Photo Booth Rentals in Houston, Texas

Five Houston venues and what they mean for a booth

Houston is big and spread out, and its event venues range from a 1905 bank lobby to a post office turned rooftop park. Most of the large rooms work from exclusive or curated catering lists, so confirm early that an outside booth vendor is allowed and how much setup time they get. Five that come up again and again:

• The CorinthianDowntown

  The First National Bank building at 202 Fannin St., completed in 1905 and often called Houston’s first skyscraper. The Great Hall has 35 foot Corinthian columns and holds up to 1,900, and the original 1914 bank vault seats 120. One event per day, so the load in is not shared with another party.

• POST HoustonDowntown

  The former Barbara Jordan Post Office, now more than 550,000 sq ft with the largest rooftop park in America. Event spaces run from the 12,760 sq ft X Atrium (2,000 guests under a 39 foot ceiling) to The Office (3,000 guests) and two rooftop spaces for around 450 to 500. The rooftops are open to Houston weather, so plan the booth indoors from June to September.

• The AstorianWashington Avenue corridor

  14,000 sq ft on the third floor of a historic building at 2500 Summer St., styled after 1920s Art Deco and Grand Central Station, for up to 750 guests with skyline views. Gear goes up three floors, so build that into the setup time.

• Asia Society Texas CenterMuseum District

  Yoshio Taniguchi’s first freestanding building in the United States. The Fayez Sarofim Grand Hall takes 200 guests and the Education Center with its Green Garden up to 300. Catering is from the center’s list only, liability insurance is required, and setup is limited to three hours before the event, so the booth needs to be among the first things in.

• Houston Museum of Natural ScienceMuseum District

  Events for 20 to 5,000 guests among the museum’s halls, with exclusive caterers and rentals sold in four hour blocks. Book booth hours to match the rental rather than a standard package length.

Houston planners and destination managers

Houston planners reflect the city: large social weddings, one of the most diverse populations in the country, and an energy industry that keeps the corporate calendar full. Three established firms:

• Belle Events

  Founded in 2001 and based on the Katy Freeway, planning more than 100 weddings, social, corporate and nonprofit events a year.

• A Day To Remember

  Claudia G. de Velasco’s firm at 2003 W. 14th St. near the Heights, with more than two decades of weddings, destination weddings and corporate events.

• Experience Houston

  A destination management company founded in 2011, running corporate events across Houston, The Woodlands, Katy and Sugar Land.

Rodeo season, storm season and wedding season

Houston’s good event weather comes in two short halves, roughly March to May and October to November, and each half has competition. In spring it is the rodeo and the energy conference calendar; in fall it is quinceañera season and the tail of hurricane season.

• Rodeo seasonLate February to March

  The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo runs for about three weeks in March, with the downtown parade just before it. Themed parties and corporate hospitality fill those weeks, which overlap some of the best outdoor wedding dates of the year.

• Spring and OTCApril to May

  Spring weddings continue, and the Offshore Technology Conference brings more than 30,000 energy industry attendees to NRG Park in early May, with the corporate receptions that come with it.

• Heat and stormsJune to September

  Summer heat makes June one of the weakest wedding months, and hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Indoor venues get the best rates of the year, but ask each vendor how they handle a storm postponement.

• Fall peakOctober to November

  October brings the most reliable weather of the year and is the top wedding month, quinceañera season peaks at the same time, and Diwali celebrations add to the calendar in early November. Book 9 to 12 months out.

Beltway 8, the Grand Parkway and beyond

Houston vendors price the metro by distance from their base, and some publish a free radius of around 20 miles with a per mile charge beyond it. Freeway traffic makes a 30 mile drive feel longer, so for a suburban event it is worth comparing quotes from vendors based nearer the venue:

• Katy, About 29 miles west, and one of the biggest suburban booth markets, with 11 vendors of its own.
• Sugar Land, About 19 miles southwest in Fort Bend County, one of the most diverse suburbs in the region.
• The Woodlands, About 30 miles north, a resort and corporate campus market likely to carry a travel charge from central Houston vendors.
• Pearland, About 16 miles south, close enough to fall inside the 20 mile free travel radius some Houston vendors publish.
• Cypress, About 24 miles northwest, with nine vendors of its own and a cluster of barn and ranch style venues.

Photo booth rentals near Houston