A selfie mirror photo booth is a full-length, touch-sensitive mirror with a hidden Canon camera behind the glass — guests walk up, an animated screen plays out across the mirror itself, they pose, sign their photo on the glass, and walk away with an instant print plus a digital copy. We hire them right across Ireland from €730, fully inclusive of delivery, an attendant, unlimited prints and a custom design for your day.

If you’ve been searching for a “selfie mirror”, a “digital mirror” or a “party mirror” and getting confused by the names, you’re in the right place. They’re all the same product, and this guide covers what it is, how it works, what it costs, and how to tell a good one from a cheap imitation before you book.

We’ve run our mirror at over 1,000 Irish weddings and thousands of parties and corporate nights, so everything below is what we’ve learned on the floor — not a spec sheet.

What is a selfie mirror photo booth?

A selfie mirror is a sleek, free-standing mirror that stands roughly 2.5m tall — full-length, so guests see themselves head to toe. Behind the reflective glass sits a hidden mirrorless Canon camera, completely out of sight. The whole surface of the mirror is also a touchscreen, so the technology disappears: there’s no obvious camera pointing at people, no awkward booth to climb into, just a beautiful mirror that suddenly comes to life when you step in front of it.

When a guest walks up, animated graphics and a voice prompt play out across the glass, guiding them through the photo. They pose, the Canon fires, and a moment later they can sign or draw on their photo with a fingertip directly on the mirror. Then it prints — a proper lab-quality dye-sublimation print — and the same photo is ready to text or email instantly. It’s interactive, a bit theatrical, and it tends to pull a crowd, which is exactly what you want at a party.

Selfie Mirror, Digital Mirror or Party Mirror — What’s the Difference?

Here’s the short answer: there is no difference. “Selfie mirror”, “digital mirror” and “party mirror” are all names for the same piece of equipment. Different companies settled on different marketing names, which is why the search results feel like a maze.

• Selfie mirror — the name we use most on our own selfie mirror hire page, because it describes what guests actually do: take a brilliant selfie in a mirror.
• Digital mirror — emphasises the touchscreen and software side, the “mirror that talks to you” effect.
• Party mirror — a casual name you’ll see on event listings and birthday packages.

So if a supplier quotes you a “digital mirror” and you wanted a “selfie mirror”, you’re comparing like for like. What actually varies between suppliers is the quality of the camera, the software and the print, which we’ll come back to.

How it works, step by step

The whole experience is designed so a guest who has never seen one before can use it without any instruction. Here’s what happens from walk-up to print:

• 1. The welcome. The mirror sits dark or showing a branded start screen. As a guest approaches, animations sweep across the glass and a friendly voice invites them to start.
• 2. The countdown. Big, clear graphics count them in. They pose — on their own, as a couple, or a whole gang squeezed into frame — and the hidden Canon captures it in crisp detail.
• 3. Sign your photo. This is the moment people remember. The photo appears on the mirror and guests can sign their name, draw a heart, or scribble a message straight onto the glass with their finger. It prints on the photo.
• 4. The print. Out comes an unlimited dye-sublimation print in seconds — smudge-proof, water-resistant and lasting. Everyone in the photo can take one home.
• 5. Instant sharing. The same image is sent to their phone by text or email, or grabbed from a QR code, so it’s on Instagram before they’ve sat back down.

Beyond stills, the mirror also shoots boomerangs and GIFs — short looping clips that are made for sharing. Those land straight in the digital gallery alongside the photos, so the morning after the event there’s a full online album waiting for everyone.

Features that set a good mirror apart

From across a room, every selfie mirror looks roughly the same. The difference shows up in the photos and in how the night actually runs. These are the things worth caring about:

• A real mirrorless Canon camera. This is the single biggest quality factor. A proper Canon with a real lens produces sharp, well-exposed photos in low wedding lighting. A lot of cheaper “mirrors” hide a phone or a tablet behind the glass — the prints look flat and grainy once the lights go down. Ours all run a mirrorless Canon.
• Animations and voice prompts. Good on-screen animation and clear voice guidance are what make the mirror feel like an experience rather than a slow camera. It keeps the queue moving and the energy up.
• Branded screens and templates. The start screen, the on-screen graphics and the print layout can all carry your names, your wedding date, a monogram, or a company logo.
• Custom backdrops. Choose a clean standard backdrop, a flower wall, or a fully custom printed backdrop in your colours or branding.
• Unlimited dye-sub prints. Everyone in the photo gets a copy, all night, with no per-print charge.
• Instant digital sharing and a live gallery. Text, email and QR sharing on the spot, plus a cloud gallery everyone can browse afterwards.

All of our booths — the mirror included — run on BoothLedger, the photo-booth software we built and maintain ourselves. The same team that writes the code runs your event, so the person on site actually understands the kit. That’s a deliberate choice, and it’s the reason our gear doesn’t fall over on the night.

What events suit a selfie mirror

The mirror is our most versatile product because it fits the look of almost any room and works for almost any crowd.

• Weddings. This is where the mirror shines. It looks elegant beside a flower wall, the sign-your-photo feature doubles as a keepsake, and guests of every age get it instantly. See our wedding photo booth hire options for how it fits a full day.
• Parties and birthdays. Big 21sts, 30ths, 40ths, anniversaries and house parties — the mirror is a magnet and the unlimited prints become everyone’s souvenir.
• Debs and graduations. A glamorous, full-length mirror suits the dress-up energy of a debs perfectly, and the boomerangs are made for the group’s socials.
• Corporate and brand events. Branded start screens, logo overlays and a custom backdrop turn every photo into a shareable piece of marketing. Product launches, staff parties and exhibitions all work well.

If your event leans more toward a glamorous, editorial black-and-white look, it’s worth comparing the mirror with our glam photo booth hire — same instant-print quality, different finished style.

Selfie mirror vs a traditional photo booth vs a 360

Honest comparison, because the “best” booth genuinely depends on your event:

• Selfie mirror — the most elegant and interactive option, full-length, takes up little floor space, and the sign-your-photo moment is unique to it. Best for weddings, corporate and anywhere you want it to look classy.
• Traditional open-air or enclosed photo booth — a more classic strip-print experience with props and a backdrop. Slightly more casual fun, often a touch cheaper to start. We dig into the head-to-head in our selfie mirror vs photo booth for weddings guide.
• 360 booth — a completely different thing: guests stand on a platform and a camera spins around them to capture a slow-motion video. It’s pure video, no prints, and it’s a showstopper for younger, social-media-heavy crowds. It doesn’t replace a mirror so much as sit alongside it.

A fair rule of thumb: pick the mirror for elegance and prints, a traditional booth for classic strip-print craic, and a 360 for viral video clips. Plenty of our clients book the mirror plus a 360 for the best of both.

Space, power and logistics

The mirror is tall but its footprint is small, which makes it easy to place. Here’s what your venue needs to know:

• Height: roughly 2.5m, so check for low ceilings, beams or doorways on the route in. Most function rooms and marquees are grand.
• Space: about 2.5m x 2m clear, which leaves room for the backdrop and for guests to gather in front.
• Power: one standard 3-pin socket within reach.
• Setup: we deliver, set up and pack down ourselves — that’s free on top of your hire time, never eating into it. Setup takes us around 45 minutes to an hour.

A trained attendant stays with the mirror for the full hire, keeping the queue moving, helping guests and making sure the prints keep coming. You never have to think about it on the night.

What it costs

Selfie mirror hire with us starts from €730, and that price is fully inclusive: delivery, professional setup and pack-down, a trained attendant for the whole hire, unlimited dye-sub prints, the digital gallery, a custom photo template with your names or branding, props and collection. The only thing that can move the number is a small travel supplement for venues a long way from our Dublin and Athlone hubs — and that’s always shown up front in your quote, never sprung on you later.

Standard hire is 3 hours of live operation, with extra hours available at a reduced rate of around €100–€120 each. Book more than six months out and you’ll usually qualify for an early-booking discount of 10–15%, and a Friday, Sunday or midweek date will always price better than a peak Saturday in June, July, August or December. For the full breakdown of what affects the price, see our selfie mirror cost in Ireland guide.

How to choose your mirror hire

Before you put down a deposit anywhere, ask these questions — the answers separate a great mirror from a disappointing one:

• Is there a real Canon camera behind the glass, or a phone/tablet? If they can’t tell you the camera, assume it’s a phone and the prints will show it.
• Is an attendant included for the full hire? An unattended mirror is a recipe for a frozen screen and a jam of an empty print roll halfway through the night.
• Are prints genuinely unlimited? Some quotes cap prints or charge per copy. Ours don’t.
• What branding and backdrop options are included? Custom templates and a choice of backdrop should come as standard, not as paid extras.
• Is the price all-in? Watch for add-ons for delivery, setup, the gallery or props that quietly inflate a low headline figure.

A good supplier will answer all of these without hesitation. If you have to drag the answers out of them, that’s your answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a selfie mirror photo booth?

A selfie mirror photo booth is a full-length interactive mirror with a hidden Canon camera behind the glass. Guests walk up, an animated voice-guided screen plays out on the mirror, they pose and can sign their photo on the glass, then get an unlimited print plus instant digital sharing by text, email or QR code.

Is a selfie mirror the same as a digital mirror?

Yes. Selfie mirror, digital mirror and party mirror are all names for the exact same product. Different suppliers just use different marketing terms, so you’re always comparing like for like.

How much does selfie mirror hire cost in Ireland?

Our selfie mirror hire starts from €730, fully inclusive of delivery, setup, a trained attendant, unlimited prints, a digital gallery and a custom design. The only variable is a small travel supplement for venues far from our Dublin and Athlone hubs, always shown up front.

How much space does a selfie mirror need?

A selfie mirror is about 2.5m tall and needs roughly 2.5m x 2m of clear space plus a standard power socket. The height is the main thing to check for low ceilings, beams or doorways, but the footprint itself is small.

Does a selfie mirror print and share photos?

Yes. Every photo comes out as an unlimited dye-sublimation print so everyone in the shot can take one home, and the same image is shared instantly to phones by text, email or QR code, plus added to a live online gallery.

Can a selfie mirror be branded for a wedding or company?

Yes. The start screen, on-screen graphics, print template and backdrop can all be customised with your names and wedding date, a monogram, or a company logo, including standard, flower-wall or fully custom backdrops.

Book your selfie mirror

If a selfie mirror sounds like the right fit for your wedding, party or corporate event, we’d love to help you sort the details — the date, the backdrop, the design and a clear all-in price. Tell us about your event on our contact page and we’ll come back with availability and a tailored quote. We deliver nationwide from our Dublin and Athlone hubs, and the sooner you’re in touch, the better your odds on a peak date.