

Wedding Planning 101
How to Capture the Details
If you want to capture all of your bridal-prep memories and wedding-day details like the pros, here’s what you need
Read MorePhoto booths have been the hot trend for a while now. What better way to add a little fun for your guests at your reception, while documenting it all at the same time. Typically, photo booths are set up in your hotel or reception hall lobby, an adjacent area to your ballroom or tucked away in a separate room. The booths can either be manned by a photographer or set on autopilot—and are fully stocked with fun props, signs, large glasses, hats, boas, mustaches—anything that will encourage your guests to have a little fun and truly ham it up on your big day. Guests go home with the photo strips as wedding mementos, and you get copies of them all to add to your own photo album. Some of the images are so fun—just picture your 90-year-old great-grandmother wrapped in a hot-pink feather boa with a sign that says “Lookin’ Good!”—that you’ll want to order prints to frame after your event. It’s a win-win for all.
They’ve become so popular that many photographers and reception halls are conveniently offering them as an added feature to their services, so you don’t need to worry about finding one on your own.
We couldn’t imagine this trend getting any better—until we saw Metro Photo Bus’s traveling photo booth, in the form of a vintage Volkswagen Transporter. Based in Somerville and owned by professional photographers Sara and Fred McGrady, the kitschy bus literally drives up to your location and opens its door for business, ready for your guests to hop inside. It includes a professional-quality DSLR camera, a photo lab-quality printer, instant printouts and custom graphics. The most up-to-date technology is built into its retro shell, making it the perfect option for a backyard, barn, farm, outdoor or hipster wedding.
“It’s great to see that people of all walks and ages can enjoy this bus,” says Sara. “We always get so many laughs seeing people loose shy inhibitions to get the silliest shots.”
Jessica Rodriguez hired it for her wedding to Kyle Hanselman at Crossed Keys Estate in Andover, and was thrilled with its presence. “We wanted something different,” she says. “And I liked the vintage vibe.”
The bus travels within 50 miles in the New Jersey and New York area (and can be towed for farther distances), and offers a number of options, with prices starting at $1,271; metrophotobus.com.
Services like these are what truly make the wedding business so fun, clever and creative. We can’t wait to see what comes next!