What is a PB if I’m not talking gooey, creamy peanut butter? Ooh i’m hungry, maybe a pb & j for lunch is…. hold up!

PHOTOBOOTH! Let’s talk about it.  A photobooth comes in many shapes and forms but the basic idea is that is you get together with people in a “booth” a take a picture.  When I was a kid there were some in malls but now they are all the rage at weddings, bar mitzvahs, and even corporate parties!  I’ve seen them as big as a bathroom with a curtain and a camera.  I’ve seen ones that are literally a fancy old-fashioned booth for just two people to go in.  I’ve seen DIY photobooths with an iPad and a backdrop and they are pretty great too. Any way you slice it it’s a great time at any event.

Here are my thoughts.  If it can fit into your budget, absolutely positively make it happen.  You don’t have to upgrade to the nicest one ever– get a standard one.  A photobooth is a photobooth is a photobooth as long as you walk away with a picture.  If you cannot make it work but you have an iPad and a tripod, find a friend or a relative to keep an eye on it and station them near the bar OR there are tons of DIY apps now like WeddingBooth, Simple Booth, or Instabooth. The only difference is that your guests won’t get something to take away.  You could go the printer route but then you get complicated and pricey. (When money is tight, I would consider cutting down on favors to do a photobooth and then use the photos as your favor. They have TONS of Groupons for photobooths that are less than what your favors might cost!  Think it over.)

If you have a photobooth, I urge you, nay, insist that you get PROPS.  Props made our photobooth.  Props make my life.  I love me a good boa.  I love a fancy hat—- “does anyone still wear a hat?” I DO!  I digress. Props. We have pictures of old relatives with mustaches on and sunglasses and hats and anything you can think of.  My photobooth provider (listed at the bottom) had boxes of hats and boas and crazy stuff inside the photo booth but as the overachiever I am, I also ordered takeaways of sunglasses, mustaches, and anything else you could imagine on a stick.  They truly were the hit of the party and SUPER cheap on Amazon.  It sounds like I spent a bazillion dollars for our wedding when I talk about it like this but mama knew where to save!

Our photobooth was busy from the beginning of my wedding until the end.  We have SO many pictures of friends and family having a great time and goofing around.  We used the photobooth pictures as our guest book so that we would have picture keepsakes of our guests.  Did everyone get in there and have their picture taken? No. So not everyone signed our guest book. Is that a travesty? NOPE. I planned our wedding so I know who was there and I have their response cards too. Was it a great takeaway for people? YES. Many brides are buying plastic frames for people to put their favorite photobooth pics in and it’s an adorable favor.  (We did champagne bottles, matches, and candy and the picture was just a bonus. Our weddings was seriously a carnival.) I love the idea of seeing my people and what they wore, especially when they are not with me anymore, you know?

What makes photobooth so fun?  Looking back on the pictures and remembering those moments that were special.  You don’t need it but it’s something special, a treat to yourself. As you can tell, I was obsessed with mine. But at the end of the day you will only have the memories, the pictures and the love for your significant other to reflect on; it’s not about the cocktails, the linens and the venue.   I know that I’m thrilled we had one and I would have survived without it but I treasure those memories more than anything. What matters is what you celebrated and who you celebrated with.  My boss, Celia Milton, includes this beautiful excerpt in some of her weddings and I stole it for just this purpose!

” This celebration is just that; a celebration, not a performance.  At the end of this day, after the champagne, and the speeches and the dancing, after the cake is cut and your high heels are under the table and that tie is draped over a chair, you’ll realize that you’re married to the one that you love.  And you’ll know this has been the perfect day.”

Side note: For my DJ/Photobooth I used A Touch of Class in Kearny, NJ.  I highly recommend them in every way, shape and form.  They made our wedding day awesome.