Interview with AJs Mystic Mirror Photo Booth from Sanford, MB

What should our readers know about you?

Almost two years, ago my husband and I took a leap of faith and started AJs Mystic Mirror Photo Booth. We started off with one Foto Master mirror, the Mirror Me. Within a year we were turning away people and took another leap of faith and purchased our second Foto Master Mirror, the Mirror X. We continue to grow and expand.

Our Mirrors have traveled all over Southern Manitoba. We have been honored to take part in over a 100 weddings, Christmas parties, 4 baby showers, pow wows, client appreciation days, employee appreciation/team building, clan gatherings, CFS events, graduations, safe grads, birthdays, company promotions, grand openings, and so much more. We have donated our booth to various events, but the two that are close to our hearts and that we support on a continuous basis are The Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation and the MMIWG.

We decided from day one that no matter what, we were going to give our clients the highest quality service. We do our very best to customize everything to suit each event and to make our service stand out above the others. We strive to keep our prices low so that everyone can experience the magic of the mirror but still offer a high-end experience. We know our brand is based on us and do our very best to interact with all the guests and to make them feel at ease when taking their pictures.

Our mission is to create an interactive memorable experience for you, the client, and your guests.

How does a bridal couple choose a good photo booth rental service?

1. When looking at the price of a photo booth, also research what is included. Many have a base price, and then add-ons are extra. We include everything in one price, but also offer choices within that price.
2. Do you get unlimited prints or just text/email option? We offer all of them, as many of your guests may like to have a printed copy but share with others on social media. We find that the older guests appreciate having a printed copy as they may not know how to share on social media.
3. Does the rental include attendants? Is it stand alone without anyone to assist your guests? We provide two fun professional attendants to help your guests. One helps with the props; the other helps set-up the shot and run the mirror.
4. Quality of the props. Are they dollar store props or higher end props?
5. Read through their reviews and talk to others about their experience. If you can, try and attend an event to see for yourself.
6. What I have learned over the past two years and have heard from many brides is that the biggest and most frustrating part is the lack of communication. Many brides have expressed that they don’t have the time to wait days for responses from companies. Work with a company that you feel truly wants to make your day special and communicates with you.
7. Do they customize their animations, overlays, props, backdrop, etc. to suit your event or do they use generic?
8. I feel the most important part is the quality of the photos. We use a DSL camera and a very high-end printer to make sure that the pictures are very clear and sharp. We also print most of our pictures 4x6 with your choice of 1,2,3 or 4 pictures. I have seen some iPad booths that take some great pictures, as well. Most of the time, you can look on the company’s web page and get a feeling for the quality of the pictures.
9. Do you get a copy of the pictures taken that night? We create a customized photo album with all pictures for the couple, and they receive a free USB with all the pictures on it at no additional charge.

How much does it cost to rent a photo booth?

This question is a very hard one to answer as the pricing of a rental depends on location, type of photo booth, and length of rental.

I have seen rentals as low as $99.00 an hour for the very basic photo booth and as high as $450.00 an hour for the top of the line.

There are companies now who will mail you out their photo booth for a low weekend price. This is a great deal, but keep in mind that you will need to provide the backdrop, props, someone to check on it throughout the night, and your guests don’t get a printout. (email/text only)

There are also booths that charge a much higher rental fee. This might be because of the location of the booth (city) or the demand for the booth. They offer customized packages with unique props/backdrop and signs.

We try to keep our costs down and to provide a high-end service at a reasonable price. We customize our pricing to suit each event.

Why do you think it is worth having a photo booth at a wedding?

Photo Booths have been very popular lately, and we constantly have a lineup waiting for us to open. We do not stop and often have to turn people away at the end of the night. We find that we are a huge piece of entertainment for the guests. Many of the guests come back two or three times as they start to feel comfortable with having their pictures taken.

A huge trend has now been that the pictures are used as a take home gift for each of the guests. We have created folders for the guests to put their pictures in, brides have purchased frames as gifts for each of their guests, or the picture itself is the gift.

We create a customized photo album that each of the brides and grooms get with all the pictures taken throughout the night. Our mirrors are touch screen so all the photos have the signatures of the guests or a little note from them right on the picture. This is super popular as it has become many couples’ guest book as well.

We have also seen a lot of brides and grooms incorporate our Mirrors into animated seating charts (this is an add on). We set up before dinner at the door and the guests find their seats.

By combining the seating chart, gift for each guest, and the customized photo album/guest book, the bride and groom are saving both time and money.

What are some good tips for a photo booth wedding experience?

When booking your time for the rental, keep in mind your schedule. There has only been one time that we have started at the contracted time and hate that we always start late. Most companies will still charge from the contracted time. So, if you stated 8 is the start time and the speeches run till 9, you are being charged for that one hour. I suggest, to get the most out of your rental, that you allow some extra time for the speeches and meals.

Location is very important. We have been placed in some areas where the guests either do not know we are or we are so out of the way they forget we are there. To get the most out of your booking, place the photo booth in an area where people can see the fun going on and want to get involved. Also, have your DJ announce throughout the night a reminder for your guests to use the photo booth.

Before booking with a company, find out what the required space and set-up is. We have had issues where they never confirmed with the wedding venue the 10 X 10 space we needed and we ended up in a very small area. We always make it work; however, we want to give you the very best experience possible.

What does the photo booth offer? Are there extras you need to pay for?

What are the current trends in photo booths at weddings?

Brides and grooms are now looking at photo booths as entertainment for all their guests

The trends we have seen with our photo booth are the use of the photos as gifts to their guests and using the mirror as a seating chart.

I have started to see many booths doing gifs, black and white photos, photos with filters and green screen. We have done a few ourselves but have not had many requests for them.

Brides and grooms are now looking at photo booths as entertainment for all their guests. They are making it a large part of their evening and using the pictures as the gift the guest are taking home.

Many brides and grooms are looking to cut down on extra work and expenses and are using our booths for a guest book, seating chart, and the entertainment. We often see many of them choosing a theme or colors to customize everything.

Where does the photo booth rental save my pictures?

We save the pictures from the night on a USB that we give to the couple. Also, if approved by the bride and groom, we have shared the album on our Facebook album, as well. We also create a customized photo album that the bride and groom receive with all the pictures in it. Other photo booth companies may save the photos to an app that they share with the bride and groom.

Can photo booth take a video?

I am not sure about other photo booths, but our mirrors have the capability to take gifs, boomerangs, and video. Just recently, we have also added augmented reality. We can take a video of the bride and groom or anyone and have them walk into the picture on the screen. That way, everyone can have their picture taken with the bride and groom. When we do a video, of course you will be able to text it to your phone, but we also will take a snap shot of the video and create a picture that your guests can take with them. The video is then texted to their phone so they are able to share all over social media.

What are some of the most popular props guests use at the wedding?

"For one wedding we even created props of each of the bride and grooms head that the guests could hold up."

We have an exceptional amount of a href="https://www.weddingventure.com/store/product-details/31-pieces-photo-booth-props-for-wedding-party-bridal-shower?utm_source=wv_interview&utm_content=Interview_with_AJs_Mystic_Mirror_Photo_Booth" target="_blank">photo booth props that we bring to each event. We find that the money fan, gold chains, unicorn head, and glasses are our most-used props. However, each event surprises us. One wedding they may all go for certain hats, the next it’s all about the wrestling props. We never know. We do get a lot of compliments about the amount and quality of our props.

For one wedding we even created props of each of the bride and grooms head that the guests could hold up. They were such a hit that by the end of the night they had both gone missing. They were also unsure if one of their bridesmaids would be able to make it so we created one of her just in case.

Some of our brides/grooms have done theme weddings (Dr. Who, Alice In Wonderland) and we created special props just for them. We turned our booth into a Dr. Who time travel machine. The guests had so much fun!

What sets you apart from the others?

I do not believe that all photo booths are created equal. The iPad booths are very different than the Mirror booths. There are also a few booths out there that say they are Foto Master photo booths but in truth they are not.

I have noticed a huge shift from the traditional photo booth that people use to sit inside and have their pictures taken to a more open air feel.

Our booth, I believe, offers a high-end experience at a very affordable price. I believe that there are many things that sets us apart from other booths.

1. We include everything in one price
2. Two professional, fun attendants
3. Superior fun props
4. A USB with all event pictures saved to it at the end of the night
5. Email sharing of each photo (if there is Wi-Fi connection- if not, once we get to location with Wi-Fi we will send)
6. Text sharing (if able to connect; otherwise, will be sent once we can connect)
7. Customized animated start screen (with your approval- add names, dates, hashtags, logos etc.)
8. Customized photo layout (one, two, three pictures per layout or photo strip - again with names, dates etc.)
9. A customized photo album/guest book with all pictures and signed by guests
10. A backdrop (various colours or themes) or open air
11. Within 8 seconds of the photo being taken prints of the pictures for guests to take home on glossy card stock UNLIMITED PRINTS 4X6 and your choice of 1,2,3 or 4 phones on each print
12. Various animated compliments throughout the workflow
13. Guests can add signature, emojis, drawings and virtual props
14. Can add tic-tac-toe game, connect 4, pong or a customized slot machine to the workflow for your guests to play between taking photos
15. Preview of photos/ retake option
16. Gifs, augmented reality, green screen
17. Choice between the Mirror Me with frame and LED lighting or the newest mirror, the Mirror X. The Mirror X is a 6-foot, sleek mirror and the only one in Manitoba
18. We travel all over southern Manitoba
19. We also can create a customized seating chart for a small charge of $100.00
20. You can work with us to create a take home folder for each of your guests with a message/engagement pictures – your guests will have a keep sake and place to put their photo booth pictures

We absolutely love what we do and creating interactive, memorable experiences for you and your guests that will be shared for a very long time. We are supported by Foto Master, which is one of the top of the line photo booth suppliers in the world. They offer us 24-hour support (will log into our mirror) and within minutes can have any issue solved, allowing us to have very little downtime should an issue occur during an event. Their software is continuously being updated with amazing new options, compliments and technology