A vintage caravan photo booth is something anybody planning a wedding should consider. It’s a super fun wedding day activity for your guests, filling the time during your portrait session. And it brings you endless joy later on when you get to go through all the images your guests took!
Vera Kraemer-Bowen started Peninsula Pop Ups with her husband, David, while living in Victoria, and has since brought her gorgeous caravan photo booth here to the Sunshine Coast. Couples are loving what they offer from the beautiful caravan itself to the lovely husband and wife team themselves.
Read on to learn more about Vera, the origins of PPU and how to secure your wedding day photo booth booking at an absolute bargain for a limited time only.
Something people always ask me is…
What ‘Peninsula’ does the name ‘Peninsula Pop-Ups‘ refer to? Redcliffe? Well, nope… We started the business down in Victoria on the Mornington Peninsula, so that’s really where the name comes from. When we decided to move up here, we thought about changing the name. We decided to stick with it instead as we liked the idea of paying homage to where it all started. And well, it seems to be a bit of a conversation starter.
The story of how Peninsula Pop Ups caravan photo booth came to be…
Starting the business was actually my husband’s idea, although it looked a little different. After having our first son, I couldn’t go back to “normal” work due to him being quite challenging (read: an absolute nightmare, really). My husband had the idea of bringing inflatable pubs, in particular an Irish Pub of course, into our lives and hiring them out. While we started organising this (and are still planning to launch them), the wait became longer and longer due to Covid, and I suggested that in the meantime, we could build and hire out a caravan photo booth. And that’s basically how Peninsula Pop-Ups was born.
We started in February 2020 and our launch date was the 1st of May 2020. Now, if those dates don’t ring any bells, let me jog your memory… We first heard about Covid at the beginning of March 2020, went into lockdown and didn’t come out of it until December 2021 basically. And don’t forget, we were based in Victoria, on the Mornington Peninsula, which was locked down as part of Metro Melbourne. In short, we were locked down for almost 2 years, the first two years of running our event hire business.
It was pretty soul-crushing and a lot of work we put in was for nothing. Every single booking we got, had to be postponed multiple times and eventually cancelled. I felt so sorry for all those couples affected. Yes, we couldn’t run or even start our business, but so many people had to put a hold on their lives.
So, while the start of our journey wasn’t the easiest by any means, we re-launched as soon as we settled in Queensland in April 2022 and landed our first booking in May! It was such a thrill to have been chosen and it couldn’t have been by a better couple. We were psyched! Even though we ended up doing our first-ever booking in floodwater, with everyone (including the bride) wearing gumboots, and every supplier and guest getting bogged with the groom and father-of-the-bride having to pull us all out, sometimes in a 3-car convoy, it was honestly the best feeling in the world to finally be up and running.
We very quickly became part of the amazing wedding industry here on the Sunshine Coast and found it so refreshing how welcoming everyone was. Peninsula Pop-Ups grew much quicker than anticipated in the first year up here, and we can’t wait to see where it takes us.
We love being part of so many people’s special days, getting to know them and bringing some fun, joy and incredible memories to such an amazing bunch!
What happens on a Wedding Day with a Pop Up Wedding Photo Booth from start to finish…
It all starts at 6am when we try to sneak out of the house to wash the caravan. It usually becomes a family affair where everyone gets soaked, but at least the caravan is spotless and the rims are shining. A bit of breakfast after, then loading the car for the day’s booking. A quick once-over clean on the inside of the caravan to freshen her up, taking a few fun booth pics to test everything works perfectly and strips are set up correctly.
Catch up on a few emails liaising with couples and venues, then head off to the location of our booking. A little catch-up with venue staff, sometimes meeting the grooms and having a lovely chat before figuring out the best place to position the caravan. Reversing the caravan. I’m horrible at this, so my husband is usually on hand for that part.
Now for the set-up… It takes around an hour to get everything just right, a bit of heavy lifting, a bit of cushion and flower fluffing, and of course setting up the props and pretty lights. Once it’s set up with plenty of time before guests arrive, we test the booth again, take a million pretty pictures of the booth that I never get time to put on socials, lock it up and head back home.
My part is usually done at this stage, except for kid-wrangling, while my husband David gets himself wedding-presentable and heads out to do the attendance. I used to do it, but due to the kids needing me more these days for various reasons, I try and stay home with them. So David gets the lovely company, great music, amazing food and fun night out, while I wrestle kids to bed and get back onto my laptop for work until around midnight when David returns.
We do a bit of a debrief in the middle of the night while it’s all still fresh. That’s always fun actually, as I love hearing about it all.
The next day is filled with lots of cleaning! Every single prop, and every inch of the caravan is deep-cleaned, while also uploading all the images for our couple and checking for the ‘mooner’ photo that is bound to appear at each and every wedding.
Unless we have another booking that day, we unpack the car, and I email the couple their images, as I try to get them to the newlyweds as soon as possible. This can happen 2 or 3 days in a row during the wedding season, and we love it. There are definitely worse things we could be doing!
Why our Wedding Photo Booth stands out from the crowd…
I think our bubbly attitude and approach are something that stands out to our customers. We also use very high-quality equipment to ensure our customers do get the best possible experience and results overall.
Another thing that’s probably good is that we designed the booth to be neutral enough to not clash with most styles and had it custom-built rather than restoring an older caravan. Trust me, we tried the whole restoration with a really cute 40’s caravan. However, unfortunately, due to our impeccable timing of hitting Covid times down in Victoria, we couldn’t get supplies or trades. So we got ours custom-built and I have to say that it does show… It’s the perfect photo booth.
But I do believe what makes us very different or stand out the most is what we personally bring to the wedding. We’re very bubbly, friendly, funny, can relate to guests, strike up conversations and get people going. I can say that, because most of the time it’s my husband doing the attendance and he seems to be very popular… He has the Irish accent going for him too, so that always gets people warmed up and in the mood for hilarious pictures.
The best thing we ever did was…
Move to Queensland! Maleny to be specific. We just love it here and it is the first place where I really feel at home. It’s where we’re meant to be and I wish we got here sooner, but I can’t wait to live the rest of our lives in this brilliant, stunning and exciting place and community.
You have a completely free day to hang out on the Sunshine Coast. Get out about! Where are you going, what are you doing and who are you with?
Oh, those are my favourite kind of days in my favourite place! I’m usually accompanied by one or two of my kids, so we generally do kiddie things… Mary Cairncross walk finding Pademelons, hiking Mt Ngungun – wrestling my kids up top to not go near the edge, Australia Zoo visits followed by re-enactments of the crocodile feeding, The Ginger Factory exploration with endless train and boat rides, Sealife Aquarium naming each and every shark. Or my favourite… a day at the beach, a quick visit to Alex’s skatepark, ice cream and watching surfers at sunset down at the beach.
My greatest challenge in business is…
Finding a work-life balance. Some days work wins, and other days life wins, but I never seem to get it completely right, haha. I have 2 small kids, a home renovation, an over-grown weedy garden, another job and very little time.
I always prioritise customer emails and any communication to do with PPU, but sometimes (or most days) that means working until late at night. I think it’s pretty normal for any business owner to find it hard to disconnect from their own business, and I think it shows heart and passion for it. I just need to find some more time to sleep is all!
Beat the Price Rise! Book Your Caravan Photo Booth Now!
2024 Wedding dates are almost fully booked for this gorgeous vintage caravan photo booth. 2025-26 dates are also filling fast, and with an inflation-insistent price rise imminent, now is a great time to secure your booking for your Sunshine Coast wedding.
