An edited version of "Lights! Camera! Click, click, click, click!" by Larry James will be featured in the July/August 2008 issue of The Wedding Chronicle. Pick up your copy at AJ's Fine Foods in the Greater Phoenix area and Tucson. Larry James is a contributing author to The Wedding Chronicle. Watch for a new article in each issue.

All you need is to count one, two, pose then S-M-I-L-E for the
candid camera! That's about all the direction you'll get in a photo
booth. There's only one little stool inside, so when the curtain closes,
 it's time to improvise. About 20 seconds later everyone gets to
 see how creative your guests were as the digital camera clicked away.

Photo booths are a trendy new one-of-a-kind feature at wedding receptions. They bring style, flair and lots of fun with absolute spontaneity. It will add a dash of real human interaction to create
lasting memories.

Formerly an American tradition at five and dime stores, malls,
arcades and amusement parks, photo booths add a lot of
excitement for your guests and give you a terrific replacement
of the traditional guest book. It not only provides a fun activity
for your guests to do, but it provides memorabilia for the bride
and groom.

Every guest gets a personal photo strip and you get a duplicate
 the booth operator puts into a photo album that has space for
the guests to write a personal greeting or note. Scrapbook,
scissors, glue sticks, and pens are included. Photo strips make
the ultimate wedding favors. No need for the disposable cameras anymore. (Kids use them up; people don't turn on the flashes;
people take them thinking they're favors; the whole roll is full
of photos of the floor.)

Your guests can have a blast with unlimited photo ops. Guests
rarely need any guidance once they see how fun and easy it is
to make custom pages. But just in case vendors always provides a trained photo booth attendant to help any guests who may need assistance.

The photo booth is interactive FUN to entertain your wedding
guests for several hours. Your guests can trade photos with their
friends and start their own scrapbook of your wedding. Some
photo booth vendors include the favored photo guest sign-in/comment book in their rental package. Most are custom made at your
reception. The signature captions photo guest book will capture
the fun and spirit of your reception in a book that you will
treasure for years to come.

There is nothing quite like the charm of watching groups of 6 or
more friends trying to fit into the booth at once in a dead heat to
see who can make the goofiest strip. Many couples have the
photo booth placed next to the bar for added enjoyment. Some
even have their DJs announce photo strip contests or games as
added incentives that really get the party going.

Retro black and white, digital color, they can include your logo,
or chose from fun frames & hair-do's. Some vendors bring along
some fun props, hats, glasses, etc. Look for a photo booth rental company that includes all these features and benefits without
charging additional fees.

Typically a 4-hour rental package is packed full of options and
reasonably priced from $1,195 and up. The fees normally include delivery, installation, and an attendant to ensure the booth works smoothly and your guests are well taken care of.

Vendors will often provide a CD with all the pictures of your event.
This CD can be used as content for your wedding video or use it to reprint any photos.

Photo booths virtually guarantee everybody at your event a good
time. They are instantly recognizable, immediately accessible, and eternally entertaining. They spontaneously tap into guests' creativity
 and sense of humor, while immortalizing the intimate, hilarious, and unexpected.

While a photo booth is perfect for almost every event, not every
event venue is perfect for a photo booth. But with some consideration and creativity, you can add a picture-perfect touch to your wedding or party.

Stairs, photo booth weight and small hallways are among the hurdles
that may have to be cleared when renting a photo booth. If a photo
 booth is your heart's desire and there is a way to make it happen,
your vendor will find it.

A special "thank you" to Jill & Chris at A 2 Z Photo Booths for their assistance in writing this article.