10 May Supplier Squad ~ Birdie & Co ~ Wedding Photo Booth

Let’s face it, it’s not been the best 15 months for weddings but boy, when we get back to them, we all know people are going to want to PARTY! They’ll be lots of hugs and lots of missed selfies and it’s for these weddings, the perfect investment for the day will be a Photo Booth.

And with couples’ now looking to have something to make their wedding stand out from the crowd, BIRDIE & Co offer the perfect option… a Photo Booth in a seriously cute pink VW camper van!

This week, Kitty from Birdie & Co tells us all about their gorgeous camper van photo booth and how the concept was born!

by Kitty

I’ve always had a passion for anything vintage – even from an early age.

As a teenager I would up-cycle and customise clothes from Charity shops which then led me onto studying  art and textiles at university.

My degree show was a unique mix of kitsch 1960s inspired bathroom accessories and photographs of my friend Edwina in my ‘make believe pink world’ surrounded by my customised items.

After finishing my degree I struggled to find a job in which I could use my creative flair and love of colour and decided to go back to university (this time in Birmingham) to qualify as a teacher.

After almost 15 years of teaching in both Birmingham and London I knew it was time for a change; I needed to be more creative and I’d always dreamed of owning my little  business. So I left my job,  sold my house, went back to living with my parents and used the profits from my house sale to fund the idea.

I’d been to lots of friends weddings during my teaching years and had spent most of the night having fun in the photo booth, and loved looking through the photo memories afterwards- so thought why not launch a photo booth but in a vehicle such as a camper van – so I could finally achieve two of the things I’d always wanted… to own a camper van and start up my own business.

And that’s where it all started …

A photographer friend recommended I meet a guy over in Rainford who restored camper vans, had won lots of car shows with his crazy inventions and would be able to advise me on the best vehicle to buy. This guy, who we now know as  VW Dave,  introduced me to a rusty, dilapidated 1978 bay window camper in his hay barn which had chickens laying eggs in the engine bay… and from that moment onwards I just knew it was meant to be.

I named her BIRDIE and together  we planned the most amazing restoration; with Dave’s skills and know how and my colourful and creative eye we built a successful business from literally scrap metal! Haha!

Fast forward five years and we now have two National and three Regional wedding awards, two pink camper van photo booths and a light up bubble caravan photo booth, a Mini Bar, Ice cream Mini and several other pink props perfect for weddings and events.

We travel throughout the U.K. bringing our bubbles of joy and fun to thousands of people every year – and have even featured in magazines and on the TV (claim to fame!)

Thank you so much Kitty for telling us all about the amazing Birdie and her friends!

If you’d like to see more of BIRDIE’s adventures you can check out their Instagram or website as they continue to evolve and add more to the BIRDIE family.

With Love,
Claire x