Your wedding run sheet probably already has a ceremony time, dinner service and speeches. Put the photo booth on it too. A few decisions about opening hours and placement give guests a better chance to use it, and leave you free to enjoy the reception.
Geelong Booth Co. supplies a timber, open-air booth with an attendant, unlimited live prints and your choice of backdrop. A personalised strip is included, and your digital gallery arrives within 48 hours. Packages start at $449 for two hours. For the broader booking questions, our Geelong photo booth hire guide explains packages, setup and the enquiry process.
Choose the part of the reception you want to capture
The booth gives guests a place to take relaxed photos together. Its role is different from the photographer's work documenting the ceremony and reception. Think about the little combinations of people you would like to see: cousins who rarely get together, work friends meeting your family, or your grandparents with the bridal party.
Those groups need to be in the same place with time to spare. If your older relatives will leave after the meal, open the booth early enough for them. If you mainly want photos of the party after dinner, a later start may make more sense. Decide that before choosing a duration.
Cocktail hour can be useful when guests are mingling and you are having portraits taken. The period after dinner can be useful when everyone is ready to move away from the tables. Opening across both periods may suit a longer hire, but consider what happens during the meal and speeches. Those quieter parts still sit within the booked window unless a different arrangement has been agreed.
How many hours should you book?
A two-hour booking gives you a defined photo session and suits a schedule with little interruption. Three or four hours allows more room for guests to return in different groups. Five or six hours may suit a longer reception where you want the booth available across several stages.
At Geelong Booth Co., three hours is $559 and four hours is $669. Five hours is $779 and six hours is $889. The core inclusions stay the same at every duration. Additional time is $110 per hour, subject to availability. Choose the period you'll use; there is no need to book a longer package just to get prints or an attendant.
As a planning example, imagine guests enter the reception at 6 pm, dinner and speeches finish at 8 pm, and the celebration ends at 11 pm. A 7 pm to 11 pm booking would include an hour when many people are occupied. An 8 pm to 11 pm booking concentrates the booth around the social part of the night. An earlier start could still be the right choice if it gives important family members a chance to join in. Your priorities decide the answer.
Our wedding timing guide covers how to compare cocktail hour and after-dinner options. Share a draft schedule when you enquire, even if the timings might move a little.
Find a position guests can see
Ask your venue coordinator where a setup of roughly 3 m by 3 m can sit with access to a standard power point. Allow space around it for guests waiting, collecting prints and moving back into the room. The booth should be easy to notice without obstructing the bar, catering routes or doorways.
A spot near the main reception usually makes the booth easier to use casually. A separate room may work if there is a clear reason for it, but guests need to know it is there. Mention the booth in the welcome announcement and use a small sign if the route isn't obvious.
Be careful with a position that serves two purposes. A corner reserved for the cake, a musician or a dessert station can't also hold the booth at the same time. Add it to the venue's final floor plan and confirm whether anything will need to move. It is much easier to solve that by email than while guests are arriving.
If your reception moves between outdoor and indoor spaces, discuss a location that works with the weather plan. Send a photo of the proposed area and explain any steps, narrow access or long carrying route. Our Bellarine venue checklist is useful for a reception outside central Geelong, too.
Make the backdrop fit the wedding
The wooden booth brings a warm material into the room, and the background sets the look of the actual photos. Your choice of our 15 backdrops is included. Plain White and Drapery are simple options; Pink Flower Wall is more decorative. Black Marble, Black Gold Lines and the sequin designs can suit an evening reception.
Look at the backdrop next to a photo of the room or your styling reference. You don't have to match every flower or linen colour. A calm background can work well with patterned outfits and colourful props. If the backdrop itself is busy, keep the strip design simple enough that the pictures remain easy to read.
Browse the backdrop collection and save a first and second choice if you are undecided. Our guide to choosing a wedding backdrop explains what to check for light and dark clothing, group shots and print design.
Keep your strip design personal and readable
Your included strip can use your names, wedding date, colours and preferred fonts. A short line of text is easier to read at print size than several quotations or a long thank-you message. Check whether you prefer full names, first names or initials, then keep that choice consistent when you send the design details.
Ask both partners to check the proof. Dates are easy to overlook because you know them so well, and a decorative font can make a name look different from what you expected. View the design at something close to its final size as well as zoomed in on a screen.
If you are matching stationery, send the relevant colour or font reference with your enquiry. A company logo or other branded design falls under the optional $50 Branded Photo Strip; ordinary wedding text and colour personalisation are included.
Decide whether to make a photo guest book
A photo guest book gives the strips somewhere to live alongside guests' messages. You supply the book and stationery unless another arrangement has been agreed. The practical setup is a small table near the booth, suitable adhesive and pens that work on the pages you have chosen.
Keep the writing table clear of the print collection point. People need longer to think of a message than to pick up a strip, especially when several friends are writing together. A sample entry on the first page makes the idea easy to understand.
Nominate someone to check that the pens and adhesive are still on the table during the evening and take the book home afterwards. Our attendant runs the booth; don't assume the guest book will take care of itself. More suggestions, including a simple sign, are in our photo guest book guide.
Give your guests an easy invitation
A brief mention from the MC is usually clearer than a complicated set of instructions. They can say where the booth is, when it closes and whether you would like a strip added to the guest book. If there are people you especially want photographed together, ask a friend to gather them while they are nearby.
Leave room for guests who prefer a quieter photo. Props are there to use if people want them, and a simple portrait can be just as welcome as a large group pulling faces. Let the attendant know about any access requirements before the day so the setup can be discussed with the venue.
Put a short visit for the two of you in the run sheet. It might be after the formalities or on your way back from greeting a table. Without a small reminder, it is easy to reach the end of the night with plenty of photos of your guests and none of you at your own booth.
Confirm the details before the wedding week
Send the venue address, supplier access time, booth operating hours and the name of the person who can answer questions on the day. If the venue needs supplier documents or has rules about equipment access, share those early. Check where the attendant can load in and whether a lift or stairs are involved.
Travel is free within 15 km of central Geelong. For a venue beyond that, we quote travel after your enquiry. The final address is what we need, particularly when a property has more than one entrance or the reception room is separate from the main building.
A 25% deposit confirms your booking after availability and the quote are agreed. The remaining balance is due one week before the event, with payment details supplied on your invoice. Keep the final run sheet and approved strip design together so that any changes are easy to spot.
Geelong Booth Co. shares its owner and legal entity with Melbourne Photobooth Co. The Geelong brand carries that existing event experience into a new local offering. To start planning yours, send your wedding date and venue and tell us which part of the reception you'd like the booth to cover.