Fun Photobooths

One of the most popular activities at a rehearsal dinner, wedding reception, or any other event is a photobooth! Guests love dressing up in silly accessories and cramming into a photobooth to take pictures with each other.

These photos can play important roles later on: each of the guests can take one of the two copies printed out, or they can leave one of the copies in a basket near the photo booth for the bride and groom to save as keepsakes. Some of our brides have made collages of the photos to hang in their home. Other times, the guests have participated by glueing their own pictures into a scrapbook or onto a poster (Be careful, though,
if the involvement is too detailed, it takes away from the energy of the party and people get turned-off by being pressured into doing an arts and crafts project).

Additionally, the photos are stored on a disk that the newlyweds can keep for all the pictures (as a word of caution, be careful about the pictures you take because they will be on the disk forever).

There are lots of variations on photobooths, each of them tons of fun, and you can choose which one fits your preference on your special day!



Here is an example of pictures from a traditional photobooth (a single compact unit that can fit 2 people comfortably, guests step in and sit down):

There are sometimes fun borders that can be customized to pictures:

Other times, the theme can be used to make a memorable background for pictures. This is an example of a more spacious open-air photobooth that the participants stand in (keep in mind that it takes up more room than the compact photobooth):

It's a good idea to bring funny props for the guests to use in the photobooth (funny hats, boas, etc). This is another example of an open-air photobooth:

At one event at a ranch, we had photographers take Western-style photos in black and white which the guests thought was one of the most fun activities!

Finally, there is a new type of photobooth called a "Photobooth 360" which allows up to 8 people to take an amazing photo together. These photobooths are assembled on-site, and take more space than a traditional photobooth. Gusts enter a tent with a green-screen, and a camera in the middle rotates 360 degrees, capturing almost the full body of each person in the tent. The image is printed on a single strip with a personalized background for the guests to keep.

With these fun photobooth ideas, the memories of using the photobooth will last as long as the pictures will!

Unique Guest Book Ideas!

Although your wedding is only one night, a guest book can make the memories from your special day last forever. Here are some interesting guest book ideas that we have used over the years.

1. Since Vail, Colorado is a popular destination for weddings, oftentimes the guest book will be a Colorado book with breathtaking scenic pictures instead of a traditional guest book.

2. Once, the bride and groom made their own guest book with professional pictures taken from their engagement photo shoot, so guests could look at beautiful pictures of the two of them together while celebrating their marriage!

3. Another fun idea we have used was instead of using a traditional guest book, we tucked postcards (the tables for this wedding were each ski resorts because the bride was a competitive skier, so the postcards were from gorgeous ski areas as well) inside of the napkins along with the menus at the reception for each guest. Pens were placed on the table and guests could write their message to the bride and groom throughout the night at their leisure. On the way out, there was a white mailbox that they would place the postcards in for the bride and groom to read.

4. One very unique guestbook idea that the bride and groom wanted was to have a white boat ladder. People signed the steps and sides of the ladder with markers and now the bride and groom can use their guest book as a decoration for their house!

5. An interesting idea for a guest book was that each guest would write a little letter or postcard to the bride and groom syaing something that they would want the newlyweds to read in one year's time (once again to be placed in a mailbox as the guests left). The bride and groom did not open or read the letters until their one year anniversary when they read all the messages from their guests while sipping on a bottle of wine that they saved, also from the day they got married.

6. A final unique variation on a guestbook was using large beads and a string. Each guest would write a message on a bead and at the end of the night, the kids strung the beads onto string. This made a beautiful string of beads that the couple used decorate their Christmas tree each year. That way, they could relive their fairy-tale wedding day every year during the holidays while in the Christmas spirit!

Tips on an Outdoor Wedding

I've lived in the mountains for about thirty years, and there is one thing i've learned. You can NEVER predict the weather. If you choose to do an outside wedding and all goes well, your photos will be magnificent,  your guests will boast how amazing your wedding was outdoors with the beautiful sky, flowers, and all that mother nature has to offer, and your wedding day will be a day you never forget. However, you must always have a backup plan in the event that the weather does not cooperate. Here are some tips on outdoor weddings:

1. Whenever possible, use as much of your natural surroundings in your decor that you can. Here are some examples. Lodgepole pines can be used to construct an arch to stand under for the ceremony. A beautiful mountain slope makes a gorgeous backdrop for a ceremony. An old wooden fence can add a nice rustic touch.

2. Make sure you are ok with both your first choice ceremony venue AND your backup plan should the weather turn sour . Don't risk the safety or comfort of your guests to stick the original plan (for example if the weather is too windy, too hot, too cold, etc.).

3. If you have more than 75 guests, consider using sound equipment. Remembering that your guests traveled far to witness your vows; you don't want them leaving disappointed that they couldn't hear you say them.

4. Use a table for sunscreen, insect repellent, programs, bottled water, and parisols or umbrellas. It's important to keep your guests comfortable outdoors and to keep their needs in mind.

5. Know your surroundings. Are you next to a building with an air conditioning vent that's going to make lots of noise? Close to a highway? Close to a river with spring runoff that could be very loud? Make sure you tour the venue setup for an outside wedding and can see yourself standing there on your wedding day.

Here's wishing you a magical day on YOUR wedding day!