When should the photo booth open at a wedding?
Cocktail hour, after dinner or once dancing starts? A simple way to schedule your wedding photo booth so it's busy, not idle.
Most photo booth packages, ours included, cover up to four hours. A typical reception runs five or six. So the real question is which four hours you want the booth running.
The usual answer: cocktail hour through the dancing
For most weddings, the booth works best if it opens at cocktail hour and runs until about an hour before the send-off.
- Cocktail hour is when guests have the most free time, especially while you're off taking portraits. The booth keeps them busy while they wait.
- Dinner is quiet, and that's fine. Most guests are seated, and the attendant takes the time to restock and tidy.
- The first hour or two of dancing is the busiest stretch of the night. Guests come off the dance floor in groups, and the photos get sillier.
When to start later
If your cocktail hour is short, or held in a different space from the reception, consider opening the booth when dinner wraps up. You'll get the high-energy stretch and avoid paying for a quiet hour.
When to book extra time
Long receptions, big guest lists and late nights are the cases where an extra hour pays off. With our photo booth, extra time is $50 an hour, counted from the start of each hour. If your timeline says the reception runs five hours and you want the booth for all of it, book five rather than hoping four will stretch.
Don't forget the setup window
Setup happens before your booth hours begin, and it doesn't count toward them. We'll need access to the space a little before guests arrive. If your venue has a strict load-in time, let us know early so we can plan around it.
A sample timeline
- 5:00 Ceremony
- 5:30 Cocktail hour, booth opens
- 6:30 Dinner
- 7:30 Toasts, first dance, dancing
- 9:30 Booth closes
- 10:30 Send-off
Closing the booth before the send-off is usually fine. By then guests are on the dance floor or saying goodbye, and the last hour of a reception is rarely a busy one for the booth.
Want help fitting it into your timeline? Send us your schedule, or build an itemized estimate on the pricing page.