffon like this incredible setup:

 

Backdrop with white fabric and pallets

This backdrop would be incredible for an Autumn wedding!

Or, you could create a colourful ribbon backdrop. For a more simple backdrop, you could hang a bedsheet in your choice of colour. Just be sure to confirm with the venue how you can hang it to prevent any damage.

If you want to push the boat out, you could have a flower wall created. The wall could be used throughout the day, and then moved to the photo booth location for the evening.

 

How will the photo booth work?

Now that you’ve got all your props and equipment together, you need to make sure the system will work flawlessly on the day.

First, you’ll need to set the camera or the phone on a timer. If you’re unsure how to do this, either check the manual or Google it. A 5- or 10-second timer should be enough. You should also make sure that there’s plenty of storage on the device. You may have to buy an additional memory card. You don’t want the device to stop taking photos because it’s got full memory.

Then, you might want to put a sign out that advises your guests of how to use the photo booth. It could say something like

Press the button and strike a pose!

This lets your guests know to push the button on the camera themselves.

When the day is over, you’ll have plenty of fun looking at all the ridiculous photos of your guests. Don’t forget to add them somewhere so your guests can see them. Facebook might be a good place to do this. That way, you can tag them in the photos!

 

If you want to take the hassle out of making your own photo booth, there are plenty of companies out there who can take care of everything for you!

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How to keep your wedding guests entertained during photos

Your wedding photographs are the one thing that remain once the wedding day is over to show all the little moments – your first dance, getting into your dress, and your first meal as a married couple.

But taking the perfect photos takes time, especially when you and your new husband or wife disappear off to have your photoshoot together.

No matter what part of the day you have your couple’s photoshoot, there may be a significant amount of time where you and your partner, the main stars of the show, disappear for an hour. But what are your guests going to do during this time?

I’ve had a think and have come up with some ideas on how to keep your wedding guests entertained during your photos.

 

If you’re having your photos during the drinks reception…

Lots of couples choose to have their photos during the drinks reception. This seems like a natural time. If you’re getting married at a church, people will be gradually arriving at your reception venue and receiving their welcome drinks and canapés. If you get married at a venue, it’s likely that they’ll want to turn the room around for your wedding breakfast.

So, if you want to have your photos taken during this time, there are a couple of entertainment options you can have.

The first is music. Hiring a string quartet, a pianist, a flautist, or even a singer to perform during your drinks reception is a great idea. Your guests won’t even notice that you’ve disappeared!

The second is games. If your venue has an outdoor space, you could hire some lawn games for your guests, particularly the children.

Finally, you could hire some bartenders who specialise in performance. Otherwise known as flair bartending, they can entertain your guests and throw glasses around while creating special cocktails for your guests.

 

Bride and groom posing outside amongst the grass

If you’re having your photos after your meal…

Some couples prefer to have their photos later on in the day. There’s usually a natural break between your wedding breakfast/speeches and the evening reception.

Say your wedding breakfast finishes at 5.30 but your evening guests aren’t arriving until 7, you have an hour and a half to have your photo shoot. This can be a beautiful time to have photos in spring or autumn as the sun usually sets around this time.

This would be an excellent time to have a photo booth set up for your guests or even something a little more quirky such as a caricaturist to draw people while they’re enjoying tea and coffee.

 

If you’re having your photos after your first dance…

This would be an unusual time to have your photos, but in the summer, it can still be light outside after 9pm. Make the most of the warm summer evenings and get some beautiful sunset photos.

But your guests need entertaining in the evening. DJs are still very popular so your guests can have a dance. Bands are also becoming increasingly popular. Although they’re more expensive, nothing equals the sound of a live band to create some amazing music.

Bride and groom dancing at sunset

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How to start a wedding guest list

One of the most stressful parts of organising a wedding is the guest list. But where do you start?

You don’t want to annoy anyone, you don’t want to leave anyone out, and you definitely DO want your closest friends and family members there. But sometimes, family members begin to take over. You’ve got your Mum asking if so-and-so is coming and the best man has randomly invited his own plus one.

You need to sit down and decide exactly who you will and won’t be inviting. So, where do you start?

First, you need to consider how many people your venue can actually hold. The average UK wedding has around 120 guests but if your venue only allows 50 during the ceremony, you’ll need to keep this in mind before you invite over 100 guests.

Then, you need to think about the expense. Can you afford to feed all your guests twice? If the answer is no, consider getting married later, like 4pm, so your guests only have to be fed once OR cut down the number of people you want to invite.

Once you’ve decided how many people you can afford to invite, you can get stuck in with your list.

 

Create your columns

Before you start writing down names, you should use a piece of paper (or a Word document) to create three columns: A, B and C.

Your A list is the people you couldn’t imagine your wedding day without. Think about close friends and family that absolutely have to be at the ceremony.

Your B list is the people you’d like to invite but it isn’t the end of the world if they don’t come. This could be work colleagues, extended family members or friends that you haven’t spoken to or seen in a couple of years.

Your C list is like your reserve list. It’s the list of people that you’d like to be there but don’t currently have the space or budget for. If people from the A and B list can’t make it, then the people on your C list can get bumped up.

 

Think about who you know and where to put them

Now you have your A, B and C columns, you can start writing names into each one. Don’t forget to include yourselves! It’s likely this guest list will go to the caterers and you don’t want to leave the two most important people without food.

Don’t feel bad about putting people on the reserve list – you can’t invite everyone.

You should also remember to split the guest list 50/50 – you should choose 50% of the guests and your partner the other 50%. If you or your partner has a particularly big family, you could split it 60/40 but try to keep things as fair as possible.

 

Who to invite

If you’re struggling with who to invite, I’ve given you some helpful suggestions below!

Parents

Grandparents

Siblings

Nieces

Nephews

Step-parents

Step/half-siblings

Aunties

Uncles

Cousins

Great-Grandparents

University/college/school friends

Work colleagues

Friends you’ve met through hobbies, i.e. the gym/football

 

Who not to invite

There are some people that you shouldn’t invite, so have a think about the following when creating your guest list.

Don’t invite a friend or friends if you haven’t spoken to them or seen them in more than two years. The wedding is not a good time to catch up (you’ll be trying to talk to everyone so a long-depth conversation isn’t going to happen).

If you don’t want children at your wedding, that’s fine. Just be sure to let the parents know in plenty of time so they can arrange for a babysitter. If you don’t want children there, just address the invitation to the parents.

Don’t invite someone if you or your partner have never met or spoken to them.

Don’t invite people because you feel guilty. Maybe they invited you to their wedding, or they’re friends with lots of other people who are attending, but if you don’t really know or like them, don’t invite them.

dark blue wedding invitations on a white and gold background

 

How do you sent invitations to your reserve list?

You need to remember that people on your C list shouldn’t know they’re on your C list. If you’ve had a few people RSVP to say they can’t make it, you need to start inviting people from the reserve list. But, you can’t invite them two weeks before the wedding. It’s unlikely they’ll be able to make it and they’ll know they were second best. You’ll also need to change the RSVP deadline on your invitations. If the deadline has passed, this is a dead giveaway that they were reserves.

You should send out your invitations around six months before the wedding. Then, send your reserve invitations around three months before the wedding.

 

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