Toronto Photo Booths Rental Prices

Factors That Influence Photo Booths Prices

As you saw in Table 1 above photo booth prices vary and there are a few factors that influence photo booth prices.

Your Photo Booth Rental Time

Even though the direct costs have relatively little impact on photo booth prices, companies still use that as a determining factor in setting prices. The longer the coverage, the higher the price you can expect to pay. Our advice? Rent a photo booth for 2-3 hours and that should be more than enough for all your guests to have their fun photos taken.

Type of Photo Booth

There are several types of photo booths ranging from the classic booth where several people can crowd in and take a few photos to video photo booths, gif makers, and open air booths. There are also companies that offer green screen options and 360 booths.

Our advice? Go over all the options and see which ones resonate with you and your guests.

Complexity and Add-Ons

Some photo booths provide just the backdrops, the props and a camera. Others offer prints while many also give the couple a printed book. The more features you want, the higher the prices. If your budget is limited, pick the photo booth company that offers the features you really need and forego the fancy extras.

Experience

New entrants onto this overcrowded market offer lower rates, while established players will command higher prices. Still, their experience and good track record are a guarantee of running a smooth photo booth operation.

In our wedding travels we have seen attendants who did not know how to run the camera, overexposed images, horrible lighting, out-of-focus photos and more. The list of failures is pretty long, and one of the guarantees of a great photo booth is the attendant’s experience.

Photographers’ Photo Booths

Often photographers or large studios offer photo booth services. We recommend considering hiring the same company for several reasons. First, if there are any technical glitches, more members of the same company are present and they can help each other overcome the issues. Second and also very important, by purchasing photography, videography and photo booth services you should receive a better deal.

Weekday Rentals vs. Weekends

Most weddings take place on Saturdays and as a result the demand for photo booths is higher on Saturdays. Also, summer is the most popular season for weddings. As such, many companies charge higher rates on a summer Saturday than on a winter Friday or Sunday. It is just a matter of supply and demand.

Booth Setup and Disassembly Time

Some companies’ packages include only coverage time and don’t charge the client for the time it takes to set up and disassemble the booth. It is crucial to understand who is charging you for what so that you can compare apples to apples.

If you buy a 3 hour package that includes the setup and disassembly, in effect you are buying 2 hours and 20 minutes of photo booth time as it takes between 10-20 minutes to build and dismantle the booth. Again, an experienced assistant is will move faster. Ideally, you book a company that does not count building and breaking down the booth as coverage.

Extra Time

Changes are that on your big day things will run late. In 99% of the weddings we attended, they do. If that is the case, you might need to purchase additional rental time. The charge per additional hour varies and you might want to factor in another 1-2 hours of coverage when you do the math.

Marketing Skills

In life, perception is reality. If the company owners are savvy marketers, they leverage social media, their network of vendors and customer base to drive new business. As a result, they are busy and charge higher rates than a company that is still learning the marketing basics.

Costs

Companies located in the GTA are generally more expensive than those based in less denser areas. In Toronto the cost of living and the cost of operating a business is dramatically higher than the same cost in Barrie or Niagara. If you have a low budget, you might want to hire companies that are located outside the Greater Toronto Area.

Types of Events

Generally, weddings are more expensive than other types of events. Some call that the “white tax” referring to the dress. Many wedding services are more expensive than a regular event counterpart for a simple reason: weddings are fast-paced, stressful events and in order for things to run smoothly, companies need to hire experienced staff.

Table 2: Comparison of average Toronto wedding photo booths’ costs by duration of coverage.

*The average in Toronto was calculated using a proprietary algorithm. To confirm prices and availability, please contact the vendors listed above.