It is August. Nobody at your office is thinking about the holiday party yet. Which is exactly why now is the right time for you to be — because the December dates that everyone wants are claimed in the next eight weeks, and the person who books early is the person who gets the venue, the caterer and the entertainment they actually wanted.
We photograph holiday parties all over Hampton Roads every December — office celebrations, hospital departments, restaurant crews, nonprofit galas, retail teams. Here is what we have learned about making a photo booth work at a company party, and how to plan one without it becoming another line item you have to chase.
Book by October — December Books Itself
December is the single busiest month of our year, and the demand is not spread evenly. It concentrates on about six dates: the Fridays and Saturdays in the first three weeks of the month. Those are the evenings when most Hampton Roads companies hold their parties, and they are the first dates to go.
If your party date is already set, the practical advice is simple: reach out in August, September or October. That is early enough to have your pick of dates and it gives us several weeks to design your print template rather than rushing it. If your date is not set yet, check availability before you commit to a venue — it is far easier to move a party by one Saturday than to find every vendor free on a date you have already locked.
A holiday party print from a Hampton Roads company celebration.
What a Photo Booth Actually Does at a Company Party
Company parties have a specific problem that weddings do not: people arrive already sorted into the groups they see every day. Accounting sits with accounting. The warehouse crew stands near the door. Everyone is polite, the food is good, and by 8pm half the room is checking their phone.
A photo booth breaks that up, and it does it without anyone having to organize a game or make an announcement. People wander over out of curiosity, they end up in a frame with someone from a department they never talk to, and they leave holding a print with the company logo on it. That print goes on a fridge or a cubicle wall and stays there for a year. It is a small thing, but it is the rare party expense that keeps working after the party ends.
It also solves the photo problem quietly. Most companies want pictures from the party for the newsletter, the careers page or social media, and nobody wants to be the person walking around with a camera all night. A booth produces a folder of genuinely good, well-lit photos that people were happy to be in — which is a very different thing from candids taken across a dark ballroom.
Your Logo on Every Photo — Included, Not an Upgrade
This is the part that matters most for a corporate event, and the part most companies do not realize is standard. Every one of our packages includes a custom print template designed specifically for your event. Your logo, your brand colors, your event name and the date get built into the layout, so every photo a guest takes home carries your branding. There is no extra charge for the design work.
For a branded activation — a product launch, a trade show booth, a customer appreciation night — this is the whole point. But it works just as well for an internal holiday party. The photos get texted, posted and printed, and each one is a small, genuinely welcome piece of your brand out in the world.
A branded corporate print layout — logo, colors and a call to action built into every photo.
If you have brand guidelines, send them over when you book and we will work from them. If you do not, send us a logo and tell us the vibe, and we will design something and show you a proof before the event.
Which Package Fits a Corporate Party
Three options, and for company parties the choice is usually straightforward:
| Package | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Selfie $350 · 3 hrs · drop-off |
$350 | Smaller office gatherings and casual after-hours parties where digital sharing is enough |
| ⭐ Party $600 · 4 hrs · staffed |
$600 | The usual choice — an attendant keeps the line moving, plus props and a backdrop |
| VIP Glam $975 · 4 hrs · staffed |
$975 | Galas and client-facing events — unlimited prints so everyone leaves with one |
Extra hours are $75 on any package, and a 25% deposit reserves your date. The honest recommendation for most company holiday parties is the Party Package: at a work event, an attendant is worth the difference. They keep the line moving during the twenty minutes when everyone decides to come at once, and they get the quieter people to give it a try.
The one upgrade genuinely worth considering for a corporate party is unlimited prints. When every guest walks away with a physical photo carrying your logo, the branding does far more work than a digital gallery link that half the room never opens. You can compare everything side by side on our pricing page.
Venue Logistics — The Boring Part That Prevents Problems
Three things to confirm with whoever manages your venue:
Space. We need roughly 10 feet by 10 feet with about 8 feet of overhead clearance. Hotel ballrooms and event halls have this easily; a restaurant back room or an office common area is worth measuring first.
Power. Nothing to arrange — we bring our own power supply, so no outlet is needed. This matters more than you would think at venues where the outlets are all behind the buffet.
Access. We need to get in 60 minutes before your start time. At hotels and corporate venues, that usually means telling us the loading dock or service entrance and letting us know if there is an elevator or a security desk involved.
One placement tip worth more than it sounds: put the booth where people already are — near the bar or between dinner and the dance floor. A booth in a quiet corner of the room stays quiet all night.
A branded holiday print — logo and event name built into every photo.
Questions Worth Asking Any Photo Booth Vendor
Whether or not you end up working with us, these five questions will tell you most of what you need to know: Is the camera a real DSLR or an iPad? Is a custom branded template included, or an add-on? Does an attendant stay for the whole event? How quickly do we get the photos afterward, and how are they delivered? And is the quoted price the final price, including setup, travel and delivery?
For the record, our answers are: a professional DSLR with studio lighting, included at no extra cost, yes on every staffed package, a gallery link within 48 hours, and yes — travel inside Hampton Roads is included and quoted up front. If a vendor gets vague on any of those five, that is worth noticing. We wrote more about this in our guide on what to look for when booking a photo booth.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a December party in Hampton Roads, reach out in August through October. December Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest dates of our year and they fill first. Booking early also gives us more time to design your branded print template.
Yes. Every package includes a custom print template designed for your event, so your logo, brand colors and event name appear on every photo guests take home and share. There is no extra charge for the design work, and we will show you a proof before the event.
Most companies choose the Party Package — $600 for four staffed hours, including an on-site attendant, props and a backdrop. If you want unlimited prints so every guest leaves with a keepsake, the VIP Glam Package is $975 for four hours and includes them along with the glam and black-and-white filters.
About 10 feet by 10 feet with 8 feet of overhead clearance. We bring our own power, so no outlet is required, and we ask for access 60 minutes before your start time to set up.
Yes — we regularly work holiday parties in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth and Suffolk, plus the surrounding Hampton Roads area. Travel fees for locations outside our standard service area are confirmed up front at booking.
Tell us your date and we will tell you straight away whether it is open. Veteran-owned, based in Virginia Beach, serving all of Hampton Roads — 5.0 stars from 29 verified reviews.
