The subject of wedding suppliers’ marketing content creation on wedding days has been on my mind for months. This year, more than ever, I’ve found it difficult to witness suppliers angling for increasing amounts of content.
It’s a conversation wedding suppliers desperately need to have and something couples deserve to understand. So I’ve just published a piece on Substack called “Who does wedding suppliers’ content creation serve: Couples or the algorithm?”.
The article has examples from recent weddings that made me feel uncomfortable (and honestly, protective) for the couple:
- A venue that hired their own photographer for the ceremony without the couple’s knowledge
- A hairstylist who persisted over a “bridesmaid reveal” after the bride politely declined twice
- A band’s content creator centre-stage during profoundly beautiful moments between the groom’s grandparents’
And it speaks to how this doesn’t just compromise couples’ professional photos but also the way content creation takes from the day itself.
To quote from the piece:
“There’s already a wave of couples who’ve spent precious time posing for content rather than enjoying the full magic of their day. There are heirloom albums on coffee tables with suppliers as prominent as loved ones.”
“When people are asked to pose or perform, it steals precious time that serendipity could have filled with something spontaneous and sacred.”
And that’s the heart of it.
Every supplier is navigating the same pressure to be visible and feel pushed by algorithmic demands. But it’s reaching a point where something has to change. The wedding world needs to ask itself honestly whether it’s serving couples with as much love as possible.
The article doesn’t have answers because this is the messy middle and I’m working through it myself. Instead, it’s an invitation to wedding suppliers to reflect on how we can bring more care, presence, and meaning to our couples’ weddings. And to anyone planning a wedding, to consider whether there’s a place for content creation in your day and have this conversation with your suppliers.
You can read the full article on Substack and then I’d really love to hear what you think. Let’s have this conversation because couples’ core memories deserve so much more than what we’ve allowed to become normal.
