How To Craft A Custom Photo Booth Backdrop For Your Event

Well my friend you’ve done it, you’ve booked an incredible photo booth rental for your event. Now what? I know, I know, your inner DIY diva is coming out and she’s saying, “Girl, we can create a jaw-dropping photo booth backdrop.”

If that sounds like you, have no fear. I am Hayley, a photo booth enthusiast, and a DIY queen. I’m going to walk you step-by-step how to create a totally one-of-a-kind photo booth backdrop for your event. So get your hot glue gun ready, because we’re going to create a diy photo backdrop worthy of the Oscars.

1. Pick A Show-Stopping Theme

Whether you are planning a bachelorette party, a hot NYC cocktail party, a corporate event, or your own wedding – chances are you already have a theme picked out. If you do, then consider the elements of your theme that you can play off of to create a memorable backdrop.

Is your theme Hollywood glam? Futuristic fabulous? Rustic inspired? Or the roaring 20’s? Even if your theme is simple, find 2-4 colors you can incorporate in your backdrop. The powers of threes are great to remember as you want to keep it simple, yet memorable. Unless your theme is rainbow colors, choose three colors to work with.

2. Find A Wall You Can Add The Pizzazz To

Now that you have your colors or theme picked out, let’s go to the wall. Look around at the space you’ll be using for your event and choose the wall where your photo backdrop will be placed. Yes, you want to choose this before you even begin thinking about building your backdrop. The reason is, what if you find a cool brick wall or textured wall you can use as the base of your backdrop? Don’t just look for the plain-jane places. Look for places that will enhance your backdrop and create even more of a wow factor.

Once you find the wall you’ll be using, decide if you will be building the backdrop directly onto the wall or if you’ll be building your backdrop onto materials that will then be placed in front of the wall. For example, you could build an arch that encircles your brick wall, rather than covering the wall. Or, if you are building on the wall, is the location okay with you placing materials directly onto the wall? Consider all options before deciding what route you’ll take in construction. Believe me, the possibilities are endless so take inspiration from the current wall and yes, get lost on Pinterest.

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3. Consider Using Materials You Already Have

Are you ready for the super fun part? It’s time to construct your backdrop. But exactly how do you make a photo booth wall? How do you make a photo backdrop for a party? And how do you make a photo booth backdrop for a business event? Well truthfully, there is no right or wrong answer. You can create a photo booth backdrop out of just about anything.

The first place I recommend starting when it comes to choosing materials is to look through what you already have. Review all of the plates, streamers, cups, wrapping paper, or other leftover material you have already purchased. Can you create something magical out of it?

Using leftover material could be transformed into a DIY Plate Photo Backdrop, a Geometric DIY Backdrop, an Ombre Tissue Paper wall, or even a Wrapping Paper Backdrop. The sky is literally the limit here.

My tips would be to one; choose a material that can be easily manipulated into the shapes/folds you want. And second; make sure you have a lot of it. Like I mean, a crap ton of it. Trust me, you’ll end up using way more than you thought you would. Especially when it comes to tissue paper.

4. Get Your DIY On: A Photo Booth Backdrop Worthy Of Social Media

Alright my mini Martha Stuart, pour yourself a glass of wine, and let’s get to building. I highly recommend you enlist the help of a friend or two to make this process go faster because yes, it takes a long time. Although it depends on your design, I recommend starting from the top and working your way down. That way by the time you get to the center of the backdrop your skills are perfected and the focal point of everyone's photos looks stunning.

5. Practice Your DIY Photo Backdrop Poses

Look at you, you did a thing! You created a stunning photo booth backdrop that even your son’s art teacher is going to be impressed with. So what’s next? Well, you need to test it out. What I mean by this is, once the backdrop is set up and in the correct position don’t forget about the test photos. Take a few test photos with your phone and someone as your model and see if anything needs to be adjusted. What happens a lot of times is the wall looks amazing and then someone stands in front of it and a flower center is directly above someone's head. Avoid those awkward photos now, by adjusting your backdrop with real people in front of it.

Now social media loves a good DIY creation, so don’t forget to post your backdrop and tag all the people attending your party. That way everyone attending your event can come ready with their best photo booth pose.

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Let Your Creativity Run Wild

If you are still feeling overwhelmed by the idea of creating your own photo booth backdrop, why not choose a simple design that you can attach directly to the wall? These backdrops are much easier to construct and adjust as you build.

Whatever you choose to create, don’t be afraid to get creative with it. After all, the people attending your event are coming for the fun. So have fun, be bold, and remember there are no wrong answers here.

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