Blog Summary
- The Wedding Content Creator captures behind the scenes and candid photos
- A Wedding Planner or Day of Coordinator (DOC) is essential to your vendor team
- Photo booth and audio guest book are must haves
- Extra wedding must-haves are worth the cost
Planning a wedding is fun and exciting, but there are MANY decisions that need to be made. Take one peek into any wedding planning Facebook group and you will see hundreds of questions about vendors, DIY plans, and additional items to enhance the guest experience.
Mostly, these questions are in relation to these “extras” added to your vendor team being worth the additional spend.
As a bride who did end up adding some of the extras on, I am here to give you my perspective on whether or not these are worth the cost.
Content Creator & Videographer
The content creator is the biggest wedding trend in the wedding industry. Very new but catching on fast, brides are wondering whether or not it is worth adding on. Some brides consider a content creator over a wedding videographer and wonder if it is necessary to have both. The necessity of these vendors is completely dependent on the type of footage you are looking to receive.
The scope of what a content creator produces is completely different than a videographer’s video content:
- Videographer: The videographer captures formal highlights of the day and a variety of edited montages to showcase your love story with highlights and scenes of your wedding day
- Content Creator: The content creator captures more informal and raw content, candid moments, and snippets of key moments to put together for social media.
I had both a content creator and a videographer present for my wedding. In my opinion, both were worth every penny spent!
Videographer
We did videography by Martin Reardon Photography (10/10 recommendation for both photography and videography, by the way – they were incredible), and although it is too soon after the wedding for us to have received our video, we have already received our highlight reel. I have watched it no less than 20 times. It is INCREDIBLE, and the way they seamlessly blended together so much of the day in such an artistic fashion blew us away!
They also used drone footage to get clips of our venue, and got the best angles of the wedding party walking down the aisle that a content creator would not be able to do. We cannot wait to see the rest of the footage!
The Wedding Content Creator
I had looked into some content creators but I was not completely in love with the pricing, nor do I really post much on my own personal social media. These packages were including Reels and TikTok videos, and the prices were much steeper than I felt that I could justify for packages that were including items I did not want. I knew I wanted more casual snippets of the day, but needed to make sure it was content that we actually wanted.
So, I asked the ever-talented Saharrah Heidrick (who you may recognize from our very own Darianna® Bridal & Tuxedo staff) if she would be willing to come early to get behind-the-scenes videos and photos of the day!
Saharrah does a ton of social media for the store, and has the perfect eye for taking photos and videos that are both aesthetically pleasing and relevant. She also already knew me, my husband, my family, most of my bridesmaids, and the entire Darianna® team. She was the perfect match to understand the dynamics of our relationships and exactly what I was looking for!
Why You Need A Wedding Content Creator
When I tell you Saharrah captured everything I wanted and more, I mean EVERYTHING I wanted and more that I did not even know I wanted until she had sent it.
She added me into a shared album with about 450+ clips of behind the scenes footage and photos of my wedding day. My husband and I got to watch them all the very next day, less than 12 hours after our wedding ended. It was immediate content of behind the scenes moments, quiet videos of our spectacular wedding venue (Elstowe Manor on the Elkins Estate) before our guests arrived, guests enjoying cocktail hour, different angles of the getting-ready process, and so much more.
What’s Different?
Saharrah captured separate and longer videos of our first look, bridal party photos, our gorgeous cake, the ceremony, and so much of the party! She also captured the special moments between family and friends during photos and more informal moments (like lining up for family photos) that a videographer would not normally get.
For example, Saharrah caught the moment that my grandfather got to see my mom all dressed up as Mother of the Bride. She caught my dance with my grandfather as well as him dancing with my mom, sister, and grandmother. She filmed these while the videographer and photographer were eating dinner.
Had she not caught these, we would have never seen it again. These little moments mean everything to not only me and my husband, but to my entire family, and we will look back on these videos for years.
Wedding Planner/Day of Coordinator (DOC)
Hiring a DOC or wedding planner is one of the most debated topics in the wedding planning Facebook groups. Many venues have a dedicated event coordinator assigned to their wedding day, so brides question whether or not it is worth it to hire an additional coordinator for their day.
The difference:
- An event coordinator works for the venue and is someone who operates out of the best interest of that venue.
- A Day of Coordinator works directly for YOU and operates in your best interest. They act as a liaison between you and your venue, a point of contact for your vendors, and the scope of their job includes so much more that your venue does not.
I am here to tell you that another vendor you need to splurge on is a wedding planner or Day of Coordinator.
My DOC Friend
Could I be any luckier than having a bridesmaid who is also a planner/DOC?
Enter Shannon Kelly of SK Wedding Planning (who you may also know from none other than Darianna® Bridal & Tuxedo)! I have seen what Shannon has done for other weddings in the past and, although I may sound biased, she is EXACTLY who you need running your wedding day.
Shannon had many roles at my wedding – bridesmaid, DOC, and mother of the ring bearer. There is not a single thing that went overlooked with her in charge despite having so much to handle all at once.
Before my wedding, Shannon created my timeline, coordinated the line up for the bridal party, organized much of my decor, scoped out ideas based on my Pinterest board, and did a ton of research for me. I was not stressed out at all the week of my wedding because Shannon took so much off of my plate ahead of time.
The day of the wedding, Shannon was cricut-ing my welcome sign, blowing up balloons for our balloon drop, delegating projects to vendors/bridesmaids, coordinating the ring bearer’s schedule, helping set up breakfast spreads, and getting her hair and make up done at the same time. All while I sat there getting my hair and make up done and enjoying the morning with everyone.
She was behind-the-scenes doing so much that day all while being right on time for photos, and still was so much fun the entire day!
Why You Need A DOC
The day of your wedding will be very exciting, and you will most likely be a little anxious. Even if you think you won’t need a planner or DOC, you will absolutely will. You need one to:
- Vendor coordination, drop offs, directing
- ensure that your set up is exactly what you asked for
- wrangle your wedding party and family members
- run around and grab things you and others forgot/left in other rooms
- keep the groom and groomsmen on time for photos, dressed properly, boutonnieres
- have the emergency kit nearby and keep everyone hydrated
- take charge and keep everything on schedule
As a bride, I had no idea how many things would pop up and how much running around was actually needed. If I were the one having to do the running, it would have definitely been an unwelcome stress. It may have even ruined parts of my day. Hire the planner or the DOC. More specifically, hire Shannon!
Audio Guestbook
For those who have not heard of an audio guestbook, it is a phone that records messages from your guests that takes the place of a physical guestbook. This is a great option for couples who do not have the space to display a physical guestbook, or who are looking for something that feels a little more personal.
We knew we wanted an audio guestbook, and we were stoked when we found out that one was offered through our DJ (Art Armani of Armani Entertainment). I loved the idea of our guests being able to leave us heartfelt or silly messages that we could listen to for years down the road. After our wedding, we received 32 minutes of the best blend of messages from our guests that we could have ever asked for!
Many members of our family left us really sweet messages wishing us well and giving us marriage advice! Our friends recorded a mixture of well-wishes that slowly but surely turned into giggles and the most unhinged messages I have ever heard as the night progressed. It was EXACTLY what we wanted. We spent the night after our wedding listening to these messages and hysterically laughing as they got weirder and weirder! We highly recommend the Audio Guestbook!
Photo Booth
Another add on that I am starting to see debated more in the wedding planning groups is the photo booth. I also am seeing on Wedding TikTok that planners and brides are saying that photo booths aren’t a good idea, that they are “out”, and that guests are not using them.
I am here to tell you that is absolutely NOT the case. My guests spent so much time in the photo booth, with people in line ALL night long! In fact, most of my guests hit the photo booth multiple times throughout the night. This was another feature offered by Armani Entertainment, and we are extremely happy with our decision to have the photo booth!
The photos from the Photo Booth are quite different from the professional photos. They are some of the funniest we have from our wedding day! We have friends who did not know each other who met in the photo booth kissing each other on the cheek. We have kids and our flower girl holding props they definitely cannot read that are almost too big for them to hold. We have a groomsman that decided to have solo shots done. We have prom poses, awkward family photo poses, and the entirety of table 10 (most of whom did not know each other prior to being seated together). These photos helped us capture the essence of our night and the moments we did not get to see, and our guests (of all ages) absolutely loved using it. And we received a link to the entire photo gallery.
Just do yourself a favor and get the photo booth!
Final Advice
My best advice for couples in the midst of wedding planning and deciding on wedding extras is to really look ahead at your day:
- How do you want to feel?
- What feels most practical for you?
- What do you value?
- What do you want to have tangibly to look back on?
From there, consider all of the vendors and what they offer, and do not be afraid to tell them what you are looking for to see if they may offer a package that works for you that is within your budget. Make your wedding feel authentically yours, and add on the extras that will make your special day even more special for you!