Vendor Review IV: Photobooth

Chicagoland PhotoBooth: A+

I must say, Nathan and I really lucked out with our vendors. This was in part due to plain old luck and in part due to my insane research tactics - seeking out referrals, reading every single article I could find on each vendor, and weeding through the propaganda or "sponsored articles", as those rarely reflect the whole truth. (…well, I did this with all except for one vendor, which turned out to be a huge mistake, but more on that in an upcoming post.)

Because we had such good fortune with our vendors, I actually feel somewhat obligated to pass along their information - otherwise I could see some creepy karma coming my way. So, in the spirit of "passing it forward", I'd like to tell you about another amazing AND budget-friendly vendor - Chicagoland PhotoBooth.

Really and truly, our photobooth was the highlight of the evening for many of our guests. From funny-faced cousins piling in by the dozens to priceless pics with my new hubby, our photobooth was a complete success. And, what’s more, the photos made a memorable guestbook…

While Chicagoland PhotoBooth does not have the “vintage look” I originally hoped for, it did have the price tag that was very happy with. (And, let’s face it, a photobooth is vintage and nostalgic, whether you have an original, 1960’s booth or a present-day, comfortable recreation of it…) CPB charged us $800 for 4 hours of unlimited photos (originally $900, but they were running a $100 off special). However, to stretch those 4 hours, they “closed” the booth during dinner and thus did not charge us for that time. Yay! Plus, because CPB is a smaller company, you have more of an opportunity to make a package fit your needs (i.e., closing during the dinner hours, etc.) And, to top it off, Jeff and Erin, the couple that owns the company, are the cutest, friendliest people I’ve ever met. It's a win-win all around.

Final thoughts on photobooths:

I know what some of you are thinking…photobooths are on their way to being “overdone”. But, really, it’s only serial wedding bloggers & planning-crazed brides that see photobooth after photobooth. In fact, not one of our guests had ever even conceived of the idea, much less considered it played-out. With that said, I highly recommend making room in your budget for a photobooth. I know, I’m the queen of a budget-friendly wedding, but I really believe that if you’re going to splurge on anything, it should be something that people are going to remember – like a photobooth, or a venue, or great catering – not on something that’s easily overlooked – like really expensive centerpieces or Veuve champagne…

Yay for photobooths! Yay for Chicagoland PhotoBooth!!!

image credit: Jeff from CPB created this poster for us after I emailed him this inspiration photo via the almighty, Mrs. Cupcake.

related posts: Vendor Review III: Wedding & Reception Flowers, our budget-friendly wedding II: ceremony, Vendor Review II: Hair and Make up, our budget-friendly wedding I: Attire, The photos are in!!!, Vendor Review I: Reception Music

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

We had a photo booth as well. Instant fun and entertainment! I agree everyone should have one!

Hannah said...

I would love to have a photobooth at my wedding, but, unfortunately, it hasn't made its way to the top of any priority list of mine.

The one's around the oklahoma area are just tooo expensive! but I do LOVE the idea!

Christina said...

Thank you so much for this blog posting. We just booked them for our wedding and so far working with them has been a pleasure.

I am so pleased to have a recommendation that they were great to work with.

Thanks!

Colleen said...

Hannah Noel,

Would you like me to try to research some photobooths in your area? I can sniff out a deal like no one else! Just let me know!

Hey X-Tina,

I'm so happy you're using CPB!!! They're awesome! And, your guests will be blown away with the photobooth!

I'll be posting several more reviews, in the upcoming weeks, but if you need a recommedation before then, just shoot me an email and I'll give you the scoop on all of my vendors.

Good luck with your planning - both of you!

brooke @ claremont road said...

You are so sweet! I am so glad our poster served as inspiration for you.... and I agree the photo booth was THE best item to splurge on to ensure that your guests have a fantastic time!

Colleen said...

Amen, claremont road, amen!

Josh said...

I tend to think that photobooths are kind of silly and over-rated and money could be better spent elsewhere. However, kids do seem to enjoy them quite often. Chicago Photography is a fierce competition and there are a lot of people in many big cities willing to blow a lot of money on anything and everything for their one day. Good article!

Anonymous said...

I think the photo booth rental was the hit of our wedding! Maybe we should have skipped having a cake because all anyone talked about was the photo booth. We used 4 Flashes Photo Booths and they were awesome! It was a real photo booth and looked great, unlike some of the curtain types we looked at. Would definitely recommend 4 Flashes Photo Booth rentals for Chicago weddings!