7 Creative Alternatives to the Traditional Photo Booth

Who doesn’t love a photo booth? From the coin-operated version printing photo strips at your local arcade to high-tech green screens and GIF booths, there’s something so fun about grabbing props and jumping in with your friends. If you’ve decided to add a photo booth to your wedding reception entertainment, now is a good time for us to tell you that there is so much more to photo booths than a camera, a backdrop, and a printer.

We’ve rounded up seven alternative photo booths that are sure to take your reception to the next level.

The GIF Booth

Why have a still photo when you can have one that moves? If you’re all about using GIFs to communicate via text and on social media, you should definitely add a GIF booth to your wedding budget. Chicago’s ZippyBooth takes both animated and still photos, uploading them straight to a website where your guests can see all of the hilarity. All they have to do is hop in the booth, take a few photos, and input their phone number—then they’re immediately texted a link to view their GIF and can share it however they please.

The Airbrush Booth

You read that right: airbrushing. MVS Studio, located in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, offers all the bells and whistles, from GIFs and instant prints to social sharing and a GLAM airbrush filter, guaranteed to make your guests look like Kardashians. All that comes in a tiny footprint, meaning it can go anywhere—and fit all of your friends.

The VW Bus Booth

Looking for a photo booth that’s entertainment and décor? How about an adorable VW bus? The Shutterbus, with locations in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Wyoming, features lovingly restored VW buses that will come right to your party. Photos are printed and also uploaded to a Facebook gallery for easy sharing, and the bus comes with a set of props perfect for your celebration.

The Slow Motion Booth

What’s the one feature that’s missing from Instagram stories? Slow motion. The good news is, your wedding doesn’t have to go without it. The Slow Motion Booth is the opposite of Boomerang and a GIF booth, dramatically capturing HD video of champagne pops, confetti tosses, and wild dancing. Photo booths are cute, but slow-motion videos are memorable and seriously funny. Set up a projector for live playback, then send around the link to the video montage so you and your guests can relive all the fun.

The 360 Flipbook Booth

You’ve seen those 360 cameras on red carpets, giving you every angle of your favorite star’s gown, so why not give yourself the same treatment with a 360 photo booth? Whether you’re showing off your wedding dress or being dramatically dipped by your groom, the resulting GIF is a whole new way to capture photos. Better yet? Santa Barbara’s Open Air Booth will print those lightning-fast photos into a flipbook so you can relive the new-school moment in an old-school way.

The Vintage Camera Booth

No matter your wedding’s style, these cameras will fit right in. Pop Shop Photobooth’s vintage-inspired design will definitely catch your guests’ eyes, but the insides are all digital—meaning the booths can text the images straight to your guests’ phones. The open-air design means you can fit as many friends into each shot as you’d like, and the rental fee includes a customized logo that appears at the bottom of the printed photos. Upgrade your rental with a printed backdrop (like one of the fun vintage-inspired patterns you’ll see on their Instagram account).

The Nostalgic DIY Booth

Looking for a reception activity that’s a little more hands-on? Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 90 NEO CLASSIC cameras are for you. These handheld cameras have a classic design, as well as the capabilities and features only an analog camera can offer, such as bulb and double exposures, macro mode, and, of course, instant printing perfect for scrapbooks, gallery walls, and take-home favors.