4 Hours for the Price of 3 Get Instant Quote >>
We started out hiring photo booths back in April 2008. It all started with me (Paul) going to a wedding in April 2008 with my then current wife (didn’t last much longer as I preferred photo booths to her) and I came across a photo booth. I was blown away with the instant prints and the fun and laughs it created and that’s where the business started.
The very next day I was searching the Internet for software and I came across the only supplier around at the time and are still around today, Breeze – https://www.breezesys.com/. I had that installed and working with in hours, I was buzzing with excitement.
My friend and my business partner at the time was great with his hands and he put together the actual physical booth – it’s still our best rental today – the Party Booth (albeit the technology has changed a bit). No touch screen or video etc but it had a wind machine and instant prints and it created that air of excitement that still happens every time that booth is hired out today. It never fails to amaze me the that drunk people wearing props and love having their photo taken.
Fast forward 12 years and we now have 75 photo booths that we rent out for weddings parties and corporate events and we are the largest photo booth hire company in the UK doing around 2,500 hires a year. Our booth fleet consists of Party Booths, Magic Mirrors (Purchased from https://www.photobooths.co.uk/) Selfie Pods (Purchased from (http://www.ipadbooth.co.uk/ ) and Selfie Post Boxes that we make ourselves.
Our first big celebrity that hired a photo booth from Pictureblast was the Newcastle legend and England footballer Alan Shearer in April 2010 for his 40th birthday party and what a nice man he is too). I remember that day vividly as I’m a massive football fan. The guest list was immense, in attendance was Ant & Dec, Kevin Keegan, Steve Bruce, Shay Given to name a few. Watching Ant, Dec and Alan sing lets get ready to rumble on a stage in his back garden isn’t something that happens everyday.
Since then we’ve done a few famous people, Danni Dyers 13th birthday party at the Sugar Hut featured in the Only Way is Essex (https://thesugarhut.co.uk/).
Also we’ve done Danny Dyers wedding, Lisa Faulkner & John Torode’ wedding, Paul McCartney’s daughters 13th party where our attendant had Pizza and a 30 minute chat with Paul to pass the time and he sang happy birthday in a video message.
We’ve been hired for a Simon Cowell party in Cannes (we’ve driven to Cannes 4 times for events), we once drove the 600+ miles from Cannes to Calais in 12 hours so not to miss our ferry home.
The most lavish party we were hired for Ed Sheehan was also hired for an hour to sing to 16 year old girls in the back garden of a house in Aprilfair, jaw dropping experience.
12 years after it all started its been a crazy ride. We get a buzz from every wedding and party we attend up and down the country, we have met some great people and had the pleasure to be at so many people’s weddings and parties.
We also have had some bad experiences, we’ve had our unit burgled and all our equipment stolen (happened on a Friday night with all booths set up for a busy Saturday) had vans written off in accidents to name a couple, but nothing compares to the impact COVID has had.
It’s been a tough year for lots of businesses in the hospitality and events sector, lots have been forced to close and will never reopen. Fortunately we are in a good position financially and will ride out this pandemic and hopefully see some of you guys at your own parties and weddings very soon.
We can’t wait to get back.
Paul.