Why Throw Away Cameras for Wedding Guest Tables are a Bad Idea: Real Cost of Getting Pictures Developed, and a Smarter Alternative

Sure, on paper, it sounds like a fun idea—imagining all the wild, retro photos your drunk friends will take throughout the night. But after ten years of developing film at various photo labs most of which were from disposable cameras, I can confidently say: you’ll wasting your money. Now, I’m not saying disposable cameras are bad in themselves—the problem is that people don’t know how to use them. For one, these things need flash to get a decent photo out of it, and guess what most drunk guests forget to turn on?

Not to mention that photo labs charge full price whether you get one or all pictures from each camera. And every couple regrets it after realizing they spent $300 on underexposed, unusable photos at best—money they wish they had put toward something else. The couple in the video below admit it was "completely not worth it—most of the pictures were pretty shit." They bought 10 disposable cameras (27 exposures each), giving them 270 possible photos. Sounds great, right? Well, out of those, they only got 10 decent pictures. Thankfully, they only spent $155, which isn’t that bad—until you do the math. That’s $31 per each of those ten shitty pictures.

Throwaway Cameras are Not Easy to Use

Contrary to popular belief, disposable cameras are not as easy to use as people think. For starters, to get a decent photo, you have to use the flash. Not to mention, the flash needs time to charge—but many assume it’s ready to go the moment they push the flash button. Wrong! And even if you do turn the flash on and wait for it to charge, the ready light only holds for a few seconds. If you wait too long, the charge disappears, and—surprise!—the next shot is ruined. Meaning, you have to turn the flash back on for every single photo. Oh, and don’t forget—you also have to manually advance the film after every shot. Ain’t nobody got time for that. The tutorial video below goes into a little more detail.

Price for Disposable Camera Pack of 20 and Developing

If you’re still here, clearly, your heart is set on having disposable cameras at your wedding. Ain’t gonna stop you. So least I can do before you go is give you a heads-up on how much you’ll be spending after all is said and done. Disposable cameras are $25 for a 2-pack or about $15 each if you buy a 20-pack from Walmart—not too bad. However! Photo labs charge a flat rate per roll for developing and scanning, meaning, you will pay full price even if there’s only one frame exposed.

Here’s a total cost breakdown for an 8-pack of Fujifilm QuickSnaps from Amazon, plus developing and scanning from either The Darkroom (West Coast) or Reformed Film Lab (East Coast):

Fujifilm QuickSnaps 8-pack (216 exposures): $15 each, about $120
Developing + Scanning: $18 per roll, about $144
TOTAL: Close to $300 after shipping and pesky taxes

And yes, that’s the price whether you get one picture or all 27 pictures from each camera.

Pro Tip: Avoid the "wedding-branded" disposable cameras. They’re not only more expensive than name-brand Kodak or Fujifilm options, but they’re often loaded with respool film, and the cameras themselves are notorious for being faulty right out of the box.

Alternatives to Disposable Cameras at Weddings

Best advice I can give you if you want retro-style pictures of your wedding would be to hire a film wedding photographer who specializes in 35mm film. Many film photographers have competitive rates compared to "digital" photographers. The downside is that you’ll get fewer photos overall, which makes it seem more expensive because you’ll be paying the same for less pictures. That said, avoid photographers who offer film as an add-on. I’ve seen far too many wedding photographers charge an extra $300 for just one or two rolls of film, disgusting.

Another option is the ever-popular Fujifilm Instax. After all is said and done however, you’ll spend about the same amount of money without significantly better results. My recommendation is to pick up a couple of Nikon N75 or N55 kits. Yes, you’ll spend about the same amount upfront, but both the N75 and N55 work like a point-and-shoot camera—the flash pops up automatically and won’t fire unless it’s ready to go, so you’re almost guaranteed usable photos for an entire roll of film. Plus! You can lend the cameras to friends for their weddings or resell them afterward to recoup your money.

Here’s the math:

Two Nikon N75 cameras: $50 each
Two 36-exp. 3-packs of film: $50
Developing for 6 rolls: $120

That totals $220 for 216 exposures—or $170 after reselling the cameras. With a lot tape and a little of patience, you’ll get higher-quality photos and more control over the results—all without wasting money on disposable cameras that will leave you disappointed. Your memories deserve better.