 Central Texas Ranch Weddings! - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths Whether you know it or not, Austin, Texas is a very popular destination wedding spot! When people think of Texas, they don't think about the fact that the Austin-Travis County area has nearly 1,000,000 people. They think of open plains, ranches, cattle, cowboys, and of course ranch weddings!
Rustic weddings are still huge and what better place to have your wedding, than in the Austin area, or the "wedding capital of Texas," Dripping Springs? There are tons of Austin area ranches for weddings and events. Many of them have the name "ranch," in the venue names, such as: The Ranch Austin Wedding Venue, Pecan Springs Ranch, Vista West Ranch, Twisted Ranch Weddings, and Rockin Y Ranch, and Star Hill Ranch, just to name a few! We've actually done weddings at most of these great venues, too! Outdoor ceremonies are definitely a huge thing, here in our area, and understandably so. It's hard to beat the timeless look of your wedding day photos, with pictures of beautiful outdoor scenery! If you're considering having a destination wedding, or even a summer wedding (2018 or 2019), be sure to check out our Austin summer 2018 wedding planning tips article, as well as our planning a destination wedding, article, for plenty of helpful tips and considerations! There are many more indoor/outdoor wedding venues where we frequently provide our DJ, photo booth, and lighting services, too, but these are the most frequent "ranches" that we have gone to. Don't worry, though, not all of these places are barn style, and because we're in central Texas, they have air conditioned areas for most of these, as well! :) So if you're planning a ranch or rustic style wedding, Austin and central Texas is one of the most popular destination wedding places! We hope to work with you, your friends, and family, at one of these venues, soon! :) - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths
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 Create Your Custom Photo Booth Backdrop! - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths If you're having a wedding, quinceanera, party, or event, then entertainment is definitely at the top of your list. Other than hiring a great DJ, you may also be considering a photo booth rental for your event. A photo booth is always a huge hit at weddings and events, because it allows guests to do something, other than dance. Who doesn't love selfies? :)
Although we have a variety of backdrop style, the green screen is definitely a feature that is perfect for any event! You are no longer limited to choosing from our colored or sequin backdrops. We can create virtually any backdrop you want. If you're having a Paris theme prom or party, why settle for a regular backdrop? We can use the Eiffel Tower backdrop for you and your guests to take photos in front of! Perhaps you're having a casino night and why not have your guests take pictures in front of the Las Vegas sign or strip? We can create that and also add your custom text, onto the photo strips, such as "Casino Night 2018." Fiesta themes, Christmas themes, football party themes, Hawaiian luaus, Halloween, etc. If you're a business, you can send us your logo or whatever you'd like us to use, and we can create that as the backdrop, instead of the usual backdrops. It's great for marketing, branding, and name recognition! The possibilities are endless! So if you're considering renting a photo booth for your Austin area wedding, quinceanera, or event, consider using the latest technology and really giving your guests a fun, memorable photo booth experience! Contact us, today, and let's discuss the details. - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths  A Simple, Affordable DIY Photo Booth! - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths If you're planning a wedding, party, quinceanera or event, then chances are, you're also considering a photo booth! We know it may seem strange that a photo booth company would write an article about how to DIY your own photo booth; however, we're different. We write our helpful tips and advice with you, the client, in mind! We want to help everyone have a fun, memorable event, even if you're not our client. :) If you're on a really tight budget, there are some alternatives to hiring a photo booth company. Here are a few DIY alternatives to consider. DIY Photo Booth With a Tablet DIY Photo Booth With a Tablet - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths One way to DIY a photo booth, is to use a tablet, such as an iPad or any tablet, and take pictures with the tablet's camera. You can install a photo booth app, if you'd like to have more features, but if you're simply looking to take pictures and post them to social media, the regular camera would work just fine. Be sure to add your wedding hastag, to collect the photos. Check out our article on the wedding hashtag generator article, for more info, if you don't already have a wedding or event hashtag. Next, you'll need to buy a stand for your tablet, too. This tablet stand costs $25.99 on Amazon and will easily work for your DIY photo booth. You'll also need to create your own backdrop, or just use the venue's wall, if you don't want to create a backdrop. Also, be sure to buy or use an extension cord, just in case your tablet needs to be charged. Also, make sure to set up your photo booth in a well lit area. You can buy a single photo booth lighting kit, (soft box, light and stand) if you need more lighting, for about $40. Next, you'll simply buy some fun photo booth props, or even make your own props, such as a custom photo booth frame! Be sure to check out Pinterest for plenty of DIY photo booth frame ideas. DIY Photo Booth With a Mobile Phone DIY Photo Booth With a Mobile Phone! - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths If you don't have a tablet, you can always do the above steps, but simply have your guests use their mobile phones. This is not exactly a "photo booth," but you'll have guests take their favorite pics and use your hashtag. There are even several free photo booth apps that you can have your guests use. This is by far the least expensive option, since you would not have to buy a tablet stand, and people can use their flashes on their phones. As with the above DIY photo booth example, this is only for posting to social media and does not offer printouts. All you'll need to provide is the hashtag, props, and a well lit area! That will cost you less than $30! :) DIY Photo Booth With an Instant Print Camera DIY Photo Booth With an Instant Print Camera - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths If you're looking to add printouts to your DIY photo booth station, you can purchase an instant print camera, such as the camera in the above picture. This was a picture of our clients' actual DIY photo booth station. They used the Fujifilm Instax Mini cameras. You can get these cameras on Amazon, for about $56, each. You'll have to buy film for about $37, for 60 prints. This is more expensive than the other options, but your guests can take a printout home. You'll also have to buy props, or make your own props, as well. The drawbacks to this is that you only get one printout and you have to be in a well lit area, even with the flash. So if you want all your guests to get printouts, they'll have to take multiple photos, which means more film you'll have to buy. So to purchase the camera, 120 printouts, and props it will cost you about $150. This is still an economical option, especially if you want printouts. Rent a Photo BoothYour last option, though it isn't a DIY option, is to simply rent a photo booth for your wedding or event. Photo booth prices can really vary, and what you get with the rental can also vary. You can rent our professional photo booth, which comes with unlimited photo sessions, high quality prints (using a professional dye-sub printer), a 20 megapixel camera, props, lighting, a backdrop and a professional photo booth attendant, starting at $395. This is a very affordable option, considering many of our competitors have the exact same setup, for double, or triple the cost! (We've done our research).
Though our rate is more than the above options, our professional photo booth offers the ability to add custom text, or a logo, produces high quality, 2X6 or 4X6 printouts in seconds, includes animated GIF photos, allows for 3 different poses per session, includes your choice of backdrop color, includes professional lighting, includes fun, unique props, and has a variety of other options, all which will produce great pictures, every time! The best part: you just show up and have fun! No need to set anything up by yourself, change out the film rolls (like the instant print cameras), worry about forgetting anything on your event date, worry about your guests damaging the equipment (we all know that person who will get too tipsy and may drop the camera, tip over the stand, etc). Leave the stress to us and enjoy your special day! :) Be sure to check out our photo booth rental considerations article; for more tips, visit our choosing your photo booth backdrops, photo booth props and adding a photobook, article! - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths  Casey Donahew, Stoney Larue & ABDJs, at Leander Liberty Fest! We're excited to announce that we will be at the Leander Liberty Fest, next week, for the 4th of July celebration! The Liberty Fest will have lots of great vendors, arts and crafts, food, drinks, and best of all, great music! Texas Country fans, don't miss Casey Donahew & Stoney Larue, headlining this event! Thanks to the awesome sponsors, this event is FREE! If you're in the area, stop by and say hi to Jason & Diana, they'll be there! :) - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths  Destination Wedding Planning Tips - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths There may have been a place you have been dreaming of for your wedding day since you were a child. But now you are engaged and live all the way across the country! Good news - it’s time for a destination wedding. Destination weddings are fun, if done right, and help people that live all over to meet at one specific location. The only quirk is planning it just right to make sure your wedding goes off without a hitch! Here are some of the best tips for planning a destination wedding you can utilize to get your wedding just right. TimingIt is easy to forget that other states have completely unique weather at certain times of the year. For example, Austin, Texas, may be hot or rainy during the summer months, so a spring or fall wedding is a great time for a Texas wedding. On the other hand, Colorado has snowy winters and windy springs, so in this beautiful state, fall and summer are the best months. That said, if you’re looking to have a wedding at one of the less desirable times, there’s always the option of an indoor venue. This way, you can choose your wedding date regardless of the weather. Plan (at least) two trips prior to weddingBecause you don’t live in the destination that you’ll be planning this major event in, it’s important to plan some visits. The first trip should be to visit wedding venues and speak to other vendors like a great DJ, caterer, florist, etc. It should be at least one year to ensure that you have plenty of options left for your venue. This will help with your timing aspect. The second trip should be planned around the 6-month mark. At this point, brides likely have their dress chosen and the wedding colors and theme are decided on as well. This trip is a great time to have a hair and makeup trial, that way if you need to figure out a different style option, you have plenty of time to do so. This second trip is also a great time to revisit your venue and get a more detailed idea of how the décor, seating and schedule might pan out. Double-check with all your vendors to be sure you’re still on the same page. The (optional) third trip should be taken about 1 month prior to the nuptials. For brides that are doing a lot of DIY projects, didn’t like their first hair and makeup trial, or need to do a food tasting, this third trip is necessary. Otherwise, save the travel expense and plan to get to your destination wedding a week ahead of time to organize and set up. Keep the guests in mindWhile your wedding should be everything you’ve ever dreamed of, it’s also important to keep your guests in mind, especially if they need to travel. If you plan for a place too expensive, or out of reach, they might not have a good time, or worse, they might not even show up. That’s why you should put as much effort into making it as convenient as possible for them. Maybe put together an all-inclusive package so they know exactly what they have to pay for. Provide accommodations, airport information, rental car options and a variety of things to do. Hire a proSometimes, wedding planning can be overwhelming. If at some point you feel like you can’t do it, consider hiring a professional. You should feel confident and excited about your wedding. So, let them take on some of the responsibility while you communicate what your dream wedding will be like. It may seem crazy at times, but always remember that the most important aspect of the wedding is the joining of you and your significant other. Follow these tips for planning a destination wedding and chances are, you’ll have the wedding of your dreams! guest Contributor: Abigail golder
An Awesome First Dance, With a "Grease" Twist! Wedding Ceremony with Real Greenery! - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths
This past weekend, we had a great time providing a DJ for a fun Sunday wedding, at Brodie Homestead, in Austin, Texas. The wedding decor had a lot of greenery and fuchsia colors, which looked great! The first dance was definitely one of the best we've seen in a while. Caroline & Matt chose to choreograph their own first dance, and had Jason make a special mix that started with "We Belong Together" by the Los Lobos remake from the "La Bamba" movie, then it went into "You're the One That I Want" from Grease! They even did the hand jive moves! We LOVED it! :) The video, above, is a clip of their first dance. The wedding was great, thanks to all the great vendors who worked together to make it a memorable and fun wedding, for Caroline & Matt! Thanks to the following vendors: Florist: Bouquets of Austin Photography: Ash Renee Photography Cake: Sweetish Hill Bakery Day-of-Coordinator: Rachel Dunton Catering: Catering With a Twist Everyone worked hard to make this day special, for Caroline and Matt! Congrats, again to our couple! We look forward to doing it all over again, this weekend! - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths  Photo Booth Rental Cost - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths Wedding & Party Photo Booth Rentals - Austin & Central TXIf you're planning a wedding, quinceanera, party, or event, you know entertainment is a huge factor in determining the success of your event. Music plays a large role, and of course a great DJ know what music to play, to keep your guests dancing, throughout the event. However, more and more, people want to step up their entertainment. We all know that great music is essential for a great party, but not everyone dances. By the way, if you're looking for an Austin wedding or event DJ, we know several. :) So what do you do for your guests who dance care much for dancing? Luckily, there are numerous other entertainment options! Many entertainment companies offer numerous popular entertainment options; we offer: karaoke, photo booth, lawn games, giant games, trivia, game hosting, giant movie screenings, etc. Check out our wedding DJ and photo booth packages page, or our quinceanera/Sweet 15/16 DJs page, to view all our optional upgrades. Even if you're not our client, this will give you a good idea of the numerous entertainment options that companies may offer. The most popular entertainment option for weddings and events, besides a DJ, is a photo booth rental (also sometimes spelled as photobooth). Well over 60% of our bookings are for both a DJ and photo booth. Some call it a "picture booth," and others may call it a "selfie booth." Whatever you call it, a photo booth is a great, fun entertainment option! Your guests are sure to have hours of fun, taking selfies with a photo booth! Photo Booth Rental Cost Photo Booth Rental Cost - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths If you decide to add a photo booth to your event, you definitely need to know the cost. Every photo booth company offers different options, for different prices. You'll find some really expensive photo booth rates, and some really cheap photo booth deals on sites like Craigslist or Groupon, but be cautious! We've booked plenty of DJ and photo booth gigs at the last minute, because that client booked someone else, who simply took their money. It's very hard to believe that people do this, but it happens more often than you think. We're not knocking either of these sites, as they are simply platforms for vendors to advertise and acquire business. We are knocking the unprofessional vendors who do this to clients, month after month! :( So let's get back to the cost.The photo booth rental cost in the Austin and central Texas area (and most other markets in the US) ranges from as low as $250, to as much as $1,000, for a 3 - 4 hour booking. The best way to compare is to find out what's included with each company. We are very experienced and offer the exact same photo booths as the companies who only provide photo booths. Our rates are actually less than what you should expect to pay for a well experienced professional, which is $794. Wow, what a great deal! We really need to reconsider our DJ and photo booth pricing. haha :) The biggest difference between the $250 photo booth and the $1,000 photo booth is usually what's included, as well as how well known the company is. The newer companies often start off with lower prices, simply to "get their name out there" and get as many bookings as possible. Some companies will use the old "bait and switch" routine, using the lower price to get your attention, but include next to nothing for the $300. You'll likely have to pay extra for props, a non-white (plain) backdrop, printouts, etc. Be sure to ask questions about what's included, and read all the fine print in the contract, if there is one. If there's not a contract, and it's a low price, RUN! :) The more established companies (the companies you'll find on page 1 of Google), have been in business longer or are often part of a national franchise (which means they have the advantage of multiple locations, nationwide and much more website traffic, due to this). I won't get into how this all works, because that's an entirely different blog, but it's basically due to SEO and website traffic. :) These companies are going to be the ones that likely charge you closer to the $1000 price. Not to say that they don't offer a great product, because they certainly do, but definitely do your homework and compare photo booth companies and narrow down your list to your top 3. Once you have your top 3 list, now it's time to ask the right questions. If you don't know what questions to ask, before renting your photo booth, no problem, we're here to help! Here is our list of the best questions to ask before renting your photo booth. Top 10 Questions to Ask Before Renting a Photo BoothThe following questions are great questions to ask your photo booth provider:
All of the above questions are great questions to ask, before booking your photo booth. If you'd like to know more about booking a photo booth for your wedding, quinceanera, party or event, in the Austin or central Texas area, with us, please visit our photo booth rentals page. As always, if you have any additional questions, please feel free to message us, even if you're not our client! :) - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths  A Great Way to Add the Bible, to Your Wedding! - Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths Sunday, we had a great time providing a DJ for a fun wedding, at Brodie Homestead, in Austin, TX. We noticed this different sign-in station, near the gift table. We have actually never seen this before, but we LOVED the idea! This bible was set out for guests to highlight their favorite bible verse, and sign their names next to it. This way, the couple can look back and read their family and friends' favorite bible verse, whenever they need inspiration and advice. This was definitely different, and a great idea!
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Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths
1401 Lavaca Street #58 Austin, TX 78701 |