There are lots of ways to dress the tables at your wedding reception. But have you considered adding disposable cameras to your plans?

These might seem a little strange at first but they are actually a wonderful idea for a wedding reception. Of course you will want to have a professional photographer available to take proper pictures, but they cannot capture every single moment.

Adding disposable wedding cameras to every table gives the guests a chance to get in on the act though. They can take all kinds of pictures during the reception and then leave the cameras on the tables afterwards to be collected by someone in the wedding party. They will then be developed to give the bride and groom some extra pictures and memories of their wedding day.

When it comes to buying the cameras you will find they come in all kinds of appropriate shades. For example gold, silver, cream and white are all readily available, along with other pastel shades to blend in with slightly more unusual wedding colour choices.

Watch out too for bulk deals on disposable cameras because they can really cut costs. They are quite cheap anyway but when you need several of them you can reduce costs even further. For example one website recently sold single cameras for £2.99 each – and yet a pack of ten cost just £19.99. This would save you nearly £10 off the individual price. Some cameras also come with table cards that tell the guests what they are for. Check the individual site though as these are not always given.

The best idea is to have one camera per table, unless you have particularly large tables at your reception. Make sure you pick someone to go around and pick up all the cameras when the evening is over. You will only need one person to do this otherwise there is the chance of confusion and missed cameras.

Disposable cameras used by the guests are always a bit of a hit and miss affair, but that is half the fun. They won’t be professional photos but you will get genuine snaps of people really enjoying themselves. It will also give you the chance to see more of what happened during the reception; it is impossible for any bride and groom to see everything.

You might also want to overestimate the number of cameras you will need. You will generally find one or two will go on a walkabout and never turn up. If you have a few spares in the hope of getting the number of cameras developed that you want, it should cover this possibility.

Disposable cameras certainly add an extra touch of practicality and fun to the proceedings. Just be sure you don’t ditch the professional photographer and rely on just these cameras instead. They should not replace the main photographer – instead they supply something completely different that can be added to an alternative wedding album. Because you never know exactly what you will get…

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