The short answer
A wedding photo booth rental contract should state how many hours the booth runs and whether setup and idle time count toward them, whether an attendant stays with it, how many prints guests get and when you receive the digital files, what props are included, the space and power it needs, the overtime and travel charges, and when each payment is due.
How many hours does a photo booth rental include?
Look for the number of rental hours and what counts toward them. A contract may count only the time guests can use the booth, or it may count from the moment the booth is set up and ready. Check whether the hours must run continuously and whether there is an idle time charge, which is a rate for keeping the booth in place but closed, for example during dinner or speeches.
Compare the contract with your timeline. If you want the booth open during cocktail hour and again after dinner, ask whether the gap is billed as idle time, as rental time, or not at all, and have the answer written into the contract. Price it both ways, as in the example below, before you sign.
- Number of rental hours
- Whether setup and teardown count as rental time
- Continuous or split hours
- Idle time rate and how it is billed
- Start and end times written into the contract
Does the photo booth come with an attendant?
Check whether an attendant is included, whether they stay with the booth for the full rental or only for setup, and what their job is on the night: helping guests with props, reloading paper, fixing jams and keeping the line moving. If there is no attendant, ask what happens when the printer runs out or the screen freezes, and who at your wedding would be expected to deal with it.
If an attendant is included, ask for their name and arrival time, add them to your vendor contact sheet with a phone number, and check the contract for a meal or break clause so they can be counted in your vendor meal numbers if one is required.
Do photo booths save photos? Prints and digital files
Read the print terms carefully. "Unlimited prints" and "one print per session" produce very different results, and some contracts cap prints per guest or per hour. Check the print size and layout, whether a custom design with your names and date is included, and whether guests can get a second copy to leave in a guest book.
Then find the digital delivery terms: an online gallery or a file download, when it arrives, how long it stays available, and whether guests can send images to their phones during the event. Check whether the booth company may use your images in its own marketing and whether you can ask it not to. Save your own copy of the gallery once it arrives, and confirm in writing any use you plan for the images.
- Print size, layout and custom design
- Unlimited prints or a stated cap
- Duplicate prints for a guest book
- Gallery or download, and delivery date
- How long the gallery stays online
- Instant sharing to guest phones
- Marketing use of your images
What space, power and venue approval does a photo booth need?
Ask for the footprint the booth needs, including the backdrop and room for a group of guests to stand, and whether it needs a wall behind it or can stand in open space. Ask how many outlets it needs, how far from an outlet it can be, and whether it can run outdoors. Share those answers with the venue, and ask the venue to confirm the spot on your floor plan.
Check the setup time and when the crew needs access, which may be well before guests arrive. Ask whether the venue requires a certificate of insurance from the booth company, and send the requirement to the company early. Check the props list too: what is included, whether custom signs cost extra, and whether lost or broken props are charged.
- Footprint, including backdrop and guest space
- Outlets and distance to power
- Indoor or outdoor use
- Setup time and venue access window
- Venue approval and certificate of insurance
- Props included and any charge for lost props
How are overtime, travel and idle time charged? For example
For example, a hypothetical package costs $900 for three hours, with overtime at $200 an hour billed per started half hour and idle time at $75 an hour. The booth is ready at 5:00 p.m., runs through cocktail hour until 6:00, closes during dinner until 7:30, then runs until 10:00. Operating time is 1 + 2.5 = 3.5 hours, so the overtime is one half hour: $100. Idle time is 1.5 x $75 = $112.50. The total is $900 + $100 + $112.50 = $1,112.50.
If the same hypothetical contract instead counts the whole 5:00 to 10:00 window as rental time, that is five hours, or two hours over. Two hours is four half-hour increments, so overtime is 4 x $100 = $400 and the total is $1,300. Also check for a travel fee beyond a set distance, parking charges, and whether any charge applies if the venue asks the booth to set up earlier than planned.
When are photo booth rental payments due?
Record the deposit or retainer amount and its label, the balance and its due date, and whether overtime is billed on the night or invoiced afterward. Check whether sales tax is added and on which lines. Put each date and amount on your payment calendar as soon as you sign, rather than waiting for a reminder.
Then read the cancellation and date-change terms: what you owe if you cancel at different points, whether the booking can move to a new date, and what happens if the booth fails during the event. Whether any money comes back depends on the contract and on state law, which varies. Ask the company to state the terms in writing.
- Deposit amount and how it is labeled
- Balance amount and due date
- How and when overtime is billed
- Sales tax and which lines it applies to
- Cancellation and date-change terms
- What happens if the booth stops working
Photo booth contract review
Use one row for a decision or deliverable. Keep unanswered items visible. Download the blank worksheet to open in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.
On a small screen, swipe the worksheet sideways to see the remaining columns.
| Term | What the contract says | Page / clause | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rental hours, start and end | — | — | — |
| Setup, teardown and idle time | — | — | — |
| Attendant | — | — | — |
| Prints and print cap | — | — | — |
| Digital gallery and delivery date | — | — | — |
| Props and backdrop | — | — | — |
| Space, power and venue approval | — | — | — |
| Overtime rate and increment | — | — | — |
| Travel and parking | — | — | — |
| Payments and cancellation | — | — | — |
A message you can make your own
Add your document reference and the questions that apply. You decide what to send and send it yourself.
Thank you for sending the photo booth contract. Before we sign, could you confirm a few points in writing? Do setup and teardown count toward our rental hours, and how would a closed period during dinner be billed? Will an attendant stay with the booth the whole time? Are prints unlimited, and when will we receive the digital gallery? Could you also tell us the space and number of outlets the booth needs, your setup time, the overtime rate and billing increment, any travel fee, and whether you can send a certificate of insurance to our venue?
Common questions
How much does a wedding photo booth rental cost?
A wedding photo booth rental cost has no single figure you can rely on, because it depends on the rental hours, how idle time is billed, the attendant, the prints, the props and backdrop, travel and overtime. Ask for an itemized quote for your own timeline, then add the overtime and idle time your schedule would trigger before comparing companies.
Is a photo booth worth it at a wedding?
Whether a photo booth is worth it at a wedding is your decision, and the contract helps you weigh it. Price the full rental for your timeline, check that the venue has the floor space and power, and decide what you want afterward: prints for a guest book, a digital gallery, or both. Compare that total with your other planned spending.
What is idle time on a photo booth rental?
Idle time on a photo booth rental is time the booth stays set up but closed, such as during dinner or speeches. Some contracts charge a separate rate for it and some count it as rental time. Check the wording and your timeline together, and price both before you sign.
Can the photo booth go outside?
A photo booth can go outside only if the booth company says it can run outdoors, so ask what it needs for power and cover, and what happens in wind, rain or direct sun. Then ask the venue to confirm the outdoor spot and a backup spot indoors, and write both on the floor plan.
Is a video booth rental different from a photo booth?
A video booth rental contract can be read with the same checklist as a photo booth, with a few more terms to check. Ask how long each clip can be, whether sound is recorded and how noise from the reception affects it, the file format you receive and when, and whether clips can be shared to guest phones during the event.
Does the venue need to approve the photo booth?
A venue may need to approve a photo booth, so ask it directly. It may want to approve the location, check power, set an access window or require a certificate of insurance. Pass those requirements to the booth company in writing, with the dates the venue sets.