Gone are the days when couples would leave disposable cameras for guests to try their hand at amateur wedding photography. Maybe we all got a bit tired of having 300 blurry shots of table linen, but now the newest thing is photo booths and they’ve been popping up like daises (or marigolds?) at Desi receptions.
Photo booths are extremely fun from the guests’ perspective and extremely useful from the couple’s – everyone gets to pile in with wigs and hats, make faces at the camera, and immortalize the night with all the family while the couple gets pictures of everyone they love celebrating their love. I love photo booths.
BUT not everyone can shell out for a photo booth hire and not everyone wants to go with the usual method – the reception is the only time of the wedding that the couple can shirk tradition and show off their style. So, keeping this in mind, I’ve come up with a few alternatives for the thrifty and/or creative couple:
1. Video
Still photos are so last century, why not shoot your guests in slow motion? Like black and white, most things like even more gorgeous in slow motion – it’s got that epic feel. The guests in the video above look like it’s Christmas morning and they’re about 4 again. Honestly, just watching it makes me want to jump in with the bubbles and the poppers and the glitter. Added bonus: you can share the video with everyone. It’s a lot harder to scan and send all the photos from the photo booth and even if they come in a digital bundle as part of the service the won’t be nearly as much fun to flick through as a video like this is to watch.
2. Photo Backdrops
Lots of vendors are selling this idea of a ‘photo space’ which is a designated space that has all the trappings of a photo booth (funky getups, giant glasses, etc.) but looks a lot more haphazard and chaotic. Instead, I say go for a photo space that looks more like this:
{via Jin Chu Photography}
{via Aimee McAuley Photography}
{via Elizabeth Messina Photography}
Think of it more like a DIY photo booth that lets you show off your unique style. It can be as simple as a few streamers or paper flowers hung on a wall and it can be as complicated as a 70s variety-show style peephole wall. It’s just about consistency and personality.
3. Bollywood posters
This is fairly popular in the UK – some vendors will give you a customized backdrop, like a Bollywood movie poster, that guests and the couple can then be photoshopped onto. The one above is Jodhaa Akbar with the couple. I love love love this idea – your love story is already so filmy, why not go all the way?
4. #Wedding
Hashtags are extremely useful and require pretty much nothing from you, the couple/wedding planner. Literally all you do is craft a unique hashtag like #MindyandDanny2014 or #DannyLovesMindy, encourage your guests to use it, and you can collect all the instagram pics, tweets, and Facebook posts that your guests make while celebrating. Easy peasy. Also, using a hashtag makes you look super hip and in the know.
Photo booths are lovely and so much fun, but if you find that they’re not for you there are so many different ways you can still incorporate all the quirky, silly ridiculousness of a photo booth into something that makes your wedding unique. If you know of anymore creative alternatives to photo booths, feel free to send me suggestions at nadya@thebigfatindianwedding.com!
cool photo booth ideas for sure!