Wedding Photo Booth Rental Tips

Hello, my name is Luke Walther of Black Label Photo Booth Co. in San Diego, CA.  I’m here today to share a few photo booth rental tips on how to choose the best photo booth company for your budget.

Photo Booths have become extremely popular for weddings, corporate events, birthdays, graduations, and the list could go on.  The reason is that it makes people laugh, smile, and do funny things.  It is hands down one of the best party favors a guest could take home and cherish for many years after the event.  That’s why it’s important to find a good company that provides a superior product and service.  There are a number of important factors to consider when researching and ultimately choosing a photo booth company for your special occasion.

We put together a few tips to help aid you in your research when it comes to renting a photo booth and having an amazing photo booth experience:

1. What Type of Booth is it?

There are many types of photo booths out there, but not all photo booths are the same.  Make sure you can view photos of the booth on the company’s website to give you an idea of what you’re paying for.  Ask yourself if it will look good in your venue?  There are many poorly constructed photo booths made out of pipe and drape that are cheaper in price, but may be a sign of lower quality and poor esthetics.

Other photo booth options are the traditional hard-shelled enclosed photo booths that are very similar to the traditional photo booths where you can get in, close the drapes, press a button and let the photo booth take a series of photos automatically.  There are also open air photo booths and portable portrait studios with tripod mounted cameras and portable backdrops.  Do your research to find a high quality photo booth, because if the photo booth looks cheap, it could ruin the look and feel of your event or wedding.

2. What Type of Equipment do they use?

The quality of the photo strips is very important, as guests will be sharing them with friends and family for many years to come.  Who doesn’t want to look good in a photo?  Unfortunately there are many photo booth companies out there (especially the cheap ones) that provide low quality photos that are blurry, red-eye, and under-exposed.  You want to make sure they use a dye-sub printer and DSLR Camera, which together produce amazing professional lab quality images.  Dye-Sub printers are expensive printers that print very fast and also laminates the photos for instant dry photo strips.  Some companies use store bought ink jet printers which give sub standard print quality and are likely to fade, smear or do not last.

3. What is included in their Pricing?

You get what you pay for.  A few things to consider here: Is the price quote all-inclusive or do you have to pay extra for props, scrapbook, USB Flash Drive/CD, online gallery hosting, and customized photo strips?  How long is the actual rental period?  Is there a set-up and breakdown fee?  Travel fee?  Does it include tax?  Any other hidden fees?

Many companies purposely advertise cheap rates and then try to up-sell you with all the add-ons.  This may end up costing you more than going with a company that provides all-inclusive package rates.  Some companies may tell you that they will match the best price, but are they matching the quality, service, and reputation of their competitors as well?

A cost saving tip:

You could ask your family and friends if they have props you could borrow for the photo booth and/or provide your own scrapbook and supplies.

4.  Are they Licensed and Insured?

It is very important that you hire a company that is fully licensed and insured ($1M policy is standard) to protect both you and your guests.  It is not uncommon that venues also require it as a protective measure.  Many photo booth companies are not insured in order to cut costs, so be sure to ask before you move forward with anything.

5. Do they communicate effectively?

Do they respond to your emails, phone calls, and questions in a timely and professional manner (usually within 24 hours is appropriate)?  If not, you might run into similar issues on the day of your event.

6. How far in advance should you book your photo booth?

Weekends usually fill up very quickly so booking your photo booth 2 – 6 months in advance is advised.

7. Time

Most weddings book a photo booth for at least 3-4 hours.  It all depends on the length of your event and number of guests.

Black Label Photo Booth Co. is a premier photo booth rental company serving the Greater San Diego and North County area.  Whether you are looking for a photo booth rental for a wedding, corporate event, birthday, holiday party, anniversary, or gala they are committed to providing you with a superior product and professional service. If you are looking for a photo booth rental company in the San Diego area, contact them today!