How We Turned a 1957 Airstream Into Canada's First Airstream Photo Booth
Before vintage trailer conversions became a trend, we found a 1957 Airstream parked in Toronto and decided to turn it into a photo booth.
We had never restored anything quite like it. We underestimated the work, discovered structural damage after taking the interior apart, and booked its first wedding before we had finished rebuilding it. Somehow, we completed the final details only days before that first event.
That Airstream went on to become Canada's first Airstream photo booth, one of the highlights of our own wedding, and a familiar sight at weddings and events across Toronto and the GTA. Here is how it happened.
The short answer
Our Airstream photo booth is a restored 1957 Airstream Caravanner, and as far as we know it was Canada's first Airstream photo booth. We found it in a Toronto back alley in 2014, discovered hidden frame damage once we started the rebuild, and finished it days before its first wedding in 2015. Today guests step inside, choose props, and sit together on a long bench while a professional DSLR, studio lighting, and a dye-sublimation printer create photographs in seconds. It seats four to six, works indoors or off-grid outdoors, is a favourite for rainy or snowy events, and suits everything from rustic weddings to elegant corporate activations across Toronto and the GTA.
Why an Airstream?
Few trailers are as instantly recognizable as an Airstream. Its rounded aluminum exterior, rows of rivets, and reflective silver finish have made it an icon for generations.
Airstream introduced its first rounded, riveted aluminum trailer in 1936. Although the design has evolved, the silhouette has remained remarkably recognizable. Our 1957 Airstream Caravanner has segmented aluminum end caps made from individual panels, one of the details that gives older Airstreams so much character.
When one arrives at an event, people notice. The aluminum catches the light, guests stop to look, and then they discover that they can step inside and take a photo. That is exactly what drew us to it.
The idea started with a trailer stage
In 2014, Dominic and I came across a photograph of an Airstream somewhere in Europe that had been converted into a mobile stage. It had an opening in the side, a drop-down platform, and, if we remember correctly, even hydraulics.
We immediately wondered whether we could do something similar with a photo booth. Our original idea was much more complicated than what we ultimately built. We imagined opening the side of the trailer and creating a stage-like photo experience. Once we began planning it properly, we realized the Airstream itself was already the experience. Guests did not need to stand outside it. They could climb in.
Getting it out took about 47 turns
We found the Airstream tucked behind a home in the Beaches in Toronto. It fit snugly in the spot where it had been parked, but that spot was at the end of a long, narrow back alley. To this day, we have no idea how they managed to get it in there.
Getting it out took what felt like 47 careful back-and-forth turns. In fairness, this was one of our first trailers. We are much better at manoeuvring them through tight spaces now.
At the time, we thought getting it out of the alley would be the difficult part. Then we started taking apart the interior.
The damage we could not see
The Airstream appeared to be in better condition than it really was. Once we gutted the interior, we discovered structural damage to the frame that we had not expected.
Dominic spent the winter repairing and re-welding the frame outriggers while the aluminum shell was still attached. We did not complete a full shell-off restoration, which would have meant lifting the entire body away from the frame. Knowing what we know now, repairing it with the shell still attached is not something we would choose to do again. At the time, however, we were learning as we went and working with what we had.
To make things more interesting, we had already booked the Airstream's first wedding before the renovation was complete. Suddenly, our unfinished experiment had a deadline.
The race to its first wedding
We worked on the conversion throughout the winter and into the spring of 2015. Its first booking was a wedding at Cambium Farms that June. We were still completing the final details only days before the event.
It was one of the largest projects we had taken on at that point in Snaptique's story. We were not experienced trailer restorers with a fabrication facility behind us. We were an engaged couple with a growing photo booth company, a very old Airstream, and an idea we were determined to make work. When it finally arrived at Cambium Farms as a functioning Airstream photo booth, it marked the beginning of something much bigger than we had imagined.
The original booth was cute and a little kitschy
The first version of the Airstream looked very different from the one guests use today.
We gutted an old retro television and installed the booth computer inside it. The screen was not a touchscreen, and guests could not see themselves particularly well. Instead, they stepped on a pedal on the floor to start the photo sequence.
For the counter, we repurposed an IKEA dresser, distressed it to make it look older, and painted it blue. A matching blue folding table held the props. It was cute, kitschy, and full of personality. It also reflected where Snaptique was at the time. We used creativity, second-hand pieces, and a lot of hands-on work to create something people had never experienced before. The vintage charm has stayed, but almost everything else has evolved.
From a foot pedal to a mobile photo studio
Today, guests enter the Airstream, choose their props, tap the touchscreen, and sit together on the long bench for their photos.
Inside is a professional DSLR camera, studio lighting, and a DNP dye-sublimation printer. Photos are produced within seconds using the same professional equipment found in our other printed photo booths. The old dresser and folding prop table have been replaced with built-in cabinetry fabricated in our own shop. The interior still feels warm and vintage, but the experience is now much more polished and intuitive.
The bench comfortably seats four or five people, and the camera can frame groups of approximately four to six guests in one photograph.
The Airstream also has its own table and seating area. For weddings, we often use it as a guestbook station where guests can sit, add a copy of their photo, and write a message to the couple. We have noticed that something changes when people are invited to sit down. They slow down, think about what they want to say, and often leave a much more thoughtful note than they would if they were quickly signing a book while standing.
It became part of our own wedding story
When Dominic and I first found the Airstream, we were engaged and already imagining how special it would be to have something like it at our own wedding. Eventually, we did.
The Airstream stood outside our wedding reception for our guests to use, and it became one of the highlights of the day. We still have photographs of the two of us posing with it, both inside and outside. By then, it was no longer simply a trailer we had restored for the business. It had become part of our story as a couple too. That is one of the reasons this Airstream will always feel especially personal to us.
From Toronto weddings to month-long events
The Airstream has travelled far beyond its first wedding at Cambium Farms.
It has appeared at weddings and events at The Barn with Pearl Hospitality, Whistle Bear Golf Club, Evergreen Brick Works, and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It has also worked cultural celebrations at Nathan Phillips Square and returned for several New Year's Eve events at Celebration Square in Mississauga. For the Fairway of Lights at Angus Glen, the Airstream has even operated as a month-long photo booth experience.
Its fully enclosed interior makes it especially well suited to rainy weddings, snowy celebrations, and outdoor events where guests need protection from the weather. It can connect to venue power or operate off-grid using a generator. Once the weather turns, it often becomes more than a photo booth. It becomes a little gathering place.
Making it personal
We style the Airstream inside and out, but couples and planners are always welcome to add details that make it feel more connected to their event. Florists have added flowers that match the wedding palette. Couples have incorporated personal decor around the entrance. At one event, a record player and a collection of records were placed outside so guests could choose the music. Those details do not compete with the Airstream. They make it feel even more personal.
Why we still love it
Our 1957 Airstream photo booth represents a very specific moment in Snaptique's history. We were still learning how to restore trailers. We did not yet have the fabrication facility or experience we have today. The original booth involved a gutted television, an old IKEA dresser, and a foot pedal on the floor.
But the idea was there from the beginning: create a photo booth that feels like part of the event, not equipment placed in the corner. More than a decade later, the technology and interior have changed, but that idea has not.
FAQ
What is an Airstream photo booth?
It is a restored vintage Airstream trailer converted into a fully working photo booth that guests step inside. Ours is a 1957 Airstream Caravanner, and as far as we know it was Canada's first Airstream photo booth.
How many people fit in the Airstream photo booth?
The long bench comfortably seats four or five, and the camera frames groups of about four to six guests in one photo.
Does the Airstream photo booth work outdoors and in bad weather?
Yes. Its fully enclosed interior makes it a favourite for rainy and snowy events, since guests are protected once inside. It runs off venue power or off-grid on a generator.
Can the Airstream be used indoors?
Yes, when the venue and access route are large enough. It is one of our largest booths, so indoor access needs to be planned in advance.
Where can I rent the Airstream photo booth?
We offer the Airstream for weddings, corporate events, festivals, and celebrations across Toronto and the GTA. Send us your date and venue and we will confirm.
Want the Airstream at your event?
The Airstream is available for weddings, corporate events, festivals, and celebrations in Toronto and across the GTA. You can see current inclusions, pricing, and availability on our Airstream photo booth rental page, or contact us for a quick quote.
About the author
Chantalle Gallego
Co-Founder, Snaptique Photo Booths
Chantalle co-founded Snaptique in 2014 with her husband Dominic, after the two of them built their first photo booth for their own wedding. Since then, Snaptique has grown to a collection of 25 booths across 12 styles and has produced more than 1,600 events across Toronto and the GTA, from weddings to brand activations for Google, Meta, TIFF, Lamborghini, and Sephora. Chantalle leads the creative direction of Snaptique's booths and writes about photo booth experiences, event design, and helping clients choose the right booth for their event.
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Reviewed by
Dominic Gallego
Co-Founder, Snaptique Photo Booths
Dominic co-founded Snaptique in 2014 and leads its production side, designing and building the company's booths in-house, including its restored vintage vehicle booths. He reviewed this article for technical and factual accuracy.
Our editorial standards
Every Snaptique article is written from our own firsthand experience running real events since 2014, reviewed by a Snaptique co-founder for accuracy, and kept current. We only publish details we can stand behind from booths we operate and events we have actually worked.
First published: July 30, 2026
Last reviewed: July 30, 2026
Experience note: Based on Chantalle, Dominic, and the Snaptique team's firsthand experience restoring and operating Canada's first Airstream photo booth at real events since 2015.
