Questions, answered
Everything people ask before they book: money and paperwork, prints, the live lookbook, strip designs, venues and what happens if plans change. Can’t find yours? Ask us.
Booking and payments
How do I book the photo booth?
Check your date, pick a package and book online in a few minutes. You review your booking, e-sign the agreement and pay the retainer from your phone, with no account or app to download.
Prefer to talk it through first? Send an inquiry and we'll reply with a proposal you can accept, sign and pay from one link.
How far ahead should we book?
Book as soon as your date and venue are set, because each booth can only be at one event at a time. Spring and fall Saturdays are the most requested wedding dates on Delmarva and go first.
Shorter notice is fine when the date is open. Parties often book a few weeks out.
How much is the retainer, and is it refundable?
The retainer is 30% of your total or $200, whichever is greater, and it is non-refundable. It isn't an extra fee: it counts toward your total.
Your date is reserved once you've signed the agreement and the retainer is paid. Once we hold a date for you, we turn other events away and start designing your strip, which is why the retainer can't be refunded. You can move it to a new date once, though (see rescheduling below).
When is the balance due?
The balance is due 14 days before your event. If you book within 14 days of the event, you pay the full total when you book.
You can turn on autopay to have the balance charged on the due date to the payment method you used for your retainer. We email you at least 3 days before the charge with the exact amount, and you can turn autopay off any time before then.
How can we pay?
Pay by bank (ACH) with no fee, or by card (credit or debit) with a 3% card fee, right from your phone through our secure payment page.
Cash and checks work too, with no fee. Checks are payable to Coastal Bay Digital LLC and need to clear by the due date.
Is there a fee to pay by card?
Yes. Card payments, credit or debit, have a 3% card fee. Bank (ACH) payments have no fee, and neither do cash or checks.
Before you pay, you'll see the exact fee and your total, and you can switch payment methods. The card fee shows as its own line on your receipt, and if we ever refund a card payment, we refund its card fee with it.
Can we sign the contract on our phones?
Yes. You e-sign the agreement from your booking link. Electronic signatures are valid under the federal ESIGN Act and Delaware's Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.
We countersign, and you can download the signed agreement, invoices and receipts from the same link at any time.
Will our price change after we book?
No. Your price is locked once you book, even if our published prices change later. It only changes if you add or remove services, or move to a new date that has different pricing.
Do you charge sales tax?
Delaware has no sales tax, so most bookings have none. If another state requires tax on part of our service, for example prints made at an event outside Delaware, we show it as its own line on your invoice.
The booth and prints
What's included in every package?
Every package includes unlimited photo sessions during your booth hours, custom-designed 2x6 strips, the live digital lookbook with QR sharing, a backdrop and props, and an attendant who sets up, runs and packs up the booth.
Packages differ in hours, backdrop and extras such as glam black-and-white mode and a keepsake scrapbook. Props are included in every package, and setup and breakdown never count against your hours.
How many prints do guests get?
As many as they like. Sessions are unlimited during your booth hours, and every session prints your custom-designed 2x6 strips.
Groups pick how many strips they need right at the booth, so everyone in the photo can take one home.
Do the prints smudge or need time to dry?
No. The booth prints on a professional DNP dye-sublimation printer, so strips come out dry to the touch with a protective clear coat, ready to hold, pass around and pin to the fridge.
A pair of strips prints in about 12 seconds, so the line keeps moving.
Can we add more time?
Yes. An extra hour booked ahead is $160.
On the night, the host can extend in 30 minute blocks for $95 each, if our attendant is available and the venue allows it. Ask before the scheduled end time.
Want the booth paused during the ceremony, dinner or toasts? Intermission time keeps it set up but idle for $80 an hour, billed in 30 minute blocks. The Showstopper includes one intermission hour.
Will someone run the booth?
Yes. A friendly attendant comes with every package. They set up, help guests with props and poses, keep the printer stocked, and pack everything up at the end.
The live lookbook and sharing
What is the live lookbook?
The live lookbook is an online gallery of your event photos that fills up in real time while the party is happening. Guests scan the QR code on their strip or on a table sign and watch new photos appear within moments of each session.
Afterward, it becomes your event's gallery: everyone can come back the next day to save their favorites.
How do guests get their photos?
They scan the QR code on their strip or a table sign. From the lookbook they can save photos to their phone, share them, or download the whole gallery. No app and no account needed.
Does the venue need Wi-Fi?
No. The booth uploads over cellular data or the venue's Wi-Fi. If the connection drops, the booth and prints keep working, and the lookbook catches up as soon as it's back online.
Who can see our photos?
Anyone you share the lookbook link or QR code with. The link contains a long random code, isn't listed on our website, and we ask search engines not to index it.
It's an unlisted link rather than a password-protected one, so you decide who gets it. We never sell photos, and we don't use facial recognition.
Can we hide photos from the lookbook?
Yes. From your booking page you can hide any photo, and it disappears from the lookbook right away. We keep hidden photos privately in case you change your mind, or delete them for good if you ask.
Anyone who appears in a photo can also ask us to remove it, and we generally respond within 2 business days.
How long does the gallery stay online?
We host your lookbook indefinitely at no extra cost. If that ever has to change, we'll email you at least 90 days ahead so you can download everything.
You can download the full gallery any time, and we recommend saving the photos that matter most to you.
Can we post the photos and print them?
Yes. You and your guests can download, print and share the photos for personal use, including on social media. Tagging us is appreciated but never required.
Businesses can also use their event photos internally and to promote the event itself. Paid advertising or reselling needs our written permission.
Will you post our photos online?
Only if you say yes. When you sign, you choose whether we may feature your photos and strip design in our portfolio and on social media, and your choice doesn't change your price.
You can change your mind any time by emailing us. We never feature photos you've hidden, and we don't feature children without a parent's permission.
Strip designs and personal touches
Can the photo strips be customized?
Yes. Every package includes a custom-designed 2x6 strip with your names, date, colors or logo. You review the proof and approve it from your booking page before the event.
Booking within 10 days of your event, or changing the design after you've approved the proof, adds a $55 rush design fee.
What are pose prompts?
Pose prompts are three playful cues, chosen by you, that appear on the booth screen before photos, like "Everybody squeeze in, closer!" They get even shy guests laughing. You pick them from your booking page when you personalize the booth.
Can we put our company logo on the strips?
Yes. Every booking includes a custom strip design, and it can feature your company logo, colors or event name. The booth itself carries Make a Scene branding.
Venues, travel and setup
Where do you bring the booth?
Anywhere on Delmarva: all three Delaware counties, the nine counties of Maryland's Eastern Shore, and Accomack and Northampton counties on Virginia's Eastern Shore. We're based in Sussex County, Delaware.
Is there a travel fee?
Travel is free within 40 driving miles of our Sussex County base. Beyond that, one flat fee covers gas and tolls: $80 for 40 to 65 miles, $160 for 65 to 100 miles and $265 beyond 100 miles.
The Showstopper package includes travel up to 65 miles. Any travel fee is on your proposal before you sign, and anything needing an overnight stay is quoted separately.
How much space and power does the booth need?
Plan on a level area about 10 by 10 feet, plus room for guests to line up, and one standard grounded outlet within 25 feet.
If you can, put the booth on a circuit that isn't shared with catering or DJ equipment. The booth can't block exits or walkways.
Can the booth go outside or on the beach?
Yes, with cover. Outdoors the booth needs a covered, shaded spot that protects it from rain, direct sun, wind and sand, like a tent, porch or pavilion.
For beach events, check the town's beach event rules before you book. If conditions become unsafe, our attendant may pause or move the booth.
How early do you arrive to set up?
We arrive and start setting up 60 to 90 minutes before your booth time begins. Setup and breakdown never count against your hours.
If your venue needs us set up more than 2 hours early, the extra time is billed as intermission time. Tell us about stairs, elevators or loading rules ahead of time.
Our venue asked for a certificate of insurance. Can you provide one?
Yes. Send us your venue's requirements at least 14 days before the event, including whether it needs to be named as an additional insured.
Changes, cancellations and weather
Can we change our date?
Yes, once at no fee, if you ask at least 15 days before your original date, the new date is within 12 months, and we're available. Everything you've paid, including the retainer, moves to the new date.
A date change requested 14 or fewer days before the event is treated as a cancellation, though we may offer a credit toward a new date.
What happens if we cancel?
If you cancel 15 or more days before the event, you owe only the retainer, and we refund anything you've paid above it within 10 business days.
If you cancel 14 or fewer days before the event, the full total is owed. If you'd like to book a new date within 12 months, ask us about a credit.
What if weather or our venue cancels the event?
You don't lose your money. If severe weather or something else beyond anyone's control (like a hurricane, a widespread power outage or a bridge closure) prevents your event, or your venue cancels for reasons outside your control, 100% of what you've paid becomes a credit toward a new date within 12 months, subject to availability.
A forecast alone doesn't count. The event has to actually be prevented or unsafe.
What if you have to cancel?
We never cancel to take another event. If we truly can't make it, we refund 100% of your payments, including the retainer and any card fee, within 10 business days, and we'll recommend other photo booths that may be available.
Ready when you are
Check your date, then book, e-sign and pay online in a few minutes. Questions we didn't cover? We're happy to help.
