A photo booth alternative your guests actually keep.
If you're comparing photo booth rentals for your Metro Detroit wedding or party, here's a fresh option: a custom photo magnet station. Same fun, same line of laughing guests — but instead of a paper strip or a video clip, everyone leaves with a magnet for the fridge.
The Basics
What is a magnet station?
A magnet station is a photo booth alternative that turns your guests' photos into custom magnets, right at your event. Instead of a booth that prints a paper strip, we set up a small, styled station with a backdrop and a friendly attendant. Guests scan a QR code, choose a photo from their phone or snap a new one, and about a minute later they're holding a finished magnet printed with your names, date, or logo.
It has the same easy, walk-up energy as a photo booth — people gather, pose, and laugh together — but the takeaway is different. A magnet goes home, lands on the fridge, and keeps the memory in view for years. There's nothing to download and no account to create; guests just walk up and go.
For couples and planners across Metro Detroit who want their guests to leave with something real, that's the appeal of a magnet station as a photo booth alternative: all the fun of a booth, plus a keepsake that lasts long after the last song.
What Makes Us Different
The fun of a booth, plus a keepsake to keep
Photo booths are a celebration favorite. A magnet station brings that same energy — and sends every guest home with something to keep.
There's a reason photo booths and 360 booths are wedding and party staples: they're a blast, and they get everyone laughing together. A Tender Kept magnet station brings that same fun, with one addition guests love — a keepsake they take home.
Guests step up, strike a pose, and a minute later they're holding a real, custom photo magnet with your names or event on it. It goes on the fridge that night and stays there for years — so the fun of your celebration keeps showing up long after the music stops.
How a magnet station compares
Want the full breakdown for your event? See how the magnet station works.
What You Get Instead
The magnet station experience
Unlimited magnets
Every guest, as many as they want — no per-magnet charges.
Made on-site in ~60 seconds
Scan, pick a photo, and it comes out as a finished magnet.
Personalized to your event
Your names, date, or logo on every magnet.
A professional attendant
We run the station start to finish so you don't lift a finger.
Full setup & teardown
We arrive early, set up, and clean up after — included.
A keepsake, not a strip
Guests leave with something they'll see every day for years.
For Weddings
A wedding photo booth alternative guests keep
A wedding photo booth alternative should do two things: keep the reception fun, and send your guests home with a memory. A magnet station does both. While the dancing is going, guests drift over, take a photo together, and walk away with a custom magnet featuring your names and wedding date — a little keepsake that ends up on hundreds of fridges around Metro Detroit.
Because every package includes unlimited magnets, there's no counting heads or rationing prints — every guest can make one, or a few. We bring the backdrop, the equipment, and an attendant who runs the whole station, then pack it all up at the end of the night. You can see our reception setup and packages on the wedding photo magnets page.
For Parties & Corporate
A party photo booth alternative for any event
The same magnet station works as a party photo booth alternative for birthdays, graduations, baby showers, holiday parties, and quinceañeras. Guests still get the fun of stepping up for a photo, and they leave with a magnet they can actually keep.
For companies, it's a standout corporate photo booth alternative: we can brand every magnet with your logo or event hashtag, so your team and clients walk away with a giveaway that lands on the fridge instead of the recycling bin. See our event photo magnets page for corporate and party details.
vs. 360 Booths
Magnet station or 360 photo booth?
A 360 photo booth is a great time — guests stand on a platform while a camera spins around them, and the result is a slow-motion video clip to share online. If your priority is shareable social content in the moment, a 360 booth absolutely delivers.
A magnet station is the 360 photo booth alternative for couples who want a physical keepsake rather than a digital clip. The two aren't mutually exclusive — some events feature both — but if you have to pick one, a magnet is the souvenir that outlasts the night. Every guest leaves holding something printed with your names, made on-site in about a minute, ready for the fridge.
Photo booth alternative — common questions
Is Tender Kept a photo booth?
Not quite — and that's the point. Instead of a booth that prints a strip, we bring a magnet station. Guests take a photo and walk away with a custom magnet they keep on the fridge for years.
How is it different from a 360 photo booth?
A 360 photo booth makes a fun video clip that lives on a phone and is usually forgotten by the next morning. Our magnet station gives every guest a physical keepsake — printed, finished, and in their hand in about 60 seconds.
Do you rent traditional or 360 photo booths?
We don't rent photo booths. We offer the alternative people actually remember: a custom photo magnet station for weddings and events across Metro Detroit.
Can I have a magnet station at a wedding or party?
Yes — weddings, corporate events, birthdays, showers, and parties. We bring everything, set up, run the station, and tear down.
How does the cost compare to a photo booth rental?
Packages start at $899 with unlimited magnets, a professional attendant, and full setup and teardown — comparable to a photo booth rental, but every guest leaves with something lasting.
Can we have both a magnet station and a photo booth?
Of course — they pair really well. Some couples run a photo booth for instant strips and add a magnet station so guests also take home a keepsake. If you'd rather keep it simple, a magnet station covers both the fun and the favor on its own.
What do you need from our venue?
About a 6-by-4-foot space and a power outlet. We bring our own table, backdrop, and all equipment, and setup takes around 30 minutes.
How far in advance should we book?
For weddings, 3 to 6 months ahead is ideal, especially for peak season from May through October. Popular Metro Detroit dates book up fast, so reach out early.
A magnet station across Metro Detroit
We bring our magnet station to weddings, parties, and corporate events all over Metro Detroit — Troy, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Novi, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Livonia, Sterling Heights, and the surrounding suburbs. Travel is included within 30 miles, so most of the metro is covered with no extra fee.
If you've been searching for a photo booth alternative near you, that's exactly what we do: a local team that shows up early, runs the whole station, and leaves your guests with a keepsake to take home.