How Many Hours Do You Need a Photo Booth at a Wedding?

Most weddings need a photo booth for 4 to 5 hours. That window covers the end of cocktail hour, dinner and the period after the first dance, which is when the booth is busiest and when you’d least want it to close.

The exact number depends on your run sheet, your guest count and whether your ceremony and reception share a venue. Below is how we’d work it out, using only the formats and recommendations published on our photo booth hire page and our corporate pages.

Hours by event type

Event	Suggested hire	Package or format	Source of the recommendation
Wedding, typical	4 to 5 hours	Attended or Remote	Our photo booth FAQ
Wedding, over 150 guests	4 to 5 hours	Attended recommended	Attended package guidance
Smaller wedding or intimate celebration	Plan around the peak (see below)	Remote suits	Remote package guidance
Ceremony and reception at the same venue	Hire window plus an early set-up and pause	Either	Our photo booth FAQ
Office party, under 80 guests	3 hours, arrival drinks to speeches	Open-air booth in the break-out area	Christmas party formats
Venue function, 80 to 300 guests	4 to 5 hours, with a paused window during dinner	Attended, near the bar	Christmas party formats
Ballroom gala, 300+ guests	Quoted per brief	Strip prints for throughput, branded backdrop	Christmas party formats
EOFY or end-of-quarter party	3 to 4 hours	Strip prints	Milestone and staff party formats
Short brand activation	3 hours	Activation package	Corporate packages
Half-day activation	5 hours	Brand Day package, two attendants	Corporate packages
Conference	Full day, multi-day rates	Conference package	Corporate packages

We haven’t put hour counts on birthdays or very small weddings, because we don’t publish a standard for them. The method below works for any event.

How to work out your hours from the run sheet

Step 1: find the peak

At a wedding the booth is busiest after the first dance, once speeches are done and guests are relaxed. Whatever else you cut, keep the booth running through that stretch.

Step 2: decide whether to catch cocktail hour

Cocktail hour is when guests are dressed at their best and not yet tired, so many couples start the booth near its end. If your photographer has you away for portraits, the booth gives guests something to do. Our cocktail hour ideas cover the rest of that window.

Step 3: decide what happens during dinner

Between courses some guests will still wander over. At corporate functions with 80 to 300 guests we build a paused window into the dinner period. For a wedding, talk to us about whether a pause suits your run sheet.

Step 4: add the late-night tail

If your reception runs past the last big moment, it’s worth keeping the booth until the dance floor thins.

Set up and ready before guests arrive. Setup and pack-down are included in every package.

Example run sheets

These are illustrative only, to show how a 4-hour and a 5-hour booking map onto a typical evening. Your times will differ.

Example A: 4 hours, reception from 6 pm

Time	Reception	Booth
6:00 pm	Guests arrive, canapés	Booth not yet running
7:00 pm	Entrances, entrée	Booth opens
8:00 pm	Main course, speeches	Quieter, steady trickle
9:00 pm	Cake, first dance	Queue builds
10:00 pm	Dancing	Busiest stretch
11:00 pm	Last dance	Booth closes

Example B: 5 hours, same-venue ceremony at 4 pm

Time	Wedding	Booth
3:00 pm	Venue preparation	Booth set up early, then paused
4:00 pm	Ceremony	Paused
5:00 pm	Cocktail hour	Booth opens
6:30 pm	Entrances, dinner	Steady
8:00 pm	Speeches, first dance	Queue builds
8:30 to 10:00 pm	Dancing	Busiest stretch, booth closes at 10 pm

For a full template you can adapt, see our wedding run sheet guide and the wedding speech order post.

When more hours won’t help

If you’re worried about queues, hours aren’t the only lever:

• Attended over Remote for big crowds. We recommend Attended for weddings and events over 150 guests. The attendant manages the queue and prints, and helps guests pose so sessions don’t stall.
• Strips over 4x6 for speed. The 2x6 strip is our fastest print format. Our print template guide compares the two.
• Face-detection printing. The booth counts the people in each shot and prints one copy per person, so groups don’t wait around for reprints.
• Placement. A booth tucked away from the action gets less use than one near the bar or the dance floor. See where to put your photo booth.

Groups use the booth together, which is why one print per person matters more than extra hours.

Attended or Remote: does it change the hours?

The hours work the same way for both. The difference is who is there. Attended packages include a professional attendant on-site for the full hire. Remote packages use the same booth, lighting and unlimited prints, with remote monitoring every 20 to 30 minutes, a tech-support number on screen, and our team within 20 minutes of your venue. Remote suits smaller weddings, birthdays and intimate celebrations. Our attended vs remote guide goes into more detail.

What hours cost

Photo booth hire starts from $850 + GST for weddings and private events, and most Melbourne packages sit between $850 and $1,500 + GST depending on hours, attended versus remote service and add-ons. Corporate events are quoted per brief. Travel, parking and any venue access fees are itemised on every quote. Our Melbourne pricing guide breaks this down further.

Send your run sheet, venue and guest count through our enquiry form and we’ll suggest the hire window that fits, with an itemised quote within 24 hours.

Photo booth hours questions