Photo Station - Part 2

As an addition to the previous posts, here are some ideas I'm playing with for how to set up our photo station.

1. Hang up wall paper, fabric or a bedsheet with a cool design.



[from Laura Novak]


[from Lena Corwin]



Here are two bed sheets from Urban Outfitters that I think are cute.



2. Hang up these fun dots.

[originally posted on Brooklyn Bride; from Fred Flare]


3. Make cardboard cutouts of ourselves.
We were thinking that since there will be so many guests and only 2 of us, this might be a fun way to "take pictures with" our guests.



[photos by Amelia Lyon]


[originally posted on Another F*ing Wedding]


4. Provide fun props for our guests to wear/take pictures with.

[originally posted on Brooklyn Bride; photo by Elyse Hall]


[photo by John & Joseph]


[photo by Elsie]

I love these pictures from the surprise bday dinner my MOH planned for her bf, Lloyd, and our friend, Dan.



[photos by Eric Chan]


5. Provide a board for guests to write messages.

[photo by Scott Robert]

Photo Station - Part 1

I loved the idea of having a photobooth at our wedding. I thought it would be a fun favor, and we'd get the added bonus of having pictures of all our guests. Plus, since I'm a photographer, it felt appropriate. But as we hammered out the details of our budget, and the numbers started adding up faster than I could add, it quickly became clear that it was something that did not fit too well within our budget. Photobooth rentals range from around $1300-1800, and with the number of guests we'll be having, we'd probably have to rent 2 photobooths.

So on to Plan B. I've decided to set up my on photo station for guests to take pictures at. I figure that buying a decent lighting set-up, a nice background, and possibly a sync-cable will only cost me about $5-700. And the great thing is that I can keep all of it for future uses. The hardest part for me now is figuring out what kind of set-up I want, and how to achieve the lighting I like.

I've amassed a small collection of pictures from various blogs of photo areas that others have set up.




[from Boutwell Studio]




[as seen on Faye and Greer]








[from GH Kim]


[from skippeahn]


[from Brides.com]


[from MS Weddings?]




[photos by Scott Robert]

You'd Think It Was Good News

Jeremy and I went down to Union Station to check out their event space yesterday......and WE LOVE IT!! The site coordinator there was really helpful and offered so many suggestions on things we could do and ways we could set things up. And they are surprisingly relaxed about how we use the space. They have hardly any restrictions and seem really accomodating. I am so IN LOVE.

So why the title for this post? Well, yesterday morning my dad received a call from our original reception venue. They were the whole reason we had to go in search of a new venue site. Turns out the manager that my dad knows and has worked a lot with had been on vacation for a month due to some injuries, and so we were getting a lot of mixed messages and uncertainty about whether or not we'd be able to have our reception there. The manager is back now, and he called to confirm and assure us that, although they are in the midst of changing ownership, nothing would interfere with us having our reception there. Great.....just great!

You'd think this was good news. Instead, we are slightly frustrated....not to be a brat or anything. It's just that we went through 7 blissful months of not having to worry about a reception site, only to have our plans changed with only 6 months to the wedding, then spending 2 stressful weeks frantically searching for a new venue, and after finally finding "the perfect" location....it feels like our hopes have been crushed again. It's such a tease! Am I even making any sense?


Of course, there are far worse things that could happen. And really, I am grateful that now we've gone from having no venue options to two. That's definitely a good thing. But

Union Station

Out of all the places my mom, Jeremy, and I have looked into, Union Station is looking the most promising right now. Most of the places we have inquired about are either booked or ridiculously expensive. Jeremy contacted Union Station and they said they are available and that they have no preferred vendors. There is a $6500 location rental fee, but since we can use whatever vendors we want for catering, tables, drinks, etc., we can probably make up that cost by finding vendors that are less expensive than the ones most places would require us to use. That sounds pretty good to me! And the great thing is that the location is super close to my church....about a 5 min drive. The architecture is beautiful as well.

A few pictures from Lisa Ling's wedding at Union Station.





[photos courtesy of Hot and Nerdy]

Top Contendors

The Center at Cathedral Plaza

[photo courtesy of Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels]

Union Station

[photo courtesy of Bumatay Studio]




[photos courtesy of Hollywood Locations]

Almansor Court



[photos courtesy of Almansor Court]

Venue Search

Here are some potential venues that we have been looking into.

CHINESE-STYLE BANQUET
San Gabriel Hilton

Capacity: 600
Available: Yes
$$: $70 pp

888 Seafood Restaurant

Capacity: ?
Available: Yes
$$: $60 pp

Universal Hilton

Capacity: ?
Available: ?
$$: min. $888 per table

WESTERN-STYLE BANQUET
Almansor Court

Capacity: 580
Available: Yes
$$: $65 pp

Los Angeles Theatre

Capacity: ?
Available: Yes
$$: 15,000 rental fee

Sheraton Universal

Capacity: 400
Available: ?
$$: Food minimum of $12,000

Marvimon House

Capacity: 150
Available: Yes
$$: $5500 rental fee

The Center at Cathedral Plaza

Capacity: 600
Available: Booked
$$: $50 pp

Union Station

Capacity: 500
Availability: Yes
$$: $6500 rental fee

The Omni Hotel

Capacity: 800
Available: ?
$$: ?

The Biltmore

Capacity: 750
Available: Yes
$$: $140 pp

Westin Bonaventure

Capacity: 600+
Available: ?
$$: $100 pp

LACMA

Capacity: 600
Available: ?
$$: $6000 rental fee

Pasadena History Museum

Capacity: 2-400
Available: ?
$$: $3000+

California Science Museum

Capacity: 500
Available: Yes
$$: ?

Gene Autry

Capacity: 400+
Available: Booked
$$: $6000 rental fee

LA Music Center - Grand Hall

Capacity: 600
Available: ?
$$:?