Friday, January 23, 2009

That Wedding: Photobooth

Usually when things become popular I tend to run in the opposite direction. I either want to be way ahead (doesn't everyone?) or so far behind that what I'm doing is considered "vintage", not trendy.

The photobooth became the exception to that rule. With a photographer willing to supply the manpower, and a mom who already owned the equipment, I just couldn't pass it up. It was free after all.

I collected wigs, gloves, hats, feather boa, and other accessories for people to dress up in. I started to wish my wedding was November 11 instead of October 11, because I would have been able to get all kinds of great Halloween stuff for really cheap! Most of the supplies actually came from the dress-up box of an 8-year old family friend.


The mini whiteboard was a very last minute addition to the prop box, and ended up being the hit of the booth.


On the floor we rented at Hotel 1000 we had 5 different rooms at our disposal. The atrium for the ring ceremony, the great room for the dinner, the library and lobby for appetizers, and a side room that we turned into a storage/photobooth area.

The umbrellas you see below, and the darling girl behind the camera is Jaquilyn Shumate. She and her husband came and volunteered their time to run the photobooth for the evening.


Guest photo

Opposite the photobooth photographer was a blank sheet of white seamless background paper purchased from a photo supply store. It was clipped to a stand that my mom owns.

Guests were instructed to stand in front of it and do things much more interesting than these three groomsmen are doing.


Guest photo

That Groom and I were the first official visitors to the photobooth. I quickly scribbled a message on the white board and jumped in the frame with him.


Afterward I realized it was silly of me to think I would want to send out a thank you card featuring my chicken scratch so I photoshopped that out and put in something much prettier.



We are in love, didn't you know?



The photobooth pictures are without a doubt the funnest pictures from the entire weekend. The props helped people loosen up, and you saw people taking photos together who probably wouldn't have had/taken the chance otherwise!

My dear photographer friend Kelli Nicole jumped in with me.



And took a moment to show us all how crazy she is about photography. Yes, she carries both of those cameras around her neck all day long.



All of my dad's brothers and sisters were present and took the opportunity to have their picture taken together. I'm sad I didn't encourage my mother's side of the family to do the same thing, since 6 of her 7 siblings were present that night.



It gave That Groom's friend from Poland the chance to jump in a photo with 5 sexy ladies.



The whiteboard gave our guests the chance to send us secret message that weren't revealed until we got our pictures back. Look at that hot action happening on the right side of this photo! I love these guys!



Some of the messages were inside jokes that we understood. Thanks MOH Shay and BM Bree, I was so concerned about our little friend Pho!



Some of our guests took the opportunity to showcase their dry wit and sarcasm.



But most just sent us messages we don't understand.



Apparently this is how my mom would write "We Love You" in Polish?



The booth gave these two sisters a chance to show how they really feel about each other.



And best of all, gave my Great-Grandma the chance to look sassier than I've ever seen her before.



If you do decide to use some kind of a board, I would go with chalk if possible, some of the messages are hard to read because of the glare from the flash.



Out of our 70 guests, 36 had their photo taken in the booth. I wish I had done a better job spreading the word about it, making sure people understood how much we wanted them to visit, so the turnout would have been a little bit better. There are also a few times when people had their picture taken with their own (not very high quality) camera, and didn't wait to pose for the photographer. I don't have many regrets from the wedding day, but I wish the photobooth would have seen a higher turnout.

I am grateful for the pictures we have, however, and when going through them I realized that I can't fault people for not visiting. In a 45 minute period, I only hopped in two different times. Once with That Groom, and once when my cousin dragged me in to do my best Captain Hook impression. I hear eye patches and birdcage veils are all the rage on the high seas these days.



In the end my favorite photobooth shots ended up being of the photographers running the show! How could you not love someone who looks this adorable? So hot Jaqui.



And she just happens to be married to this guy. I don't even know this couple, but this shot is most definitely my favorite from the booth. Thanks Jaqui and Travis!



This time, Jaquilyn Shumate gets all the credit for the fabulousness you just feasted upon.

Previously:

That Wedding: Bridesmaid Party!
That Wedding: Whole Foods (Rehearsal-ish) Luncheon
That Wedding: Harbor Sailing
That Wedding: Putting My Face On
That Wedding: The Gift Exchange
That Wedding: Dressing That Bride
That Wedding: Bridal Details
That Wedding: The First Look
That Wedding: Into The Woods
That Wedding: Woodsy Family Portraits
That Wedding: To Wed! To Wed!
That Wedding: Showered With Love, Coins, and Hugs
That Wedding: Group Shots With a Little Spice
That Wedding: Those Groomsmen
That Wedding: The Whole Party
That Wedding: Me and My Maids (+Manmaid)
That Wedding: Ring Ceremony Prep
That Wedding: The Ring Ceremony
That Wedding: Let Us Whet Your Appetite

12 comments:

Jenn said...

I love the pic of you as captain hook and that one of your grandma is just awesome. Seeing someone from an older generation getting into the fun of it all is great.

Cate Subrosa said...

These are amazing. Who cares if everyone's doing it when they come out this good?!

Veronica said...

Love, Love, Love this series of photos. I laughed out loud! Amazing memories!

AmyJean {Relentless Bride®} said...

Awesome photobooth pics!

Love the props!

RelentlessBride

Read and See said...

Oh man, these are so cute! I wanted a photobooth but I just couldn't get around to organising it (or paying for it!). I LOVE the Russian guy from Lost....I pissed myself on that one!

JennyLee said...

Loving the props!

Unknown said...

These are so fantastic and hillarious! I'm trying to figure out how to make a photobooth happen at my wedding but not cost me a whole lot. Any advice for a DIY route?

melissa said...

I love your props! You have given me some additional ideas for our photobooth.

Jenna said...

Jessica-Check with your venue to make sure you have the space to do it. Find a friend or family member that likes to take pictures and is a little bit wacky who will make people laugh. I think the props really helped people relax. Put your booth in a area that is private enough that guests don't feel like they are on display, but that is public enough that guests know where it is!

A2Z Photo Booths LLC said...

Okay - those are just the funniest photos ever!!! I love the white board idea....I may have to integrate that into our services. Thanks!

del said...

I love the photo booth idea, but I have to say that a thank you card with a "real" message rather than a prettified, photoshop-ed message would be the more meaningful one in my eyes. No offense intended, but it's the things like that that make me so frustrated with the wedding industry and culture. It should be the hand written, personal note that goes out to all of your loved ones.

Jenna said...

Del-You assume too much. I hand wrote 75 thank you cards over Christmas. Each card was cut and handmade from an 8.5X11 sheet of cardstock with the thank you picture attached to the front using photo corners, as a keepsake for guests. This allowed them to hang the photo on their fridge, or put it in their scrapbook for weddings.

Frankly, I agree with you. I'm adamant about hand written thank you notes for any and all gifts/kind acts that are sent my way.