Disco-Glam Styled Shoot With Hawthorne and Poppy Events

At the end of 2020, we got together with some amazing Austin vendors to create a styled shoot to celebrate the launch of Hawthorne and Poppy Events! Amy, the founder and visionary behind the shoot, wanted to blend modern design with an iridescent flare.

This collaborative shoot was the dose of creativity and sparkle that we all needed at the end of a hard year. We love how Amy described the look on her Instagram: “Magical design that isn’t stuffy or boring. A little Audrey Hepburn mixed with Marilyn Monroe. Nicole Kidman with Taylor Swift. Classic yet modern.”

Flash forward a year, and it’s completely obvious to us why Hawthorne and Poppy have been so successful on the Austin event planning scene. 

This disco-glam inspired styled shoot, captured by Eryn Chandler Photography at the South Congress Hotel, is giving us major New Year’s Eve wedding inspiration. We created two setups with our luxury backdrops, and we love how the model popped in front of both of them in her gorgeous Unbridaled gown.

The two different looks are a great example of what you can do with photo booth backdrops. You can dress them up, like Amy did with the disco balls and florals for the feathery white backdrop, or leave them as is, like the sequin blush backdrop. Either way, our backdrops can perfectly match your look and achieve your vision. 

Want us to create a custom photo booth for your next event or styled shoot? Contact us today. 

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. 

Our response to covid-19 in the world of photo booths

PHOTO BY SMS PHOTOGRAPHY

Updated on 9/21/2021

A note from our owner, Kelsey Harrison:

As the impact of COVID-19 continues, I wanted you to hear directly from me about the mitigation efforts that Oh Happy Day Booth has enacted to reduce the risk of infection of our team members, our clients, and their guests. My focus remains on supporting our Oh Happy Day Booth team, while at the same time doing my part to preserve the health, safety, and well-being of all those with whom we come in contact.

I think it is extremely safe to assume that everyone has been significantly impacted by COVID-19 in one way or another. The entire photo booth industry relies on a healthy events industry, and the events industry relies on the ability for us to be able to come together as a community and celebrate special days. As we look toward the future and anticipate what it holds for us, we at Oh Happy Day Booth work every day to ensure the level of customer service our clients are accustomed to is not diminished.

We continue to closely monitor and assess this evolving situation, and any changes in company policies and procedures regarding COVID-19 precautions will be based on scientific studies and official reports, and any changes we make will be updated here. I can’t emphasize just how much I am itching to get back to celebrating in full swing, and I am making sure that we are able to get to that point as safely as possible by expanding and refining our safety policies. If you have any personal questions requirements or preferences, please email me at hello@ohhappydaybooth.com and we will do our best to accommodate within reason.

1. Masks // In addition to their usual all-black and white attire, our staff will be required to wear masks at all times while on the property for an event.

2. Portrait Booth and Glam Booth activations // For the foreseeable future, our team members will monitor the photo booth from afar, keeping an eye on the booth at all times, but limiting direct interactions with guests. Your point of contact will always know where our team member is located, and the team member will be there in a flash if something happens like the printer paper and ink need replenishing! We love our clients, and care about their guests, and want to be there to support them on their big day and by physically distancing our team members from the booth itself, we are able to make sure they are healthy for our couples the following weekend as well. To accommodate this distancing, we have changed and optimized our start screen graphics for these services so the photo booth process is seamless and straightforward to ensure guests are able to use the booths without the hands-on assistance of a team member.

3. Sanitized Selfie Stations // Our Selfie Station rentals will operate as usual, but our staff will sanitize everything before the event begins and at the end of the rental.

4. No props // We know this is a significant bummer, but there is no feasible way to properly sanitize every prop between guests, so we will be foregoing props for the foreseeable future. Clients who have this upgrade as part of their package are encouraged to choose another upgrade as an alternative!

5. Photo guest books // For clients who would like to stick with their photo guest book, guests can pick up a clean pen from one bin and put it into one labeled ‘used’ when they are done. Pens will be sanitized between events.

6. Sanitizing all equipment before and after events // All our equipment will be sanitized before and after events, and all our boxes and equipment will be sanitized inside our storage facility as well.

7. Increased pay // All of our team members providing services at events are doing so with the utmost caution to ensure your guests have a great time. During this season and for the foreseeable future, Oh Happy Day Booth has increased their hourly rate without raising client costs. If you feel so compelled, any and all tips given to the booth attendants during events will be retained by the team member working the event, and would be greatly appreciated.

What we are requesting from our clients:

1. Masks // Please encourage your guests to wear masks. This has been proven by the CDC to protect other people from getting sick if you are sick, even when asymptomatic. This is a really wonderful way to respect your hardworking vendors whose lives depend on being able to work events every weekend.

2. Set up location // If it is possible to put us away from the dance floor and other major foot traffic spots, that is ideal.

3. Following the CDC’s minimum standard health protocols // We know rules are no fun, but they’re here to protect us all. Please encourage your guests, planner, vendors, and venue to follow appropriate guidelines regarding large events.

Fun backdrops for your virtual parties

We know it’s a crazy time and your daily life has been flipped upside down and inside out. If there are two things we know for certain during this time, it’s that we will get through this and we won’t stop celebrating (virtually, of course! #flattenthecurve). We’re talking virtual happy hours, birthday parties, showers, graduations, and even weddings! Toilet paper and GermX sales may be at an all time high, but Zoom and FaceTime are our best friends right now. We’re so thankful for social platforms and technology that allow us to mix and mingle with our BFFs while virtually cheersing with our favorite rosé!

We know nothing replaces you spending time with your loved ones IRL, but a fun backdrop can definitely put you in the partying mood. We’ve created images that will match your celebration through the screen! You won’t need to worry about finding a specific place in your home for a background (aka the cleanest corner of your house) while you video chat and sing “Happy Birthday” to your bestie. You can download the images and upload onto your video chat website and add it instantly! Pro tip: have your entire group match the image they upload as a backdrop so you feel like you’re all together in the same place :)

Check out free images of our backdrop, available here.

Now get to downloading and start celebrating!

All gold themed holiday party at Fair Market

Photos courtesy of Christian Smith Media

Yes you read that right- gold themed holiday party! Sign us the heck up.

Action Behaviors Center threw an epic end of year holiday bash at Fair Market to celebrate 2019 and we were so thankful to be part of it! We partnered with our sister company, Pop & Drop, to install several balloon decorations around and in front of the venue, including on our gold sequin luxury backdrop. #Swoon

Our portrait booth was one of the main attractions, encouraging us to be busy all night! The client decided on adding our holiday prop package, which includes holiday sayings and fun hats and tinsel to have the guests show off their fun side! We kept the overlay on brand with gold and white snowflakes, to compliment the sequin backdrop and white balloons in the garland.

If champagne is flowing and there’s a photo op, chances are this is our kind of party!

Want to party with us? Send us an email and let’s chat about how our photo booths are the perfect addition for your next event!! Kati@ohhappydaybooth.com

Photos courtesy of Christian Smith Media

Photos courtesy of Christian Smith Media

Photos courtesy of Christian Smith Media

Photos courtesy of Christian Smith Media

Photos courtesy of Christian Smith Media

Photos courtesy of Christian Smith Media

Photos courtesy of Christian Smith Media

Planner/Coordinator: Copper Light Events

Convey Holiday Party

December was a whirlwind of all things photo booths and photography services and we were here for it!

Convey, one of Austin’s premier software companies, threw an epic holiday bash at Vuka to celebrate their growing business and all the employees hard work. They wanted an interactive photo booth and a creative and custom backdrop at their party to kick off the end of their quarter!

We paired our portrait booth with Pop & Drop’s custom signature streamer and balloon garland as a backdrop! Adding the gray vinyl backdrop behind that gives the streamers and balloons a nice contrast so it stands out even more! The guests absolutely loved our holiday themed props and the booth was busy all night!

Because the backdrop spoke for itself, we decided to stick with a simple overlay so the prints didn’t look busy! We have several different template designs that we can create for your event! If you loved this unique and fun streamer backdrop, we know you’ll love this one too!

If you’re looking for a unique backdrop for your next event or a booth at your next company party, reach out to our sales team today! Kati@ohhappydaybooth.com.

2019 Year Recap from Kati

Hi! Kati here! As 2019 is coming to a close, Kelsey and I have been discussing how awesome this year has been for Oh Happy Day Booth’s growth. While reflecting, I thought it would be fun and enlightening to do a little recap on what I’ve learned this past year in a blog post! I’m not talking about the technical things like sending proposals and calculating quotes, but more personal things and how I’ve become an asset to the Oh Happy Day Booth team. Specifically what I’ve learned about myself since taking on this position. My goal is for this blog to be relatable but also a measuring stick for me to look back on towards the end of 2020 to see what else I’ve learned!

A little backstory on me: I have six years of experience in direct marketing sales and managing teams of five to 30. When I made the decision to shift careers in late 2018, Kelsey and I met serendipitously through Bumble Bizz and became fast friends, sharing the mutual love of Schitts Creek, women in leadership and all puppies (literally ALL the puppies). When Kelsey decided to hire me, there was definitely risk involved. Kelsey risking to invest a lot of time (and money) in hiring someone that had literally no experience in her field and for me, used to being surrounded by a team everyday and confident in coaching to independent remote work in a totally different industry.

But at the end of the day, we both had the same goal: growing Oh Happy Day Booth.

I’m happy to report, as of now, we have not only grown Oh Happy Day Booth by staff, more events, new technology, and new systems but we’ve opened up a sister company, Pop & Drop. I think it’s safe to say Kelsey and I both exceeded the expectations we had originally set out to achieve, which gets me really excited about 2020! Without further adieu, here are seven things I’ve learned about myself and my environment that I feel can be translated to any industry:

Remote work is not for the faint of heart: Honestly, this was one of the things I was most concerned about! I have only worked in teams my entire life (even dating back to my first job in high school!) and as an extrovert, I absolutely thrive in team settings. I was nervous about working by myself and not having anyone to hold me accountable, or worse.. getting bored! I’m a true #Ennegram3. Turns out, working remotely is not about playing with my dogs all day and sleeping in everyday. It’s hard work and you’ll be just as busy as if you went into an office. Boredom doesn’t exist if you’ve got a stacked schedule like we do! What I really enjoy is that I don’t have to call in sick or when I have an appointment, I don’t have to ask for time off, I just shift my working times in the day, not limited to a 9-5. Although there aren’t physically eyes on me daily, I’m just as self managed as I was when I was a business owner with a team and I’m thankful for my past experience in a leadership role to help me stayed focus when my office settings fluctuate.

Communication is EVERYTHING: Cliché? Maybe. Accurate? You betcha. Not seeing your coworkers or boss everyday (see point above) can lead to easy miscommunication. Kelsey and I are so similar (literally down to matching outfits unexpectedly), but we can’t read each other’s minds. Who knew?! We pride ourselves in over communicating, to a point that I’m sure our spouses have eavesdropped enough conversations about our scheduling logistics for upcoming events, that they could give us the answers. Haha! In all seriousness, keeping your boss and coworkers in the loop on a daily basis is super important, whether that’s where you’re at physically or mentally.

You don’t have to be the first one to do it, you just have to be the best one to do it: In our industry, there is quite a bit of competition. Coming from my background, I thrive in a competitive environment so I’m consistently excited for the opportunity to show clients what we can do. Although there are many other companies that do what we do, I’m very fortunate to be part of our business model that deems a lot of its success on customer satisfaction, high standards, and follow through. We pride ourselves in not just offering a one of a kind photo booth and installation service but a one of a kind customer service, which keeps this business growing. We believe every step is just as important as the next for our clients. Just check out our reviews!

Patience with myself: It truly wasn’t until month ten of working with Kelsey that I felt 100% confident with decisions making entirely on my own that wouldn’t hurt the company. I know what you’re thinking.. TEN MONTHS? Yup. The reason for that is because everything what we do is so customizable. There’s not one answer that fixes all questions or problems. I would get frustrated with myself when I didn’t know the answer to something that I feel like I should’ve. Kelsey reassured me (on the 15th call everyday) that this was new for me and I’ll get to a point where I don’t ask her every question that runs through my head. After awhile, I learned to rely more on my resources (and lots of notes!) to make executive decisions and it still feels good when Kelsey celebrates my little wins, because for the majority of this year, I questioned myself a lot.

Focus on the positives: Every entrepreneurs mantra, right? But it’s true! You can’t control every event, but you can control your response to it. This industry can be cut throat and things can change literally a moment before execution, so it’s important not to get held up on all the small details but instead focus on the really great things that are happening! It can take time and be difficult to find a positive in almost impossible situations, but I promise it’s possible. We are surrounded by positivity daily, we just have to shift our mindset to find it.

Listening to your clients needs: Honestly, this is one of my favorite parts about what I do! I absolutely love catering our services to each client. Whether that be for a wedding, a huge corporate event, a bat mitzvah, a sorority formal, you name it! Typically, when people think “sales”, they easily assume that it’s someone on the other side trying to make money and pushing them towards a decision. But because this business is so customizable, it’s my responsibility to find the right service to them, which may mean no service at all. Granted, I would love for every lead I connect with to turn into a full paying client, but that is just not feasible in this business. There have been several times this year where I’ve had to tell someone that what we offer just would not suit their event and although that’s not easy nor fun on my part, I think it is refreshing for the other person to not to be pushed into a service just to make a sale.

Know when to call it – Like I mentioned in the first point, there is no 9-5. I can’t tell you how many emails I’ve sent while watching a movie on a date at 10pm on a Friday night, or reply to an email when I wake up at 3am randomly and see an email I’ve missed because I was asleep. Work/life balance is just as important when you set your own schedule. Although it’s important to respond in a timely manner, not every email or phone call is an emergency and can be dealt with in several hours (or in my case the next morning!). This also applies to working with a potential client and knowing our services won’t be a great fit after all, or over committing ourselves to projects. It’s important to know when you’re at capacity and when to turn on your vacation responder!

Overall, my brain has exploded with knowledge this past year! It’s been incredible to see us surpass our goals and what the business has gained in 2019. I cannot wait to see where we are this time next year and all the new things I will learn! We’re excited to continue being your go to vendor in this industry and looking forward to making your event one of a kind!

XO,

Kati

Rachel and Garrison | Horseshoe Bay Resort

You know those type of weddings where guests can’t get off the dance floor and it’s an all night party? Yup, this was definitely one of those weddings and we’re here for it.

Rachel and Garrison decided on roaming photography for their Horseshoe Bay Resort wedding and we were thrilled to document their reception! The dance floor was packed the whole night with guests in lais, flower crowns, sunglasses and captain hats. Everyone there was clearly having the time of their life, making our job easy!

Roaming photography is the go-to service if you’re looking for a consistent photo op experience, paired with digital sharing! It’s perfect for your guests as they can get photos from the party instantly instead of waiting weeks for them to be shared or posted. Our professional photographers will make sure to capture all the little moments that want to relive over and over!

You can learn more about roaming photography and how it will fit into your event by emailing our sales team kati@ohhappydaybooth.com. Love our roaming photography? Then you’ll love this rehearsal dinner we did this Summer!