Tips for Hiring Wedding Photo Booths
Are you getting married in 2024? Read this article for tips on hiring wedding photo booths to have the best experience.
In light of the many weddings that had to be rescheduled in 2020 and 2021, it's no wonder that couples are exploring avenues to enhance the uniqueness of their special occasion.
Wedding photo booth hire has become a popular way to add a magical touch to wedding receptions. Hire companies providing photo booths for weddings offer an element that gets everyone involved and has fun, capturing some truly memorable moments.
If you're considering wedding photo booth hire in 2023, you should keep a few tips in mind. In this blog post, we'll share our top tips for wedding photo booth hire for 2023, making sure your guests have a blast and leaving a mark on your wedding day that you can have pride in.
Best photo booths to hire for your wedding
Over the last few years, many types of photo booths have emerged for couples to choose photobooth hire. Which wedding photo booth you choose will largely depend on preference, but some key considerations may sway your choice one way or the other.
Magic mirror photo booth
A mirror photo booth is a standing frame incorporating a magic mirror and touch screen panel that guests interact with to take their picture.
Pros
The most interactive photo booth: Has the largest touchscreen panel to interact with the photo booth software.
Takes the best photos: You get to preview how the image will look from your reflection in the mirror.
Styles fit for a wedding: Has many different styles, like an antique-style or heart-shaped mirror, which is the perfect wedding photo booth.
Cons
Open-air booth: Not a good choice if you prefer enclosed photo booth hire.
More things to go wrong: A mirror booth needs many different parts to work in order to function.
More expensive to hire: If you're on a limited budget, you may want to opt for a photo booth company with cheaper booths for hire, like a selfie pod.
Enclosed photo booth
An enclosed photo booth is the original photo booth, an enclosed space, usually a cube or oval-shaped structure, that people sit inside to take photos they can print.
Pros
An enclosed environment: You can separate the party from where guests take photos.
The best lighting environment: Lighting significantly impacts picture quality, and enclosed booths provide optimal lighting setups to take great shots.
Comes in unique forms: A tuk-tuk or camper van can be a striking feature at your wedding.
Cons
Needs more space than other photo booths: Could be problematic if your wedding venue is small or doesn't have the facilities to accommodate something of this size.
Can be an eyesore for some people: You want a photo booth to add to the décor, not overpower it.
A limited number of people in the picture: As an enclosed space, there's a limit to the number of people you can get in group photos.
Vintage photo booth
A vintage photo booth takes on the appearance of the early 1900s cameras. They usually come as a wooden box on a tripod that adds a classic touch to the event venue.
Pros
Offers the traditional wedding look: The most suitable photo booth for a conventional wedding, and will fit perfectly well in venues like old manors and other period buildings.
Pro photographers use them: Often run by professional photographers, you're more likely to receive excellent service concerning quality.
The least fuss: fastest to set up and take down, so ideal for those with limited time.
Cons
Not that unique looking: Unlike a magic mirror or camper van, a vintage photo booth seems quite simple.
Less interactive: Although this largely depends on the company offering wedding photo booths, many vintage photo booths don't offer the same level of interaction, such as a range of on-screen photo booth props.
Highest cost: Normally costs more than a selfie mirror photo booth despite offering fewer features.
360 photo booth
The newest arrival in the photo booth industry, a 360 photo booth is essentially a video booth that uses camera rotation to capture subjects from all angles, producing immersive 360-degree videos.
Pros
It's unique: The most unique wedding booths for hire - other options can take pictures and videos. There's no alternative to what a 360 photo booth can do.
Draws attention: It's one of the most fun photobooths, as everyone is intrigued with how they'll look in a 360 video.
The Hollywood effect: Gives your venue a red carpet feel.
Cons
Only suitable for videos: A mirror or vintage booth can take pictures and videos, while a 360 booth is only ideal for videos. This also means no unlimited prints
Needs the most space: The photo booth works on a motorised arm that leans outwards to capture footage, therefore needs enough space to function.
More fragile: Unlike regular photo booths, the camera is attached to a motorised base that moves. With many people hopping on and off the base throughout the night, this makes it more susceptible to damage and downtime during the wedding party.
Tips for hiring a wedding photo booth
When planning your wedding party, choosing wedding photo booth hire that will capture all the memories of your big day is essential. Here are some tips for hiring a wedding booth:
Decide what type of photo booth you want
As alluded to above, there are many different types of photo booths for hire, so deciding which one will best suit your wedding party is important. Do you want something traditional, like a vintage photo booth, or a more modern option, like a 360 photo booth? Would you want something that stands out, like a selfie mirror photo booth?
Choosing the right booth can greatly impact parties and other events.
Determine your budget
Photo booth prices for hire can range from a few hundred pounds to several thousand. Knowing how much you're willing to spend before you and what you want to include for your special day before you hire one is essential. Determine what's included in your budget to get the most bang for your buck.
Consider the size of the booth
If you're expecting many guests at your wedding venue, you'll need to ensure the photo booth can accommodate them all comfortably. Otherwise, you may end up with frustrated guests waiting around. This makes selfie mirror photo booth hire a great option as you can take pictures quickly and get large groups in each print.
Consider the size of the venue
If you've hired a small venue for your wedding, or it's a larger venue, but your guests fill the space, you might be unable to fit certain photobooths inside it. Create a flooring plan and work out your dimensions beforehand so you know how much space you can provide for your wedding photo booth hire.
Ask about extras and add-ons
Many wedding photo booth hire companies offer a list of additional services to enhance your photo booth hire experience. These can be extras such as:
Truly unlimited prints
Unlimited visits to the booth
A full range of photo booth props
Additional fun photo templates for unlimited prints
Memorabilia like keychains and photo books
Additional booth time
Personalised watermarks and print covers
Be sure to ask about these options when you're getting quotes so you can compare apples to apples.
Ask about packages
This circles back to the importance of determining your budget. Hiring a photobooth may be cheaper with company A than with company B. Still, when adding the cost of props and extras like unlimited prints and additional hours, it may be cheaper to hire from company B if they offer packages for wedding photo booths.
Read reviews and ask for recommendations
Once you've narrowed down the options that suit your special event, take some time to read online reviews and ask friends or family members who have recently hired a wedding photo booth for their wedding.
Conclusion
As you begin planning your wedding for 2024, remember that wedding photo booth hire is an increasingly popular service, and securing your photo booth hire would be a good option. Remember these tips as you start shopping around, and you're sure to find the perfect wedding booth in the UK to make memories.
Frequently asked questions about wedding photo booths
What is a wedding photo booth?
A wedding photo booth is a popular addition to wedding parties that provides a dedicated space for guests to take fun and memorable snaps. It can be a conventional enclosed booth or a more modern open-air booth like a magic mirror photo booth. There are also unlimited prints that many wedding photo booth hire companies include.
How much is a photo booth for a wedding?
You can expect to pay between £200 and £500 for photo booth hire for weddings in the UK, depending on the extras you include.
