Seconds after Jasmine Parker and her new husband sealed their marriage vows with a kiss in an Atlanta ballroom last month, footage of the lip-lock was shared to her Instagram Story and edited into an eye-popping short for TikTok.
The happy couple had paid nearly $5,000 to hire Lauren Ladouceur, a 20-something Brooklyn wedding content creator. Ladouceur shot, edited and shared behind-the-scenes moments from the 18-hour festivities — from the early morning to the last dance.
“[She’s] a professional,” said Parker in a TikTok praising Ladouceur, who she dubbed her “Type A sister,” owing to her acute attention to detail. “I was seriously worried about how I was going to capture content for my wedding.”
It’s no longer enough to hire a traditional photographer and videographer — both of whom typically take several weeks to deliver media — to document your big day. Image conscious couples are now paying thousands of dollars to have a dedicated content creator document their “I do’s” and quickly post to Instagram and TikTok, where the hashtag #WeddingContentCreator has over 12.2 million views.
“Social media has increasingly become a huge part of couples’ wedding days,” Katie Brownstein, director of marketing for the wedding website Joy, told The Post. “As younger millennials and Gen Zs get married we can only expect this trend to continue.”
Part of the fun is seeing your wedding content go viral. Ladouceur, who relies simply on an iPhone to shoot and post, earned Jasmine a staggering 1.1 million TikTok views on a video of her traditional Korean ceremony, known as a Paebaek, which was held shortly before her American wedding last month. She also helped her amass 31,000 views on her #BringTheBeatBack challenge post, a trend where brides transition from pre-glam shabbiness to full wedding splendor set to Beyoncé’s 2006 “Freakum Dress.”
Ladouceur, who works as a fulltime digital content creator, officially branded herself a social media savvy wedding vendor to her 22,000 TikTok followers this past January. She’s already done 10 weddings this year, and she has 15 nuptials — both local and international — on the docket for 2023.
Her least expensive package, which costs $1,795 and is exclusively available to brides in the Big Apple, includes about 1,000 raw pictures and videos, as well as three edited short-form clips ready to be shared on TikTok and Instagram Stories.
For a fee of $4,995, she provides brides with several pre-wedding consultation calls to discuss day-of content capturing and sharing, a full day of behind-the-scenes content documentation that she promises to deliver within 24 hours of the event, at least five edited short-form videos for social media and an Instagram takeover, during which she posts to the bride’s account.
“I’m not a professional wedding photographer or videographer,” Ladouceur said. “I’m there to capture moments that offer a fuller picture of a bride’s entire day.”
Business is also booming for Scottsdale, Ariz. social media maven Sabrina Anne Tanner, 25. She demands a flat rate of $1,200 to cover a domestic ceremony, and $3,000 for international fêtes, plus the cost of her flights, food and hotels.
She started covering weddings this past summer and is booked for ceremonies in Lake Como, Tuscany, Mexico and the Dominican Republic next year. A TikTok post she did of TED Talk speaker Victoria Garrick and former college football quarterback Max Browne tying the knot in August got a whopping 1.3 million TikTok clicks.
“Brides find my page … and know that I can make [their videos] look really good,” said Tanner, who is famed for unique editing methods, such as a “head-turn transition.”
Despite the popularity of their posts and their steady bookings, both Tanner and Ladouceur said they’ve faced critics questioning the legitimacy of their work and the need for their skills. Some ask why a bridesmaid or friend can’t simply post a few TikToks, but Ladouceur notes that you get what you do — or don’t — pay for.
“People in the wedding or invited as guests have their own motives for that day,” she said. “A content creator is going to be fully sober, capturing those special moments as a dedicated member of your media team.”
