Wedding Content Creation is a brand new addition to the wedding industry! On today’s episode of Wedding Secrets Unveiled!, Host Sara Zarrella and Co-Host & Producer Dan Phillips dive into the pros and potential drawbacks of hiring a Social Media Content Creator for your wedding. Join them as they share unfiltered insights, along with tips and tricks for finding the perfect professional to document your big day from this fresh and unique perspective!

Our experience with wedding content creation…
This episode came about because we had a situation last year at a wedding that was really difficult. The bride and groom never even knew it happened – which just goes to show your vendors that we will do everything possible to keep your day running smoothly. But, this day was tough. It was a mentally draining day and it was tough to be creative because I had no bandwidth to be creative after dealing with the issue we did all day. So, the day of this wedding – Dan and I really had issues with a content creator the day of the wedding.
First, we didn’t even know that this content creator was going to be on site. That’s number one: you should always let all your vendors know who’s onsite and who they’re working with. This helps us set up the day for success. It happens where we don’t always know who’s going to be around. But this time, this content creator was obnoxiously unprofessional, and I will not say the company, because that’s not what this podcast is about. But, we want to educate you on the pros and cons of including this in your wedding day.
Content creation is the new thing. It’s happening, it’s here. Actually, Dan and I now have a division of Sara Zarrella Photography for in-house content creation – we’ll talk about that in another episode. But, we left this wedding thinking that we never want to do this again. This particular content creator clearly did not have the timeline that was set forward between us, the venue, the videographer, the catering company and the other vendors. This person was going off and disrupting it all – setting up situations that really just ate away at time. If they were a seasoned pro, they wouldn’t have done that and would have played well with others.
But, with that said, let’s get into the topic at hand.
Wedding content creation shouldn’t interrupt your timeline.
The majority of photographers lead the timeline on a wedding day. Whether we put it together or get it from your event planner, your photographer facilitates most of it because they’re with you all day.
When it comes to those moments on the timeline – like you getting into your dress or being zipped up – all of your content related vendors should be there together. There is nothing worse than having to stage a moment three times because your photographer, videographer and content creator weren’t synced together. And honestly, that’s literally what happened at the wedding we were talking about. The bottom line is: there’s a timeline, and everybody agreed on it to make the day work. Repeating stuff takes away from the authenticity of the moment, and messes up the timeline for the day.
Wedding content creation is still new.
The idea of wedding content creation is still new. I’m sure things are gonna be evolving, like with everything else. Everything eventually gets worked out. But right now we’re in an era where it’s new, so nothing’s worked out yet.
What I mean by that is, do you remember when unplugged ceremonies were new? Like, 15 years ago. People kept getting ceremony photos that had Uncle Bob’s arm in the aisle blocking the photographer or videographer because they wanted a photo on their camera or cell phone. So all of your ceremony photos had people with their devices out. So, there was a pain point and the solution became unplugged ceremonies. People understand now that to be a good guest, you keep your devices away. But, that took years to evolve and become the norm.
Well, that’s what’s happening with content creation. Content Creation is very new. It’s a social media creation for your wedding day. Sometimes people have that and not videography. There’s two types that I’ve seen. There’s the content creators that truly do behind the scenes, and they’re not in the way, and they’re awesome, and they’re great to work with.Then there’s content creators that need to create and produce some stuff. They’re producing moments – like reality TV. However they build it in their timeline, they let the other vendors know what they need, and we all come together and we build it in your timeline, and it goes perfectly.

Your content creator will be with you all day.
But I need you guys as the listeners to understand this, so that way you know who you’re hiring and what you need to do. It’s not like you just all of a sudden hire a florist or a cake and they show up then leave. If you’re hiring a content creator, they’re there all day. So they need to play well in the sandbox with your videographer and your photographer. And videographers and photographers have been playing well in the sandbox for a long time – because it goes hand in hand.
Well, now we need to add that social media content or content creator, so just please understand that if you are hiring somebody like that, don’t just hire and then move on. You have to let your other vendors know that they’re on site, and you have to talk to your content creator and ask them how they work and what they need, because we need to make this successful.
Candid vs. Produced Moments
Yeah, and I think there’s a big misconception about what content creators do. You have to know what candid, behind the scenes, or more produced moments mean. I think you should be upfront with the content creator if you want more behind the scenes moments or a photojournalistic vibe. Do you want the cameras photographing you? Or do you want the in between moments, talking to each other or more posed moments?
If they’re going to be shooting behind the scenes, not all vendors want to be on camera. So there’s a moral and ethical thing there, too. You need to be sharing that information and asking vendors what they want to share.
So I think one thing is that people think they’re going to get candid moments. And I think it’s important to understand what a normal candid moment can look like. Candid moments actually take time, and true candid moments aren’t always as glamorous as they may seem. I think what people need to understand also, too, is, at the end of the day – a camera, a phone, they’re just tools.
Who’s leading your vendors?
There really should only be one lead. So whether that be your videographer or photographer, there should only be one. Honestly, 99.9% of the time it’s your photographer and the videographers prefer it that way. Obviously they’ll step up if the photographer’s not doing the right thing, but working together, it’s the whole point. So we have yet to see a content creator do that.
However, our in-house one does that, but that’s because their background is photography and videography, so they’re gonna pop up. You can’t have all these egos at your wedding. You have to have them all work together. So if your photographer needs to take a back seat because your videographer or your content creator is going to take the lead, then they need to know that going into it. Not only that – but a content creator might get a beautiful photo because the photographer set up the shot with the background or light, and they’re just taking our lead. That’s something to be aware of, too.

What about the “no still photography” contract clauses for wedding photographers?
So there’s a lot of photographers that say in their contract “no still photography” and content creation falls underneath that. It’s not because photographers are trying to be jerks, or someone’s trying to not have your day captured. You’re hiring us. You don’t want multiple photographers, because then they could be in each other’s way, could be each other’s pictures, could be pulling you a thousand directions.
Creators taking our stills and then putting them up online really gets into a whole conversation about the morals and ethics. But my point is, if your content creator is creating stills, you need to let the photographer know that there’s ways to work with that. ‘m not saying that you can’t have stills. Your photographer will have policies, and you have to work within those policies, otherwise they’re not the right team for you.
For example, we have it in our contract that we’re the only still photographers. This keeps us from tripping over someone else trying to work there at the same time. That’s not to say I will not allow your content creator to take pictures. There’s just things I want to talk with your content creator about. The point is that there needs to be a dialogue about it all. We want to help everyone get the best product for you.
Professionalism matters on your wedding day.
The whole takeaway of this first part is to understand that your content creator will affect the day, just like every other vendor. Most likely, it will have a positive impact! But, everyone has to know they’re onsite. Don’t assume that because they’re doing your behind the scenes that your vendors want that, too. The vendor team and venue need to know who’s onsite and doing what throughout the wedding day. The other thing is, if they’re not professional, they can really disrupt your day. And if they are professional, they’re gonna require certain things too.
The other thing is the cell phone vs. your photographer or videographer’s professional imagery. When you hire a videographer or photographer, you’re hiring them for so many different reasons: how they work with you, how they make you feel, how they handle themselves, and their actual products. It’s really important to understand that those pictures that are taken or video that’s taken the day of your wedding has then been manipulated and edited in their own style. When a cell phone takes a photo, the image is going to look different than us. Bottom line is, it’s a different tool. With content creators, you’ve got to look at their body or work. Does it work with the style that you want for your video or phone photos?

Dan, you have a story about content creation on a wedding day, right?
This year, we had a wedding where the bride and bridesmaids wanted to do a trend where they were lip syncing. It became a whole can of worms and was really eye opening for me. We didn’t lose time because of it, but it really showed me how long a simple 15 second video can really take. So, I think if it’s something important to you, try to practice beforehand because it’s a lot harder than we all think.
There are things a content creator can do that other vendors can’t.
Honestly, there are plenty of things that people with a phone camera can do that the other vendors can’. Sometimes crazy angles or getting up really high or whatever. But, I get nervous when people see things like that and think it happens naturally. No, it’s definitely staged to get the right light and sound and photo. I think most people know that stuff on social media tends to be a little fake. ButI would hate for somebody to say, “Oh, I’ll capture stuff like this”, and it’s just kind of not realistic.
Our in-house content creator, they’re getting some amazing stuff because their background is as a videographer and photographer, so they’re taking all of their knowledge and tools and using it with a different tool. But what’s cool about it is sometimes a cell phone can be less intimidating. That’s a positive thing.
This is a little bit speculation, but I wonder if guests see a person walking around with a cell phone out, especially during the ceremony and feel more emboldened to go get their own photo.
It definitely does. I’ve been seeing that or asking your videographer or photographer to take a picture with your phone. During a reception, it’s not such a big deal. But if you’re asking them during a key moment, that’s not going to work.

Another positive – is that cell phones have faster turnaround time. A content creator can give you the videos or photos the next day.
Now to be fair, your photographer and videographer are doing a lot more work. But, how awesome is it to get content from your wedding the next day?
I really feel like it’s gonna explode. It’s gonna change the industry. Everything levels up. We’re at the infantry stage of it, so the sky’s the limit of what’s going to happen with this. But my point is, just be aware that it is happening.
Wedding content creation is budget friendly.
The other thing that’s really great about content creation is that it could be a little bit more budget friendly right now. People are just now starting this part of their business. Of course, consider what it’s going to cost you in emotional currency. However, I would like to think that we’re going to start to see that rapidly change quickly, because if people are smart, they’re going to be getting content creators that actually have the knowledge and the creativity in the background. At the end of the day, a phone is just a tool.
There’s so much you can do with a phone and it makes hiring a content creator amazing because you get this whole other perspective of the world of your wedding.

What We Discussed
Impact of the Content Creator on the Wedding Day (4:15)
Pros and Cons of Hiring a Content Creator (11:03)
The Role of Content Creators in Wedding Planning (12:03)
The Future of Content Creation in Wedding Planning (47:53)
Conclusion and Final Thoughts (52:31)
Links Mentioned in the Episode
Read about our wedding day services!
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