Open the wedding photo booth when the people you want in the pictures have time to use it. For some receptions that means cocktail hour; for others, it means the period after dinner. A start time chosen from the run sheet is more useful than a rule that every wedding needs the same number of hours.
If you're planning a reception in Geelong, our wedding photo booth guide covers the whole booking. This is the timing decision in more detail. For package inclusions and booking steps, see the Geelong photo booth hire guide.
List the moments when guests are occupied
Mark arrivals, the main meal, speeches, formal dances and the finish time. Include anything that takes a large group away from the reception room. Then look at the spaces between those commitments.
A booth open during dinner can still be useful if people are moving around between courses. It will have less opportunity if everyone is seated for a continuous programme. Ask your venue coordinator how the service usually works for the meal format you've chosen, and use your own agenda to make the decision.
Tell the booth supplier about any planned pause. Hire hours don't automatically stop when speeches begin. If your schedule needs the booth available early and then again much later, ask about that arrangement before booking.
Cocktail hour gives early guests a chance
Opening during cocktail hour can suit a wedding where guests have time to mingle while the couple is having portraits taken. It gives relatives and friends an activity they can join in small groups.
Check whether cocktail hour and the reception are in the same space. If they are in different locations, the booth needs an agreed position and a practical plan. Don't assume it can move with the guests between rooms while continuing to operate.
Also think about your own photo. If the booth is only booked while you're away with the photographer, you may miss it. You could choose a longer period, open slightly later or include a visit before the formalities begin. The right option depends on the rest of your day.
After dinner catches the party
Once speeches and the meal are finished, guests often have more freedom to move between conversations, the dance floor and the booth. A later booking can concentrate the operating hours around that part of the reception.
The trade-off is that some people may leave first. If grandparents, parents with young children or guests travelling home matter to your photo plans, check their likely departure time. A short family visit earlier in the reception may be worth arranging.
A useful announcement after speeches is simple: where the booth is, how long it is open and whether there is a guest book. Ask the MC to include it in their notes so it doesn't depend on someone remembering midway through the party.
Work through one sample schedule
Imagine a reception with arrivals at 6 pm, speeches finishing at 8 pm and a venue closing at 11 pm. A three-hour booking from 8 pm gives guests the whole remaining social period. A four-hour booking from 7 pm adds an earlier opportunity, although some of that hour may overlap with formalities.
If important family members expect to leave at 8 pm, the earlier option may be more useful. If everybody will stay and dinner is tightly scheduled, the later start may be enough. This is an example of how to compare windows, not a recommended timetable for every reception.
At Geelong Booth Co., three hours is $559 and four hours is $669. Both include the same booth, attendant, prints and backdrop. Our hire duration guide explains the other package lengths.
Keep setup separate from opening time
The time guests can use the booth and the time suppliers can access the room are different details. Give us both. If the venue is still setting tables shortly before the reception begins, a clear access arrangement helps avoid suppliers needing the same space at once.
Confirm pack-down access too, particularly if the booth finishes before the rest of the reception. The venue needs to know the planned times so routes through the room can be considered.
Book the window you expect to need
Extra hours are $110 per hour where available, but an on-the-night extension depends on the venue and our schedule. If the run sheet already suggests you need more time, arrange it beforehand.
Send your date, venue and draft reception schedule. Include any guests you'd like to accommodate early, and we can discuss a booking window that fits the way your wedding will run.