Photo Booths 101
Ideas & Inspiration 
Photo Booths 101
Photo booths draw the curtains on a new era in wedding snapshots.
photography by:
Kelly Brown Weddings Seven years ago Todd Erickson brought a 50-year-old penny arcade photo booth to a wedding–a friend's daughter was getting married. His friend thought he was crazy. Fifteen minutes into the reception, 75 people were crowded around the booth looking at the pictures, eagerly waiting as their likenesses were captured in black-and-white and printed on a chemical-scented strip of paper. Who knew it would spark one of the hottest trends in weddings?
About 15 of the weddings planned by Mi Mi Design in Minneapolis have a photo booth at them, says co-owner Amy Fuerstenberg. At least five Twin Cities companies-and a few individual photographers-hire out such booths. In each case, guests enter an enclosure, push a button, and voilá—their pictures are automatically shot and printed.
But that's where the similarity ends. Each photo booth company in town offers something different: Some booths are restored stainless steel art deco structures, others are classic black-curtained boxes, and one is even a 6-by-12-foot vintage-style trailer.
"Brides are looking for something new and different—they want their wedding to be unique," explains bridal consultant Angie Swits, owner of By Your Side Wedding Planning in Woodbury.
WHY A PHOTO BOOTH?
Photo booths aren’t meant to replace a traditional wedding photographer. Rather, they each serve a separate purpose. A traditional wedding photographer memorializes the ceremony, takes candid pictures of guests throwing rice, documents Aunt Tillie hugging her newlywed niece, and captures old friends on the dance floor. Whereas, a photo booth is more of an interactive vehicle for guests. For the guests, "it’s an entertainment item just like a musician or an artist," Swits says. "It’s an activity."
Photo booths aren’t meant to replace a traditional wedding photographer. Rather, they each serve a separate purpose. A traditional wedding photographer memorializes the ceremony, takes candid pictures of guests throwing rice, documents Aunt Tillie hugging her newlywed niece, and captures old friends on the dance floor. Whereas, a photo booth is more of an interactive vehicle for guests. For the guests, "it’s an entertainment item just like a musician or an artist," Swits says. "It’s an activity."
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