More and more wedding venues now include a photo booth in their package, or offer one as an add-on when you book. It sounds handy: one less supplier to find, one less thing to think about. So is the venue photo booth worth it, or are you better off hiring a dedicated photo booth company?
Honest answer: it depends what you want from it. We hire out booths for a living, so we're not neutral, but we'll be fair. Plenty of couples are perfectly happy with a venue booth. This guide is here to help you work out whether you'd be one of them, and what to ask before you decide.
When a venue booth is absolutely fine
Let's start here, because it matters. If your budget is tight, and a booth is a nice extra rather than a big part of your day, a venue package booth can do the job. If you just want something in the corner for people to mess about with, and you're not fussed about print quality or design, it might be all you need.
The problems usually come when couples assume a venue booth and a hired booth are the same thing. Sometimes they are. Often they aren't. The only way to know is to ask the right questions, which we'll cover below.
Who runs it on the night?
This is the biggest difference, and the one people think about least.
Some venue packages are a self-service booth that gets switched on and left to it. That can work, but it means nobody is there to restock paper, sort out a jammed print, tidy the props or nudge guests in for a group shot. Grandma stands there wondering which button to press. The queue stalls.
With a hosted booth, someone from our team is there the whole time. They get people in, keep things moving, help with props and make sure the quieter guests end up in the photos too. It sounds like a small thing. On the night, it's usually the difference between a booth that gets used and one that gets ignored after the first hour.
To be fair, not every hired booth is staffed either. Our Photomatic is self-service by design and stays all day. The point is to know which you're getting.
Camera, lighting and the booth itself
A lot of basic booths run on a tablet or iPad camera. In a bright room, that's okay. In a dim reception room at 10pm, the photos tend to come out soft, grainy or flat.
Our ICON Booth uses a DSLR and studio lighting, so the photos look properly lit whatever the room is doing. It's also built from solid oak, which matters more than you'd think when it's sat in your wedding photos all evening. A booth is part of the room, not just a gadget.
It's worth asking the venue what camera their booth uses and seeing a few real prints, ideally taken in the evening.
Prints: how many, and what they look like
Guests love walking away with something in their hand. So check:
- Are prints unlimited? Some packages cap them. Ours are unlimited and instant.
- Can the print be personalised? We design every print with your names and date, and you can pick a style that suits your day. The Retro Booth alone has 100+ print designs to choose from.
- What's the print quality like? A thin, washed out print ends up in the bin. A good one ends up on the fridge for years.
Choice of booth style
A venue usually has one booth. That's the one you get. Hiring a booth company means you can pick something that actually fits your wedding:
- ICON Booth: solid oak, DSLR quality, hosted, unlimited prints. Weddings from £595 + travel.
- Photomatic: a one-of-a-kind enclosed vintage booth that stays all day, up to 8 hours. From £795 + travel.
- Retro Booth: open-air, handcrafted props, backdrop included, hosted. From £495 + travel.
- Glam Portrait Experience: black-and-white editorial portraits, a popular upgrade. From £695.
- Audio Guest Book: a vintage telephone where guests leave voice messages. From £350.
Not sure which suits you? Our booth quiz takes a couple of minutes.
Props and backdrops
Props and backdrop make a bigger difference to the photos than most people expect. A tired box of plastic glasses and a creased banner will show up in every single print. Ask the venue what's included, and whether you can see it. We put real thought into our props and offer a range of backdrops so the booth fits your colours and style, not the other way round.
The online gallery afterwards
The prints go home with your guests. You'll want every photo too. With us, you get an online gallery after the event so you can see and share all of them, including the ones from the bit of the night you missed. Ask the venue whether their package includes a gallery, and how you get the photos.
What happens if something goes wrong?
Kit can play up. Printers jam, connections drop. What matters is who's there to fix it.
A booth company has a team whose whole job is booths. With a hosted booth, the person on the night knows the kit inside out and can sort most issues in minutes. Behind them is a team that's been doing this for 10+ years across 300+ events a year, so most problems are ones we've seen before.
With a venue booth, it's worth asking who you'd go to if it stopped working at 9pm. Venue staff are usually brilliant, but they're also running a bar, a kitchen and your whole wedding. The booth isn't their main job.
Insurance
Not exciting, but worth knowing. We carry £10m public liability insurance, and venues often ask suppliers for it. If you're booking a booth through a venue package, the venue will have its own arrangements, so this is more relevant when comparing independent suppliers. Always check any booth company you're thinking of hiring can show proof of cover.
A quick word on corporate events
The same thinking applies to work events, awards nights and parties at hotels and conference venues. If the booth matters to your brand, you'll want branding on the prints, backdrop and gallery, plus someone hosting. Invoices, POs and supplier forms are all fine with us. More on our corporate events page.
Questions to ask the venue before you decide
Before you tick the venue booth box, ask:
- Who sets it up, and who runs it on the night?
- Is it staffed the whole time, or left unattended?
- Are prints unlimited, or is there a cap?
- What camera does it use? Can I see real prints from an evening reception?
- Can the prints be personalised with our names and date?
- What props and backdrop come with it?
- Do we get an online gallery afterwards?
- Who do we contact if it stops working?
If the answers are all good, brilliant, you might not need us. If a few of them come back as "no" or "not sure", it's worth comparing.
Quick checklist
- Hosted or unattended?
- DSLR and proper lighting, or a tablet camera?
- Unlimited prints?
- Personalised print design?
- Choice of booth style?
- Decent props and backdrop?
- Online gallery included?
- Someone to call if it goes wrong?
Ready to check your date?
If you'd like to compare a dedicated booth against your venue's package, we're happy to help, no pressure either way. Have a look at our wedding photo booth hire options, then get in touch with your date and venue and we'll tell you what's available. Or call us on 0114 470 1215.
