What is the difference between a magic mirror and a photo booth?

A photo booth is enclosed, so small groups pose privately behind a curtain for head-and-shoulders print strips. A magic mirror is an open full-length touchscreen mirror that takes full-body photos of bigger groups while the queue watches. The booth suits relaxed parties, the mirror suits weddings and dressed-up events.

How much does magic mirror hire cost in the UK?

Typically £300 to £500 for an evening in 2026, with London venues at the top of the range. That should include set up, unlimited prints, props, a personalised print template and a digital gallery afterwards. Enclosed photo booths usually cost £50 to £100 less for the same evening.

How much space does a magic mirror need?

Allow about 2.5m by 2m of level floor for the mirror, red carpet and posts, plus room for a queue to watch. It needs one standard 13A socket and travels on wheels, so mention stairs or awkward access to your hire company when booking. Marquees with firm flooring work fine.

Is a photo booth worth it for a wedding?

Usually, yes: it entertains guests through the evening reception and doubles as a guest book, since print strips glue neatly beside written messages. For weddings specifically, compare it against a magic mirror, which photographs full outfits and larger groups. Book whichever suits your venue for the 7pm to 11pm window.

Photo Booth vs Magic Mirror: Which Should You Hire?

Choose the enclosed photo booth for relaxed parties where guests want privacy to be silly, and the magic mirror for weddings and dressed-up events where full-length photos and bigger groups matter. The booth is usually a little cheaper, the mirror is the better looking piece of furniture. Both print unlimited photos on the spot and both need one standard socket. The real differences are space, photo style and atmosphere, so here they are.

The thirty-second verdict

If your event is a wedding, a black-tie dinner or anything where people have made an effort with outfits, hire the magic mirror. If it is a birthday, a Christmas party or any do where the aim is laughing at each other, hire the enclosed booth. The mirror photographs the whole outfit and fits six or more people in a shot; the booth hides four people behind a curtain and brings out behaviour they would never allow in the open. On UK pricing, enclosed booths typically hire for £250 to £450 for an evening and magic mirrors for £300 to £500, so the mirror usually carries a £50 to £100 premium for the glamour. Both give unlimited prints, a props box and a digital gallery afterwards with any reputable operator. If you are genuinely torn, let the venue decide: grand rooms and marquees flatter the mirror, cosy pubs and halls suit the booth. The rest of this guide is the detail behind that verdict.

How each one actually works

The enclosed booth is a frame with a camera, a screen, a printer and a curtain. Guests squeeze in, press one button, pull four faces, and prints appear in seconds at the slot outside. Because the curtain closes, it feels private, and that privacy is the entire product: people perform for the camera in ways they will not with an audience. The magic mirror is a full-length two-way mirror with a touchscreen behind the glass. Guests stand on a red carpet in front of it, the mirror talks to them with voice prompts and animations, they pose, sign the screen with a finger, and the print appears from a slot in the frame. It is open, so the queue watches every session, which turns the mirror into a small stage. Both machines are simple to run: they arrive about an hour before the start, need one 13A socket, and print templated photos with your names and date on every copy.

Space, setup and venue fit

The enclosed booth needs roughly 2m by 1.3m of floor and fits through a standard single doorway, which matters in older pubs and village halls with awkward access. It works almost anywhere with a level floor and a socket. The magic mirror needs more theatre space: about 2.5m by 2m once the red carpet and posts are down, plus room for the watching queue, so allow a generous corner. Both want to be near the action but not in the walkway, and neither belongs outdoors unprotected; a marquee with a firm level floor is fine for either. Ceiling height is rarely an issue since both stand under about 2.1m. One practical difference: the mirror is heavy and travels on a wheeled base, so a venue up a flight of stairs with no lift can rule it out, and it is worth telling the hire company about steps when you book. FunFast asks for access details in the booking notes for exactly this reason.

Photo style and group size

This is the biggest genuine difference. Booth photos are head-and-shoulders strips of two to four faces filling the frame, printed as the classic strip or postcard. They are intimate, daft and instantly nostalgic, and they suit a guest-book table perfectly because strips glue neatly beside written messages. Mirror photos are full-length portraits, which is why they win at weddings: months of outfit decisions actually make it into the picture, shoes included. The mirror also takes bigger groups comfortably, six to eight people in frame without anyone crouching at the edge, so all the cousins or the whole netball team fit in one shot. If your crowd skews to couples and small friend groups, the booth's format loses nothing. If your event will generate demands for one big photo of everyone from university, the mirror handles it and the booth simply cannot. Ask to see sample prints from the actual machine before booking, because print quality varies more between operators than between the two formats.

Atmosphere and the queue

The booth generates private laughter; the mirror generates public performance. Neither is better, but they suit different crowds. At a wedding with mixed generations, the mirror's open format means grandparents drift over and join in, because they can see exactly what is involved before committing. Shy guests often prefer the booth for the same reason in reverse: nobody is watching. The mirror's voice prompts and finger-signing give the queue something to enjoy, and at black-tie events the red carpet gets used for a lot more than queueing. The booth's curtain, meanwhile, produces the photos people talk about at breakfast. Timing matters for both: book the machine hours to start after the meal, not before, because photo traffic peaks once drinks have flowed and the dance floor is open. A four-hour hire from 7pm to 11pm covers the useful window at most evening events, and an idle booth at 5pm is money spent on an empty corner.

Cost, add-ons and what to check before booking

Typical UK pricing in 2026: enclosed booths £250 to £450 per evening, magic mirrors £300 to £500, with London at the top of both ranges. Cheaper deals exist, and the corners being cut are usually print speed, prop quality or a missing attendant. Before booking either, confirm four things in writing. Hire length, and that set-up time sits outside it rather than eating into it. Unlimited prints, not one strip per session. A digital gallery of every photo included afterwards. And who stays with the machine, since booths can run unattended with a phone number to call, while mirrors generally benefit from a person managing the queue at big events. Personalised print templates with names and a date should be free with any decent operator, so treat a charge for that as a sign to look elsewhere. FunFast includes the template and the gallery on both machines, which is standard practice among the operators worth hiring.