The more photos, the merrier. That’s the motto of today’s picture-perfect wedding. A photo booth draws the curtain so guests can display their happiest, silliest or most sentimental side for the bride and groom.

Charlie Trotter, owner of Trotter Photo, said, “Everybody likes their picture and that they get it right now. That’s the fun part of it.” A photo booth, he has found, appeals to all ages, locations and backgrounds.

“That curtain is the real trick that turns the photo booth on,” said Jesse Morrison, PhotoboothSTL’s owner. “People can be a little more silly than they are on the dance floor. It lets their real personality come out at the moment. It’s more intimate and detailed.”

Photo booths are big trends in weddings today, so providers vary their products.

Complete, which provides booths among a wide variety of services, puts photos at the touch of the guest. Scott Washington, production manager, said his company’s booths accommodate one person or as many as 23 adults, who can come back for more photos as often as they want.

“It’s totally private and fully automatied. They press the screen and there is a countdown so they are ready to have their photo taken,” he said.

Morrison plans to keep the services of PhotoboothSTL, “in a rigorous market right now,” up-to-date with standards established by Tim Garrett, who designed and built the company’s photobooths as an early participant in the local market in 2002. He is keeping the vintage feel of many of the company’s 20 photo booths.

“I grew up around the ocean,” new owner Morrison said. “This is a microcosm of portrait studios that were so much fun on boardwalks. The whole event takes about 45 seconds. We work hard to keep a little bit of the magic in them. People still are surprised when they get their pictures in just 20 seconds.”

He views the attendant as a “nice thowback to vintage style, too, kind of like the person who used to push the button for an elevator. It makes the moment go as smoothly as possible.”

A photo booth, Trotter has found, can fit a wedding in a traditional style or be a little “crazy” with props and items that enhance the mood of the event.

Trotter said his company gladly provides basic boas, oversize glasses, mustaches and hats, but themed items supplied by the hosts or requested from Trotter Photo often provide the most fun. He suggested a St. Pat’s theme for a mid-March wedding or leis and island props for a Hawaiian beach theme.

Although only about half the weddings request props from his company to go along with their themes, Morrison noted they can create a definite atmosphere. With a laugh, he listed a Viking head as the one most requested. He recently got two new cowboy hats and was making sheriff badges on sticks for events with a western theme. The sticks with badges are akin to those with mustaches which provide quick poses, always at least waist high. Some couples choose his thought bubbles to express their sentiments on the photos.

When and how photos are delivered may determine a bride and groom’s provider. Photos from the booths may be a strip or 4-by-6-inch print and differ in photo quality, album style and who selects and posts photos on the newlyweds’ social media sites.

A wise bride and groom find out who sets up the booth and when. They double-check if someone is available for backup if an equipment problem develops. They know how to return props.

They also decide which guests tag along – sort of – on the honeymoon. “We have plenty of background-type screens,” Complete’s Washington promised of his tropical sets.