Choosing the right interactive entertainment for your wedding can feel overwhelming. With so many options now available — traditional photo booths, glamorous magic mirrors, and the wildly popular 360 video booths — it’s hard to know which one will actually wow your guests and capture the kind of memories you’ll cherish for years to come. At Disctilldawn Events, we’ve supplied all three to weddings across London, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Bedfordshire, and we’re often asked the same question: which one should I book? Here’s our honest comparison.
The Classic Photo Booth
The traditional photo booth is the granddaddy of wedding entertainment for a reason. Guests step inside an enclosed space, strike a pose, and walk away with a printed strip of photos within seconds. The enclosure encourages people to let loose — there’s something about that little curtain that brings out everyone’s silly side, even your most reserved guests.
Modern photo booths come loaded with quality props (think feather boas, oversized sunglasses, and chalkboards for messages), unlimited prints, instant social sharing, and a digital guestbook where every photo is signed by your guests. They suit every type of wedding, from intimate barn receptions to grand marquee affairs.
The Magic Mirror
If the classic photo booth is the granddaddy, the magic mirror is its glamorous younger sister. Picture a full-length, ornate mirror that talks to your guests, guides them through poses with animated graphics, and prints beautifully designed photos in seconds.
The mirror’s interactive screen makes the experience feel theatrical — guests sign their photos directly on the mirror’s surface using a stylus, and the messages print alongside the picture. It’s particularly popular for elegant weddings where the mirror itself becomes a stunning visual feature in the room. If your venue has classical décor, a magic mirror often photographs better than a boxy enclosed booth.
The 360 Video Booth
The newest arrival is the 360 booth, and it’s been the breakout star of weddings since 2023. Guests stand on a circular platform while a slow-motion camera arm rotates around them, capturing dramatic, cinematic video clips set to music. The results are short, shareable, and tailor-made for Instagram and TikTok.
A 360 booth works brilliantly for energetic crowds — think champagne pops, group jumps, and confetti cannons. Bridesmaids love them, younger guests will queue up multiple times, and the videos genuinely make your wedding look like a music video. They do need a bit more space and ideally good lighting, so chat with your venue first.
The Selfie Pod
If the photo booth is the granddaddy and the magic mirror is the glamorous one, the selfie pod is the sleek, modern alternative — a high-quality tablet camera mounted on a stylish pole with a built-in ring light. Guests step in front, the screen prompts them through a few poses, and the results can be printed instantly or sent straight to their phone via QR code or AirDrop. There’s no enclosure, no curtain, and a much smaller footprint than a traditional booth.
The open-air design is what makes selfie pods particularly well suited to tight spaces and modern venues — they slot in where a full booth wouldn’t fit, and they’re brilliant for events where you want guests to share content to their socials in real time during the night rather than waiting for the prints afterwards. The trade-off is that the lack of enclosure means guests are sometimes a little more self-conscious than they would be inside a curtained booth, and group shots are smaller (typically four or five people in frame at a time).
Which One Should You Choose?
Honestly? Many of our couples book more than one. But if budget or space means picking just one, here’s our quick rule of thumb:
- Choose a photo booth if you want guaranteed laughs, classic prints to take home, and a guestbook full of memories.
- Choose a magic mirror if your wedding has an elegant, refined aesthetic and you want the booth itself to look beautiful in your reception room.
- Choose a 360 booth if you’ve got a younger crowd, you want shareable social content, and your wedding is going to be high-energy.
- Choose a selfie pod if your venue is tight on space, you want instant digital sharing during the night, and you’d rather skip the curtained-booth feel.
A useful trick: photo booths and magic mirrors are most popular during the lull between dinner and dancing, while 360 booths peak during the evening party once the dance floor is open. So if your reception is long enough, you can genuinely justify having two — they serve different moments.
Hiring in London and the Home Counties
Whichever you choose, there are a few things to ask before booking. Make sure unlimited use is included (some suppliers charge per print or per video), check that an attendant is provided to keep things running smoothly, and confirm that your photos and videos will be sent to you in a digital gallery after the event. Always ask about insurance and PAT testing too — most reputable wedding venues now require both.
At Disctilldawn Events we’ve been supplying disco DJs, photo booths, magic mirrors, selfie pods, 360 booths and light-up props to weddings across London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey and Bedfordshire for years. If you’d like a quote or just want to chat through which option suits your wedding, get in touch — we love helping couples plan the entertainment side of their big day.