How Guests Print Photos at the Wedding Itself

Guests print photos at a wedding in one of three ways: a hired photo booth that prints the shots taken inside it, instant cameras left on the tables, or a printing station that prints the photos guests have already taken on their own phones. The booth usually runs for three or four hours, while a print station can run all night, and WhiteClover's starts at €199 for 100 prints.

Which one suits you depends less on price than on what you want guests to walk away with. This guide covers how each works on the night, what the guest actually does, and where each one goes wrong.

TL;DR:

• A photo booth prints posed shots from one camera, during a hire window of a few hours.
• Instant cameras give you a print straight away, but each one only ever prints its own shots, and someone has to keep them loaded.
• A print station prints from the shared wedding gallery, so any photo any guest took that night can become a card.
• Whatever you choose, put a guest book, a glue stick and some pens next to it.

Option 1: a photo booth

This is the one most people picture. A booth or an open camera on a stand, a backdrop, a box of props and an attendant. Guests queue, pose, and a strip or a card comes out a few seconds later.

What works: it's an activity. People who would never get up to dance will still drag a friend into a booth wearing a feather boa.

What to know: it only prints what happens in front of its own camera. The moment at the ceremony, the speeches, your grandmother on the dance floor at midnight, none of those can be printed unless they happened inside the box. Most hire packages run for three or four hours, and our guide to photo booth hire costs covers what moves the quote, including prints that turn out to be an extra.

Option 2: instant cameras on the tables

A handful of instant cameras spread across the tables, so guests take a photo and watch it develop in their hand.

They're charming, and guests at a quiet table will play with them through dinner. The catch is that every print is a one-off from that camera, so there's no digital copy unless someone scans it later. Film runs out, and somebody has to notice and reload it. And the cameras have a way of ending up in handbags by the end of the night, so count them back in.

Option 3: a print station from the guests' own phones

This is the newest of the three. Guests are already taking photos all day on their phones. A print station lets them print those photos, at the wedding, from a small printer on a stand.

With WhiteClover's Smart Print, it works like this on the night:

1. A guest scans the QR code on the stand, and your private wedding gallery opens in their browser. There's no app to download and no account to make.
2. They tap Print on any photo in the gallery, including ones other guests took, and crop it if they want to.
3. A preview shows exactly how the card will come out, before anything prints.
4. A live queue on the screen shows first names, so they know when to walk over and collect it.

Each print is a 4×6 card with your names, the date and a QR code back to the gallery, so whoever ends up holding it can find the original. Every guest gets three prints by default, which stops one enthusiastic table emptying the pool before the speeches.

The limit is that it's a staffed service, so the venue has to have somewhere to put the stand. Some outdoor and island venues can't, so ask before you plan around it. It's set up in the UK, Greece, Germany and the Netherlands, and couples marrying elsewhere can ask for a quote.

How the three compare on the night

For the cost per print of a booth against a print station, with UK and Greek booth prices, see photo booth vs QR photo app.

The guest book trick

Whichever you pick, the best use of a printed photo is on a page.

Put your guest book on a table next to the printer, with a glue stick, some coloured pens and a small sign: "Print your photo and leave a wish". Guests print the photo they took ten minutes ago, stick it in and write next to it. At a wedding in Koufonisia that used Smart Print this way, the couple went home with a book of real photographs, each with a handwritten message beside the moment it was about.

It also solves the usual guest book problem, which is eighty blank pages and a few rushed signatures at the front. If you're weighing other options, our guide to guest book alternatives compares them.

Setting it up so people actually use it

• Put it where people already walk. Between the bar and the dance floor beats a quiet corner by the toilets.
• Tell guests early. A line in the welcome speech, or a QR card on each table, gets the first prints going during dinner instead of at 11pm.
• Open the gallery before the wedding. If guests have already uploaded photos from the ceremony and drinks, there's something worth printing the moment the stand opens. Our guide to getting the photos your guests took covers the QR code side.
• Decide the print pool up front. With Smart Print you buy 100, 200 or around 350 prints, and failed prints never come out of it. You can top up €29 for 50 more if the night is going well.

What it costs

Smart Print starts at €199 for 100 prints, €249 for 200 and €299 for around 350 under fair use. Those are starting prices: we confirm your final price after you send the request, because it depends on the venue, the crew's travel and accommodation, and your guest count. Travel is quoted on its own, never hidden inside the print price.

If you'd like a price for your venue, tell us where the wedding is on the Smart Print page and we'll come back with a quote.

Frequently asked questions

Can wedding guests print photos from their phones at the reception?

Yes, with a print station. Guests open the wedding gallery by scanning a QR code, tap Print on a photo, and collect the card from the stand. With Smart Print there's no app to download.

Can guests print photos that other guests took?

With a print station that prints from a shared gallery, yes. Any photo uploaded to the gallery can be printed by any guest. A photo booth or an instant camera can only print its own shots.

How many photos can each guest print?

With Smart Print, three per guest by default, from a shared pool of 100, 200 or around 350 prints. You can top up €29 for 50 more on the night.

How much does a wedding photo printing station cost?

Smart Print starts at €199 for 100 prints. We confirm the final price after you send a request, because it depends on the venue, the crew's travel and your guest count.

Can printed photos be used as a guest book?

Yes. Put the guest book next to the printer with a glue stick and pens. Guests print a photo, stick it in and write a message beside it.

Recommended

• Photo Booth vs QR Photo App: What Each Costs Per Photo
• Photo Booth Hire Costs: What Moves the Quote
• Wedding Guest Book Alternatives, And Costs
• How to Get the Photos Your Guests Took at Your Wedding
• Live Photo Wall at a Wedding: Cost and Setup