National Ice Cream Day

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! National Ice Cream Day is coming up this Sunday so it was only natural for our team to celebrate a little early before this crazy weekend of events begins. We took this holiday as an excuse to step away from the photo booth for the afternoon to visit three ice cream shops in one day (you may call it dairy overload, we call it heaven) and wanted to share our favorites with you!

Sweet Ritual

The first place we visited was Sweet Ritual. They recently moved from their shared space with Juiceland on Duval to Airport Boulevard. We ordered the special Unicorn Poop flavor, which has colorful sprinkles and crushed skittles for an added crunch. Rest assured, the employee informed us only free-range grass fed unicorns are used in the making of this confection. It’s safe to say this was our first time asking for a “scoop of poop,” but will not be our last. Also, how fun are the colorful Birthday Cake cones?

Amy's Ice Cream

It's no secret that Amy’s Ice Cream is loved by many Austinites. The fun interior matches the eclectic vibe to which Austin stays true and Amy's always has the most welcoming employees. We ordered the seasonal Dreamsicle flavor and was swept away from the first bite! The subtle fruity flavor took us back to our childhood days. They even have an ongoing contest where they write out a famous movie quote, and if you can guess which movie it is from, get a free "crush'n" (crushed topping) in your ice cream! Stop by, grab a scoop (or two), and snap a photo in their old school photo booth!

LICK Honest Ice Creams

They say, "honesty is the best policy," and our visit to LICK Honest Ice Creams was nothing less than amazing! It was our first time and it was truly love at first bite. Not only were their flavors the most unique, they are all made of organic, local ingredients that can be traced to their source. We take pride in our local businesses here in Austin and it's good to see it in action! Although we enjoyed their Lemonade Pound Cake and Hill Country Honey & Vanilla Bean flavors, we both agreed that their Coffee with Cream was the best. Make sure to ask for one of their delicious homemade waffle cones or bowls!

Our first time coming across LICK Honest Ice Creams was actually at an event we did with Dropbox, where LICK was catering! We even got a photo of some of the LICK girls ! 

Where will you be heading to this Sunday to celebrate National Ice Cream Day? We'd love to know in the comments below!

The School of Styling

We were asked by the owner of The School of Styling, Kaitlin Holland, to be a part of the dinner party at the end of the workshop, and our course our immediate answer was 'yes!' We've been following Kaitlin on Instagram for the longest time and have seen so many people go to the workshop, and we were honored to be a part of it. Everything about the evening was perfectly styled (what else would we expect??) from the bar area to the seating areas and tablescapes. We were sure to match the prints and backdrop to the decor as well, since we know the School of Styling places such a huge importance on making sure that every aspect of an event is well thought out and cohesive. We are head over heels for these photos from Ally and Bobby!

Creating a great event hashtag

Importance of developing an event hashtag

Regardless of the type of event you’re hosting, a hashtag can be useful for compiling photos and interacting with guests before, during and after an event! For corporate events, an event hashtag not only allows the attendants to look back on the event, but it creates online visibility and is a lucrative way to engage guests. Event hashtags, when used properly, create a digital presence and attraction to your brand or company. For weddings, using a specified hashtag means guests can see photos of themselves that might’ve gone untagged or missed without the event hashtag. Most importantly, this allows the bride and groom to look back on the event and relive all the fun memories from one of the best days of their lives.

Here are a few ideas on how you can get started on creating a unique one for your event!

How to develop a hashtag for a corporate event or fundraiser

1. Keep it short. Simplicity is key.

Your hashtag should be as short as possible and take up as few characters as possible. If your guests will be posting on Twitter, the last thing you want to do is take up too many of their limited 140 characters! Abbreviate event names that are long. For example, Austin music festival Blues on the Green uses the hashtag #botg, as opposed to #BluesOnTheGreen, which is pretty long. Keeping it simple also means fewer people will forget exactly what your hashtag is. If they can’t remember, they won’t use it.
 

2.  Use the event's name and location.

If the convention name is BeautyCon, using #beautyconLA may be more effective than simply #beautycon.

3. Include the year for annual events.

If creating a post for an event that occurs annually, including the year to specify which year is attended - for example, using #beautycon2017 or #beautycon17.
 

4. Make sure to determine a good event hashtag well in advance.

Once it has been created, start using it yourself as an organizer and notify your audience about it. For example, runners who are training for the Austin Marathon in 2018 can use the hashtag #austinmarathon2018 when posting a photo of them training in the months leading up to the race. There is great power in promoting a hashtag before an event, especially if the goal is to encourage participation from the public.
 

5. Consistency.

For annual events, having a consistent hashtag every year also allows the participants to refer back to previous years’ photos by simply changing the year at the end of the hashtag.

Photo by Pine and Blossom

How to develop a hashtag for a wedding

Wedding hashtags have recently become increasingly popular, so it is important for your hashtag to be unique. After all, you don’t want to see photos from a random wedding that isn’t yours showing up under your wedding hashtag feed! Here are a few tips on creating a hashtag that is personal and specific to your big day.

 
1. Make the hashtag easy for guests to remember.

Wedding hashtags that have a play on words may be easier for guests to remember. Consider mashing your names together or focusing on the last name if you plan on sharing a surname after you’re married. Puns are always welcomed (and totally encouraged, if you ask us!).

For example, one of our recent wedding clients’ new last name is Newberry, and their hashtag was #TheNewestBerry! We even saw a wedding where the the groom’s surname is Morgan, so they chose the hashtag #ILoveYouMorganAnything. Get punny, because the funny hashtags are typically the most memorable!
 

 2. Avoid any hashtags that could be potentially misspelled by your guests.

Try shortening any long names or move words around to avoid having two of the same letters next to each other. For example #davidandashley looks much better than #ashleyanddavid.
 

3. Use a hashtag generator.
If you're having trouble coming up with an original hashtag, try checking out a hashtag generator to get started. Sometimes it’ll get your creative juices flowing and help you come up with something unique.
  

4. Get the word out about your hashtag.
If a hashtag for the wedding has been created before the couple walks down the aisle, use it on photos of the couple engaged. If you are the one walking down the aisle, consider using it when snapping a photo of you dress shopping or wedding planning. Put it on your save-the-date and your wedding website and get the word out!

Photo by Amanda Hartfield

We hope these tips help you create the perfect hashtag for your event. What's your favorite hashtag you've seen so far?

Win a Kendra Scott shopping spree!

Word of mouth is golden in this industry! Other people trust guests who have interacted with our booth and know how awesome it is. Your opinion matters immensely, and we'd love it if you gave us a quick review on these sites that a lot of people check before hiring a photo booth vendor for their event, and we have a pretty sweet incentive! If you write a review, you'll be entered to win a $50 Kendra Scott gift card! You can buy a friend a pretty new piece of jewelry or treat yourself to something gorgeous. Feel free to write on more than one site, because you'll get one entry per review!

GOOGLE

FACEBOOK

THE KNOT

WEDDING WIRE

Reviews must be submitted by 11:59 pm on May 16th in order to enter the contest, and the winner will be announced on our Instagram on Wednesday, May 17th! Be sure to follow us there so we can get in touch and send the gift card your way if you're the winner.

Share this with someone who would love a little shopping spree at Kendra Scott, on us! 

Warmly,

The Oh Happy Day Booth Team

Texas Medal of Arts Awards

We are still in awe of the 2017 Texas Medal of Arts Awards at Bass Concert Hall! The pink carpet was rolled out to celebrate all of the Texas-native nominees, including Kris Kristofferson, Scott Pelley and Kenny Rogers, just to name a few! The six-story concert hall was beautifully decorated in magenta and orange with white floral accents. Surrounded by past and current honorees in their gorgeous gowns and tuxedos, our booth and custom designed red carpet style backdrop was placed right in the center of the main floor lobby of Bass Concert Hall. The night left us smiling ear to ear in awe of all that was taking place! (Our owner Kelsey even got a good glimpse at THE John Paul Dejoria, the king of the Paul Mitchell empire!) We were so happy to be a part of such a beautiful event honoring those who inspire and make a difference in the arts in our great state of Texas.

A huge shout out to the staff at Bass Concert Hall, Texas Cultural Trust and the Autumn Rich & Company team for putting together such a gorgeous event! 

We've been seeing recaps from many guests pop up in our news feeds recently, and we think Austin 360 writer Michael Barnes summed up the glamour pretty well! Also, we saw all the portraits taken of the honorees as well! Check it out here! 

Blush & Blue wedding Inspiration

Something old, something new, something borrowed, and definitely something blue! This may have been last year's Pantone color combo, but we cannot get enough of this beautiful blush and blue color palette! Not only is this perfect for the spring and summer, It will look great in just about any location. There's no denying that we at Oh Happy Day Booth love blush, and our solid blush backdrop would be perfect fit for this wedding décor! What we love most about this color palette is that it is easy to incorporate beautiful details for a romantic, classy and chic wedding!

Flowers on chair: photographed by Alyssa Nikole Photography
Blue bridesmaid’s dress: photographed by Taylor Lord
Blush ring box: photographed by Hannah Mayson Photography
Lounge: Loot Vintage, photographed by Kayla Barker Photography
Tableware: photographed by Troy Grover Photographers
Bridesmaids: photographed by Nic Berrett Photo
Ring: photographed by Charla Storey
Perfume: photographed by Laura Nelson
Backdrop: photographed by  @spostophoto

We can't wait to see what color schemes are popular this year! What is yours?

4 Valentine's Day backdrops you'll fall in love with

Valentine's Day is just around the corner! Whether you're planning a big party with all of your couple friends, a super casual Galentine's night out for all your girlfriends, an awesome photo booth backdrop can make a huge statement and add a ton of fun to your get together! 

1. FLOWERS & STRIPES

Paper flowers and a classy black and white striped base make this backdrop the perfect Kate Spade inspired addition to your soiree! 

Via Pinterest.

2. LUXE LOUNGE WITH GIANT PAPER ROSES

Make the backdrop the center of attention at your party by adding a gorgeous love seat in front of it. Everyone will want to snuggle up for a cute photo with their sweetheart! 

Our friends at Birch & Brass have a gorgeous pink settee that would be perfect for this setup!

Via Kara's Party Ideas.

3. LINEN & GREENERY

Take your backdrop from basic to ooh-la-la with some real greenery (eucalyptus is our favorite!) and some silk blooms from Michael's or Hobby Lobby. The best thing is, those flowers are reusable for other crafting projects after your party!

Via Classy Clutter

4. ROSE TAPESTRY

Want a great backdrop, but low on space? This rose tapestry is not only minimal, but also super romantic!

Via Society6

We hope these gave you some creative ideas for super unique backdrops for your party! If you're hosting an event, shoot us an email! We'd love to be a part of all the fun!

Mercury Hall Open House

January has already flown by, and we kicked off 2017 with an open house at one of our favorite Austin venues: Mercury Hall! We had a blast meeting the future brides-to-be and guests. Luckily for us, we had the best of both worlds by being under the clear tent, which was strung with festoon lights, and being able to peek into the chapel and its stunning stained glass windows! Even though it is minutes from downtown, the greenery that surrounds Mercury Hall makes it feel secluded from the busy streets of Austin. The Loot Vintage lounge was placed in the middle of the canopy, and we were drooling over their blue velvet bench in particular! It’s never really hard work when we get to work alongside other amazing vendors such as Gypsy Floral, who was there to create beautiful bouquet arrangements for each guest, Feathers and Frosting, who offered delicious cake tastings, and the beautiful custom designs of Parcel Design Co. (Fun fact, the owner of Parcel Design Co was actually the room mate of our owner, Kelsey!) Vanilla Orchid catered some of the most delicious bites for the event as well. We really could not have asked for a better Thursday night! We love open houses because it gives us a chance to meet and chat with guests on a more personal level and get a better feel of what they are wanting at their special event. Big thank you to Mercury Hall for hosting such a wonderful night, we cannot wait to meet YOU at the next one!