Di Cristo & Ruggiero

Di Cristo & Ruggiero is a photo studio at Wilerstrasse 23 in Flawil that rents out a photo booth for weddings, birthdays and company events, and delivers, sets up and dismantles it in Eastern Switzerland, Flawil and St. Gallen. The same studio photographs and films weddings, which is what sets it apart from a booth-only rental firm: a couple can book the booth, the photographer and the videographer from one team. The site is in German, and the studio also calls itself Ruggiero Photography and Fotostudio Ruggiero on its own pages.

The photo booth

The booth page explains the idea in a few lines. Guests photograph themselves alone or in groups in front of a photo wall, and the studio provides props matched to the theme or motto of the event: hats, costumes and other items, which the page admits often produce hilarious pictures. The page pitches the booth as an attraction that is especially popular late in the evening, once the party is in full swing.

Guests can take the photos with them straight away as prints, and the pictures are also available afterward in an online gallery, so everyone can look at the group shots again after the wedding. The studio offers what it calls the complete service around delivery, setup and dismantling, which means the couple does not have to collect, assemble or return anything. Booking is by phone or email ("Fotobox buchen" and "Jetzt Termin vereinbaren" on the page).

The menu also lists "Fotoape die fahrende Fotobox", a mobile photo booth, as a separate product. It has its own page, which is not part of what we read, so ask the studio what it is and how it differs if the idea of a booth that moves around appeals.

Wedding photography and film

The booth is a side line of a working photo studio. The menu lists wedding photography (engagement photos, wedding reportage, wedding photos, after-wedding shoots and a section on weddings abroad), portraits, business photography, and workshops in photography, video and video editing.

The wedding video page is the most detailed. The studio makes personal wedding films, and the couple decides whether that is a short film or a video covering several hours. It can also provide a videographer for the whole day while photographing the wedding in parallel. Filming can start with the bride and groom's styling and cover the ceremony, the vows, the cutting of the cake and the first dance. The FAQ says the length of the finished film depends on how long the videographers are booked: for a wedding covered from the early morning getting ready until the wedding cake, a film can run 50-60 minutes, and it gets longer if every speech, service and song by the band is to be included. The studio discusses this with each couple individually in the studio, and adds that a film should not be so long that watching it gets boring.

Asked whether photography and video can be booked together, the FAQ answers yes: the studio is a 4-person team and, depending on the number of wedding guests, turns up with two, three or all four people. The page shows reference films of several couples.

Another FAQ answers the couple who wonders whether photos are not enough. The studio's view is that the two cannot really be compared: photos tell the story of the day, show what the venue looked like and who was there, while a video keeps far more detail, with the music, the speeches of family and friends, the band in the evening and the couple's own words at the vows. Couples are invited to share their wishes in advance and bring their own ideas for a personal film, which the studio then works out with them.

Where they work

For the photo booth, the page names Eastern Switzerland, Flawil and St. Gallen as the areas where delivery, setup and dismantling are offered. The video page goes further for the photographers and filmmakers: they are not only out in Flawil, St. Gallen or Zurich, but can be booked across the whole of Eastern Switzerland and in Germany or Austria. Whether the booth travels as far as the crew is not stated, and the site publishes no travel charge for either. The wedding section of the menu also carries a page on weddings abroad, which we have not read; a couple from another country can ask whether it covers their plans.

Opening hours and contact

The studio is closed on Mondays. It is open Tuesday to Friday from 09.00 to 12.00 and from 13.30 to 18.00, and on Saturday from 9.00 to 15.00, with appointments outside those hours possible by arrangement. That is useful for a couple living abroad who can only talk in the evening. Contact is +41 71 390 04 27 or info@diru.ch.

What the site does not settle

The booth page is brief, and several things a couple planning from abroad would want to know are not on it. It publishes no prices for the booth, the photography or the films, so everything has to be quoted. It does not describe the camera, the lighting or the print format, and does not say how long the booth stays or how many prints are included. It does not say whether someone from the studio stays with the booth during the party, how much space it needs, or whether it can be set up outdoors. The site is written in German and makes no statement about English; write in English and see how the reply comes back.

Who it suits

Di Cristo & Ruggiero suits couples marrying in Eastern Switzerland who would rather deal with one studio than three suppliers. Booking the booth together with the photographer and the videographer means one contact, one timetable and one team at the venue, and the studio's own FAQ confirms that photo and video can run in parallel. The props and the late-evening pitch make it a booth for a lively party rather than a formal dinner. The caveats are the lack of published prices, the thin detail on the booth itself, and a German-only site. For a couple planning from abroad, the first message should ask for a combined quote covering booth, photography and film, with the booth's hours, print allowance and travel costs spelled out.