Free black dress rental at U&I Studio, a Hongdae self-photo studio

Trying to figure out something special to do for our anniversary, we decided to go take self-photos this time!

Where is U&I Studio Hongdae Branch?

The place we visited is U&I Studio Hongdae Branch, located in Hongdae haha. It's at 51 World Cup buk-ro, 3rd floor, Unit 301, Mapo-gu, Seoul.

U&I Studio Hongdae Branch is on the 3rd floor of the building, so you just take the elevator up!

Walking in: slippers, water dispenser and snacks

When you walk in, you first change into slippers. There's a water dispenser on one side and sweet snacks are ready too, so we could relax comfortably before and after shooting 😋

How varied are the props at U&I Studio?

One side of U&I Studio Hongdae Branch has all sorts of props ready! Flowers, headbands, cake models, chalkboards — the variety of props is really impressive haha

Thanks to that, even shooting in the same space, we could use the props to create all kinds of different moods in the photos!

I especially recommend using this flower backdrop 🌸 It came out beautifully for the self-photos, and it was also just really nice for taking regular selfies haha

And on one side there were cute dresses for kids to wear! I think people coming to photograph their little ones could get some really pretty shots too 🥹

Shooting in a black dress from the free rental event

When I visited, there was also a free dress rental event running, so we signed up and used it! There were white and black dresses ready, plus jackets and dress shirts for men, so it looked great not just for anniversary photos but also for bridal showers or self-wedding shoots!

I wore the black dress for the shoot that day, and honestly I found the dress of my life here... lol. Trying it on and seeing the photos, I liked it way more than I expected — enough that if I ever do wedding photos later, I'd want to wear this exact design 🤭

The changing room and vanity table

There's a separate changing room for switching dresses, and a vanity table set up inside! Curling irons, hairspray and more are ready too, so you can fix your hair after changing clothes. Thanks to that, changing outfits and shooting again was completely hassle-free haha

Is a 45-minute shoot enough time to change outfits?

The total shooting time at U&I Studio Hongdae Branch is 45 minutes! It turned out to be a lot more generous than expected — we shot first in the outfits we arrived in, then changed into the black dress midway and shot again, and still had plenty of time!

It didn't feel rushed at all — we got to try out different poses and use props at a relaxed pace, which I really liked 👍🏻 Timelapse filming is also available! You can capture a video of yourselves taking the photos, so if you visit for an anniversary, I definitely recommend trying this too haha

How do you receive the photos?

Once the shoot is completely finished, the original photo files are emailed to you right away! After going through all the originals, you pick two photos you like, and those chosen photos get retouched and sent back. They told us the retouched versions take about 5 days!

Is U&I Studio Hongdae worth it for anniversary photos?

With self-photo studios, sometimes the time is too short or the props too limited, so you end up with a bunch of similar-looking shots — but U&I Studio Hongdae Branch had generous shooting time plus a wide variety of props and costumes, making it great for visiting on an anniversary and coming away with real photos haha

If you're looking for a special date spot in Hongdae, want photos to remember an anniversary by, or are planning a bridal shower or self-wedding shoot, I'd recommend leaving your self-photos at U&I Studio Hongdae Branch!