Props do one job. They give a guest something to do with their hands so they stop feeling watched. That is why a prop table works, and why half of a bad one sits untouched all night.
You do not rent props separately from us
Props come with the Open Air Photo Booth, the Digital Photo Booth and the 360 Video Booth, along with the lighting kit, the shimmery backdrop and the personalized template. There is no add-on line and no reason to buy your own set.
The Vogue Magazine Box is the exception. The frame and its 4 to 5 lines of magazine text do the work, so nothing is handed out with it. If you want props in that room, book a second booth.
What guests actually pick up
Watch any booth for an hour and the pattern repeats. Sunglasses move first and keep moving, because they are fast and nobody has to commit to looking silly. Signs with words come next. Hats get used by one group in five.
What sits there is the bulky stuff. Full face masks hide the person, which defeats the point. Oversized foam items block the faces behind them in a group of six. Feather boas shed, and on the 360 they shed onto the platform where the next guest stands. Tell the attendant at setup and they will hold items back.
Signs read better than objects
Printed PVC signs are durable and waterproof, they do not bend or tear across a long night, and they photograph clean. The catch is legibility. On a 2x6 print from the Open Air Photo Booth, a sign held at chest height is about an inch tall. Four words is the ceiling. Anything longer is a gray smear.
Short phrases like Came for the cake, Squad goals or Single and ready to mingle land in one glance. Save the long inside joke for the photo overlay, which prints large enough to read.
Kids and adults need different props
Most sets are sized for adult heads. Put an adult hat on a seven year old and it slides past the eyebrows. Kids under about eight also hold props at their own chest height, which puts the sign in front of their chin in a shot framed for adults. Ask the attendant to reframe for kid groups, and favor handheld items over worn ones.
The 360 Video Booth needs its own rule. Guests stand on a platform while a camera arm swings around them. Set an age floor with the attendant, keep the line back from the arm, and skip anything a kid might drop mid spin.
Hygiene is about what touches a face
Split the table in your head. Anything gripped in a hand is low risk. Sunglasses, hats, headbands and anything near a mouth are shared face contact, group after group, all event.
In cold and flu season, or with older guests and small children in the room, ask the attendant to wipe worn items between groups and keep sanitizer at the table. If you want no shared face contact at all, ask for signs and handheld props only.
Match the theme without overdoing it
For a formal wedding, restrained signs in gold and white and a few masquerade masks beat a pile of novelty items. For a retro 90s party, inflatable boomboxes, neon glasses and throwback hats fit. For a corporate mixer, keep it to signs, since half the room does not want a costume photo circulating internally.
One warning. In a dark ballroom the backdrop reads as a single color and small themed details disappear. The theme carries better on the personalized template that rides on every image.
Plan the space
- Give the prop table its own 2 to 3 feet beside the booth. The 8x8 feet for the Open Air Booth and the 10x10 for the 360 are booth footprint, not table.:
- Put the table before the camera in the traffic flow so people arrive already holding something.:
- Keep it out of the aisle. A prop table in a walkway is a common reason a venue asks us to move a setup.:
- Count kids separately in your guest list, so the attendant plans framing and item choice.:
- If you want GIFs and boomerangs out of your props, that is the Digital Photo Booth, which starts at $300 for two hours.:
Not sure which booth suits your room and your crowd? Call +1 (800) 709-8579 or email info@peekaboothusa.com with your venue and guest count.