Guide
Photo booth guest book: ideas and how-to
By La Cabine Bretonne · published · updated
A traditional guest book often ends up half empty: people don’t dare write, or don’t know what to say. With a photo booth, each guest sticks in their print first, then adds a few words beside it. The result is a lively album full of faces that you’ll leaf through for years. Here’s how to prepare one that really fills up, from choosing the album to the printed frame.
How a photo booth guest book works
It’s simple. A guest uses the photo booth, picks up their print and heads to a table set up right next to it. There they find the album, some double-sided tape and a few pens. They stick their photo on a page, write a message, sign it and make room for the next person.
There are two benefits. Guests who freeze in front of a blank page have a starting point: the photo itself, a cousin’s silly face, the hat that’s far too big. And you end up with one object holding both the faces and the messages from the whole evening. At a wedding, it’s a keepsake worth treasuring.
Two prints per visit: why the photo strip works so well
The question that always comes up: if guests stick their print in the book, what do they keep? The answer lies in the size. The 2×6 photo strip, that vertical band of several photos like an old-school booth, is usually printed two at a time on a single 4×6 sheet, which the printer then cuts in half.
With our designs, the dslrBooth package is laid out exactly like that: the strip appears twice on the sheet. One strip for the guest, one for the guest book, without printing twice. It saves both paper and time.
If your booth prints 4×6 cards, you have two options: ask your supplier to print two copies per visit, or invite guests to take a second session for the book. The first is easier to manage. Our guide to choosing a photo booth print size compares the two in detail.
Choosing the guest book album
The album has to cope with tape, ink and hurried hands. A few things to look for:
- Thick pages, at least 250 gsm, that won’t buckle under the adhesive or let the ink show through.
- A landscape or square format, which makes it easier to place a vertical strip next to a message.
- Light pages if you’re providing black pens, or black pages if you’d rather use gold or silver metallic markers.
- Enough pages: allow one page for every two or three guests, plus a few spares for groups who want a whole spread.
A screw-post or ring-bound album lets you add pages if needed. Avoid albums with plastic sleeves: there’s nowhere to write beside the photo.
Setting up the guest book table
The guest book table needs to be a couple of steps from the printer. If guests have to cross the room, the strip goes into a pocket and is forgotten.
- A small sign explains what to do: one photo for you, one for the book, a message for the couple.
- Provide several rolls of double-sided tape, or pre-cut adhesive dots, which are much quicker to use.
- Put out fine-tip pens that dry quickly, and test them on the album paper first.
- Leave the book open on a page that’s already been started: a filled-in example reassures people and sets the tone.
Ask a friend or someone from the wedding party to look after the table for the first hour: they lead by example, help with sticking and nudge anyone who hesitates. After that, the book takes on a life of its own.
What to write in a guest book: prompts for your guests
Even with a photo in front of them, some guests get stuck. A few questions displayed on the table help them get going:
- A favourite memory with the couple, or how you first met them.
- A piece of advice for their next ten years.
- What you wish them for their first wedding anniversary.
- A caption for the photo you’ve just stuck in.
You can also add one of these prompts to the frame itself, on a short line. For more ideas on what to print, our guide to wedding photo booth frame wording has plenty more suggestions.
A matching frame from page to page
Every strip in the book shares the same frame, and that’s what gives the album its unity. Keep it understated so the photos and the handwritten notes around them stay readable, and match it to the colour of the pages.
Some designs are particularly well suited. Kraft & Twine, with its brown paper and single-colour printing, pairs nicely with a kraft-paper album. Intertwined Initials relies on a monogram and fine capitals, elegant on a white page. Blush Peonies and Vintage Herbarium add a floral touch without stealing the show. The floral wedding collection has more.
A photo booth guest book isn’t just for weddings. For a christening, the christening photo strip collection offers soft designs, and the album becomes a gift for the child as they grow up.
After the party: finishing and keeping the album
The next day, leaf through the book in peace. A few strips will have come unstuck: fix them with a stronger adhesive. If some pages are still empty, you can add the photographer’s pictures or the ones friends and family send you.
To keep it in good condition, store the album flat and away from direct light, which fades prints. A sheet of interleaving paper between pages stops ink marking the page opposite. And keep the digital files of the photos: your supplier or your photo booth software usually saves them at every session.
Prepare the strip for your guest book
Open the design you like in its strip version, for example customise Intertwined Initials. Replace the initials, names and date with your own, adjust the size or position of any text if needed, then change a colour to match the album. Your draft is saved automatically on your device, with no account to create.
When you download, you get the strip’s PNG overlay, transparent where the photos go, along with the dslrBooth package that places the strip twice on a 4×6 sheet. Our guide to installing a template in dslrBooth shows how to import it. For other software, the overlay works with any software that accepts a PNG overlay.