Magazine Box Photo Booth Rental Chicago: Plan Your Cover

A lot of people assume a magazine cover moment at a party needs a photographer, a studio light and someone directing poses. It doesn't. The Magazine Box is a life-size, light-up magazine cover that guests step into, and its lighting kit makes photos taken on their own phones look like a print edition. A Magazine Box photo booth rental in Chicago is $850 for the whole day.

Here's what's in it, what it costs with Chicago tax, and how to plan a cover that fits your event.

What comes with the Magazine Box

The $850 all-day rental includes:

• The life-size magazine box
• A lighting kit
• Standard customization of the cover
• The box for the whole day, not by the hour

Customization covers the cover title, your names, the date and the headlines. You pick your design after you book, so there's no rush to have every word ready on day one.

Guests take their photos on their own phones. That keeps it simple, and it means the photos are already where people want to share them. If you'd like prints or instant sharing too, you can add a booth next to the box (more on that below).

Magazine Box photo booth rental Chicago costs

The box is $850 for the day. To get it to your event, you have two options:

1. Travel fee, $175: we bring it and set it up.
2. Pick up and drop off yourself and skip the travel fee.

Add-ons made for the Magazine Box:

• Printer photo booth next to the box, printing for every guest: $550
• 4x6 prints from that printer booth: $250 (needs the printer booth)
• Digital photo booth sending photos, GIFs and boomerangs to phones: $450
• Photographer stationed with the box: $750
• Flower frame around the cover: $550
• Balloon garland styled around the box: $450
• Red carpet and ropes: $200
• Audio phone booth for voice messages: $299
• Attendant: $50 an hour, from 2 to 10 hours

Chicago-area events are taxed at 10.25%. A 35% deposit locks your date, and card payments include a 5% processing fee.

Two sample budgets:

• 50th birthday: the box ($850), a balloon garland ($450) and the travel fee ($175) is $1,475 before tax. Tax adds $151.19, and the deposit is $516.25.
• Wedding: the box ($850), the flower frame ($550), the printer booth ($550) and the travel fee ($175) is $2,125 before tax, with a $743.75 deposit.

Covers that suit Chicago events

The Magazine Box works best at events where people dress up and want a photo that shows it: weddings, milestone birthdays, galas and fundraisers, bridal parties and showers. Some Chicagoland rooms where it fits well:

Hilton Chicago/Northbrook on Milwaukee Avenue has a chandeliered Grand Ballroom and a Garden Terrace that host Western and South Asian weddings. A Wedding Edition cover with the couple's names gives every guest the same frame for their best outfit.

Chicago Cultural Center in the Loop rents spaces under its Tiffany dome for weddings and galas. A gala cover with the organization's name and the date turns every guest photo into a record of the night.

The Haight in downtown Elgin is a restored 1890 warehouse with exposed brick across three stories. A light-up cover against the brick makes a strong contrast for a milestone birthday.

Pinstripes Northbrook near Northbrook Court hosts showers, rehearsal dinners and company parties in its private event rooms. A bridal shower cover is an easy fit.

We also cover Glenview, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, St. Charles and Geneva, plus the rest of Chicagoland. See our Chicago photo booth rental page for every booth we bring to the area.

Planning tips for your cover

A few things that make the box work better on the day:

• Write the headlines early. Inside jokes, the couple's story, the birthday person's best line. Funny headlines get people lining up.
• Give it a wall of its own. The box looks best when guests can step back and get the whole cover in the frame.
• Decide on prints. Phone photos come standard. If grandparents want something to hold, add the printer booth.
• Add a photographer for the big moments. At $750, a photographer stationed with the box gets shots of the bridal party or family groups that a phone can't.
• Pair it with a voice message. The audio phone booth ($299) lets guests leave a message after they pose.

Questions people ask

Do guests need a photographer to use the Magazine Box?

No. Guests take photos on their own phones, and the lighting kit helps them look sharp. A photographer is an optional add-on for $750.

Can we get prints from the Magazine Box at a Chicago party?

Yes. Add the printer photo booth for $550 and guests get prints on the spot. Bigger 4x6 prints are $250 more.

What does the $175 travel fee cover?

We bring the box to your event and set it up. If you'd rather pick it up and drop it off yourself, you skip that fee.

Is the $850 really for the whole day?

Yes. The Magazine Box is an all-day rental, so you don't pay by the hour.

Ready to design your cover? Build your package online or ask for a free quote.