Austin Photo Booth Rental: Is the Portrait Booth or Selfie Station Right For My Event?

Whether you’re throwing a wedding, corporate event, Greek sorority or fraternity party, baby shower, or any other type of affair, a photo booth will elevate the entire experience. Photo booths capture memories, provide your guests with a fun keepsake, and give them something engaging to do during the event.

Deciding to rent a photo booth is the easy part of putting your event together. Now you need to figure out which type of photo booth is right for your shin-dig. At Oh Happy Day Booth, we offer several flexible options to fit your needs, but our most popular is the Portrait Booth and Selfie Station.

In this guide, we’re going to break down the differences between the two types of booths so you can decide which Austin photo booth rental is right for your upcoming event. At the end of the day, it’s your call, but we’re here to guide you to the one that makes the most sense for your event. Let’s get started.

Portrait Booth vs Selfie Station: Factors to Consider

The option that’s right for you depends on what type of event you’re having, what you want to get out of the Austin photo booth rental, your venue, and your guests. Ask yourself the following questions about your event:

  • Do you want your guests to have a printed photo to take home?

  • Do you want to add on a printed photo book as a keepsake?

  • Will your guests flock to the photo booth on their own, or do you want an attendant to encourage them to participate? 

  • Do you want to use a backdrop, or let the venue be the background?

Let’s break these factors down one by one. 

Consider the Photo Delivery

First, think about the experience you want your guests to have. Do you want them to go home with a printed photo on a template that matches your decor or branding? If so, go with the Portrait Booth, which offers both printed and digital photo delivery. 

The Portrait Booth also includes a photo guest book and hardcover memory book add ons, which is why it’s such a popular choice for weddings. Our couples love having the tangible keepsake from their wedding, and it’s a great way to remember everyone who showed up to celebrate.  Both booth types include a digital gallery of all the photos so that you can download them after the event.

If you aren’t as concerned about the sentimental value of the photos and your main goal is for your guests to participate in a fun activity, the Selfie Station offers everything you need. With instant digital delivery and custom template options that match your branding, it’s a great way to promote your event online.

Plus, the Selfie Station includes GIFs, boomerangs, and photos, so it automatically encourages social media sharing. If you’re throwing a corporate event, going with the Selfie Station is a great way to spread the word about your company online.

Consider Your Guests

Next, think about your guests. If your event caters to a younger crowd, rest assured that they will find the selfie station all on their own and most likely know exactly how to work it. A younger crowd will also love the do-it-yourself GIF and boomerang features that the Selfie Station offers, while an older group may prefer a tangible photo to take home

If your guests are less tech-inclined, you may want to go with the Portrait Booth. It comes with an attendant that will encourage your guests to take photos and guide them through how to use the booth. However, keep in mind that adding on an attendant to the Selfie Station is an option.

Consider the Look

What kind of look do you want for your photo booth? The Portrait Booth includes a backdrop, and we offer 30 gorgeous options for you to choose from. If one of our options doesn’t fit your event, we can create a custom backdrop for you.

The Selfie Station doesn’t include a backdrop, but you can add it on. However, if your venue already has a great background, like a bright white wall or a reclaimed wood accent wall, you can use that instead. You can also use your party as the background and face the Selfie Station towards the dance floor. If you’re having a beautiful rooftop event with a view of the Austin skyline, the city can be your backdrop.

Consider the Add-Ons

Both photo booth options include fun add ons to take the experience up a notch. We already mentioned the photo book add-on that comes with the Portrait Booth, and the backdrop and attendant add ons that come with the Selfie Station.

If you want your guests to have fun with props, both of our Austin photo booth rental options include a prop package add-on. For corporate events, we also offer an email capture add-on so that you can add all of your attendees to your email list. If you go with the Portrait Booth for your corporate event, we can add on custom branded photo covers.

The Portrait Booth also includes a custom thank you card add-on for weddings that matches your decor. The add-on options don’t stop there, so make sure you consider everything you need before deciding on which photo booth you want to book.

You Can’t Go Wrong With Either Austin Photo Booth Rental

The good news is that whichever Oh Happy Day Booth you choose for your event, your guests will love it. Both the Portrait Booth and the Selfie Station match all event types, whether it’s an elegant black-tie affair or a fun-filled sorority rush party. With all of our add ons and customization options, we can create the perfect Austin photo booth rental experience for your event.

Check out all of our photo booth options and get in touch to request a quote for your custom Oh Happy Day Booth. 

Kappa Kappa Gamma Sisterhood Party

The key to any fun Kappa Kappa Gamma sisterhood party is a photo booth! (See what we did there 😉)

Kappa Kappa Gamma is known for their academic excellence (sitting at a 3.65 GPA sorority wide) and their philanthropic ventures. To celebrate the ending of the semester, the girls hosted a party at their campus home which included our portrait booth and it was the perfect way to spend a Monday night! Along with a photo booth for the celebration, there was also an ice cream truck, fleur de lis decorated cookies and coordinating neon outfits. Anything that involves sweet treats and bright colors, count us in.

The KKG gals love the TV show Broad City, but can you blame them? We wanted to keep the overlay on-brand with the infamous TV Show, so we created bright teal bubble letters in front of a multi-colored block as a section of the photo. We kept it simple with a black backdrop so the overlay really popped and the attention stayed on the University of Texas themed props and girls!

If you’re a sorority or fraternity looking to book a photo booth for you next formal or informal event, reach out to our team today! kati@ohhappydaybooth.com

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How to prepare for a top-notch photo booth experience | Best Austin Photo Booth

best austin photo booth

We've seen it all...

After being around the block a few times, we've encountered just about every obstacle there is when it comes to surprise set up locations at events. To prevent these instances from happening twice, we do our best to make sure brides, planners and all other clients know what it takes for a great photo booth experience at their event! 

Here is what our photo booth requires for our signature top-notch experience!

  1. Put the photo booth in an obvious location. Too many times we've seen clients place us outside of the main event hall. If guests can't see us, we're out of sight and out of mind, which just plain stinks! Just in case you're worried about us being distracting during speeches or dances, we make it a point to temporarily stop the photo booth during those times (and turn off our light) so we're not taking attention away from the special moment! 
  2. Acessibility. Make sure the route we'll need to take to get to the set up space is wheelchair accessible. Until someone creates an affordable, futuristic,  stair-climbing rolling cart for all of our gear, we prefer elevators and wheelchair ramps. Plus, you want to make sure any disabled guests can access the photo booth once we're up and running! If our only option is a non-wheelchair accessible route, we can make it happen, but there is a small fee that will need to be added to the invoice.
  3. Space requirements.  We need a space that is at least 6’ long by 9’ wide by 10' high, but a 10'x10'x10' space is ideal! Make sure to leave space for a line as well.
  4. Power. We need a wall outlet (110V, 10 amps, 3 prong outlet) that is dedicated for the photo booth. Sharing an outlet with a bunch of other things like the DJ or lighting can sometimes overpower the plug, but we have a 20 foot extension cord that can help us reach a far away outlet if needed.
  5. Place the photo booth indoors. Austin weather is unpredictable, and who wants to go outside and get all sweaty just to take a photo? Be proactive and carve out a space for us inside your event hall so weather is never an issue! If your only option is to put the photo booth outside, we can be placed on concrete under an awning, like a porch, or under a 10x10 tent with three tarp walls to protect the backdrop from wind. Also, if you're feeling a bit generous, a portable a/c unit or fan will keep our attendant happy and energized to entertain your guests!  The photo booth may not be placed on grass or wet ground. 
  6. Keep the photo booth away from sunlight. Sunlight shining on the photo booth creates harsh shadows on the guests taking photos (not to mention it causes squinty eyes!), but also be wary of putting the backdrop against a window during daylight hours since the light might shine through the backdrop.  On the subject of light, make sure there aren't any pot lights or chandeliers right above the photo booth. Those sometimes cause crazy shadows! If there is a light above the photo booth, it can either be turned off or the lightbulb can be sneakily unscrewed and then replaced after the event!
  7. Provide a 6-foot table with a linen that matches the rest of your event decor. We highly encourage all our clients to do this because it makes the photo booth look like it actually belongs at your event, and is not just an afterthought stuck in the corner. We also like to have at least one separate cocktail table to place near the photo booth, so guests have a spot to set their drinks while they cheese it up in the booth! If you want to make the space look really luxurious, repurpose a floral arrangement from your ceremony and place it on a corner of the table near the photo booth, or create a special sign that says "Photo Booth" or one that has your event hashtag on it. 

That may seem like a lot, but at most of the Austin venues we've encountered, there are usually a handful of set up options. If you're struggling with how the photo booth will work in your space, shoot us an email and we'll be happy to explain what we've done at your venue before!

Kappa Delta Bid Day

We spent Monday evening with the gorgeous ladies of Kappa Delta at the University of Texas! The whole house was decked out in all things green and white, and one of their props was even an overstuffed bear, their sorority mascot! Everyone had a blast in the booth, and hopefully a few new friendships were formed just by taking photos together!

Welcome home, baby KD's!