Wedding Venue Owners Often Provide Candid Content To Engaged Couples For FREE!
The story of a make up artist kicked out of a wedding over candid content & crossing professional boundaries has the wedding industry asking, “who has the right to capture candid content?”
Wedding venue owners, what if you showed up at your next wedding and you were told that no one on your wedding venue team could capture candid content? Professional wedding photography, videography and now candid content power your best sales tools: SEO, Website & Social Media. Candid content is extremely valuable, and the lack of candid content featured on your website and social media will reduce your ability to generate leads and convert leads to sales. In the Wedding Venue Owners & Management Community Group on Facebook, venue owners are sharing stories of amateur candid content creators crossing professional boundaries, delaying timelines, demanding exclusive rights to capturing candid content and sometimes ruining guest experience. The best Wedding Venue Owners Often Provide Candid Content To Engaged Couples For FREE and have been for years.
“I do not recommend wedding venue owners start charging couples for candid content packages. I do recommend that wedding venue owners offer this service for free as an added value for their couples to enjoy. Your couples will be thrilled. The venue team & engaged couple can establish candid content boundaries and preferences. This should not prevent PRO candid content creators from be hired, it should prevent unprofessional, inexperienced side hustle opportunists from being hired in this role.” — Didi Russell
Unprofessional Candid Content Creators Can Ruin A Wedding Experience. Every Wedding Venue Needs A Well Thought Out Candid Content Program.
In the video below, you will see The Key Look make up artist share her experience as a vendor at a wedding where she says she was kicked out of the wedding. Comments on this video were not largely sympathetic to the make up artist. instead commenters pointed out that the make up artist “crossed boundaries”. This comment, “I think the line was officially cross during the first look when she obviously ended up in the professional pics from that angle” from account Beth-Not-Karen, provides insight on why our wedding venue owners need to look into the emerging issues that are popping up around candid content creators, boundaries and issues that can drastically compromise your wedding couples and guests experience. Look up “The Key Look” on TikTok and research this for yourself to fully understand why this story has generated hundreds of videos, conversations and concerns.
A wedding content creator is a social media EXPERT who specializes in capturing and creating content for weddings most often using smartphones. Expectations for a candid content creator are not the same as the expectations of a videographer. Candid content is so popular because it’s a less edited look at the vibrant, fun, imperfect/less staged aspects of the wedding. Additionally, candid content is often provided to the couple much faster than professional wedding videography. Candid content creators capture the moments that are most important to the couple allowing the couple to enjoy their wedding without the stress of trying to capture candid content themselves. Wedding venue owners that provide candid content solutions will be so far ahead of their competition in 2025 that they may never catch up to you! Join our free weekly Zoom wedding venue SEO, Website & Social Media workshops for a more indepth discussion on this topic and how wedding venue owners are developing their candid content programs for 2025. Fill out the form to sign up for free wedding venue owner education workshops.
Add wedding candid content creator to your list of wedding vendors, it’s officially a wedding vendor category. This is not a trend, it’s a necessity with some couples paying $1000 to $5000 for wedding candid content. Locally owned wedding venues with vendor programs typically have the best reputation for providing excellent wedding experiences. The vendor program must now include candid content and so should your contract. Wedding venues all over the country are adding contract language that allows them to capture content from all events hosted at their venue, this includes rights of use for marketing and advertising.
Wedding venues that do not have a plan for candid content creation at their venue are at risk for losing one of their most power resources, content! Candid content at your real weddings helps you generate more quality leads and convert those leads to weddings at a high rate. If you lose control of candid content at your venue or you don’t have a plan on how candid content will be managed at your wedding venue, you are absolutely going to lose leads and bookings.
The problem with this new wedding vendor category, so many people have been told that this is an easy way to make money. There are Youtube and TikTok channels dedicated to teaching unqualified people how to be professional content creators. Many people selling candid content packages to engaged couples have no wedding industry experience, they do not have business licenses, Tax ID #s and do not have liability insurance. As many wedding venue owners have experienced, a non professional wedding vendor is one of the biggest potential disasters to a wedding. Unprofessional wedding vendors increase the risk and liability at a wedding venue. Additionally, they are notorious for ghosting a wedding, drinking, violation wedding venue policies, creating more work for the actual wedding pros and drastically reducing the overall wedding experience. This is why a vendor management program is essential for all wedding venues. Wedding Venue Owners Often Provide Candid Content To Engaged Couples For FREE! Comment on this blog if you have been providing your couples with candid content.
“Going into 2025, any wedding venue that does not have vendor management system, simply can’t claim to offer an excellent wedding experience. Even wedding venues that offer a venue only package will still offer a wedding planning guide featuring recommended vendors who have worked at the venue before and have wedding industry experience.” — Didi Russell
Wedding venue owners across the country have stepped up in recent years to offer their couples a complimentary candid content service. The venue team will capture moments for the engaged couples so that they do not have to spend additional funds to hire a candid content creator. Wedding venues must maintain some governance over the candid content at your wedding venue. If you have no plan, no program you will lose access to capturing candid content. If you allow vendors to govern over the candid content of the wedding, you may lose the right to capture your own candid content. This would be an incredibly valuable loss for your wedding venue.
How To Capture Candid Content at your wedding venue.
Plan Ahead
The Best Photo Spots At The Wedding Venue
As wedding venue owners you should be experts at knowing the best spots for photos at your wedding venue, the best angles, the best time of day for capturing golden hour or sunset shots for example. You know the spots your couples are most excited about but you also know the secret spots around your wedding venue that your couples will absolutely love. YOU ARE THE EXPERT FOR YOUR WEDDING VENUE, step into that role and create a guide for “the best photo spots at our venue”.
The Wedding Venue & Wedding Couple Should Set The Boundaries & Expectations For Candid Content
Have a conversation with the bride and groom to understand their vision. Ask them about key moments they want to capture candidly, such as the first look, speeches, or specific guest reactions. Ask them if they would like to limit candid content being captured by your team and the vendor team. If you are providing a complimentary candid content package to your couples, make sure you are upfront and honest about the fact that you will not be able to guarantee the amount of content captured or the quality. When you provide a free service make sure your couples know that it is a courtesy service. If they want guaranteed terms, they should hire a professional candid content creator from your recommended vendor list or one that complies with your vendor guidelines.
Create a Timeline
Work with the wedding planner to create a timeline of events. Knowing when important moments will happen allows you to anticipate and prepare for candid shots. In your wedding venue prep meetings, you and your venue team can review the timeline and split up the shots each of you will commit to capturing. This will help to ensure the couple gets more candid moments and your team is not overwhelmed managing venue duties and the added role of candid content. Many of you have been providing candid content for years, this new role will require a few streamlined elements for your team.
Be Invisible & Never Cross Professional Boundaries
The person assigned to this role should be trained not only on how to capture candid content but also how to properly maneuver through a wedding without being a distraction or creating disruptions. The best method is to follow the timeline and capture the moments the couple requested. Never get in the way of the photographer or videographer. You should not be in the aisles during the ceremony, you should not be lingering in dressing suites or private moments shots. You should be close enough to get a good shot, far enough away to not create a distraction.
Use Minimal Equipment
Avoid bulky equipment that can draw attention. Compact cameras or mirrorless systems are less intrusive and allow you to move around easily.
Avoid Engaging Too Much
We can all agree that the make up artist who got kicked out of the wedding (it’s all over TikTok), seemed to overstay her welcome and interject herself into the personal aspects of the wedding according to the thousands of comments on the videos. TikTok commenters pointed out that she seemed to think she was besties with the bride and wedding party which created lots of awkward moments leading to the groom “allegedly” kicking the make up artist out. One report says that the make up artist went back into the couples private dressing suite while the couple was enjoying a moment of privacy and this was the last straw. NEVER forget that you are at a wedding in a professional role. Your guests and clients are there to enjoy the experience with food, drinks, laughter and intimate moments. No matter how they encourage you to cross a line, never cross professional boundaries.
Capture Emotion
Focus on Expressions
Pay close attention to facial expressions and body language. Genuine smiles, tears, and laughter are the essence of candid wedding photography.
Look for Reactions
Some of the best candid shots come from guest reactions. Keep an eye on the audience during speeches, dances, and other key moments.
Utilize Natural Light
Use the Venue’s Lighting
Leverage the natural light available at the wedding venue. Natural light can add warmth and authenticity to your candid shots.
Avoid Flash
Using flash can disrupt the moment and draw attention to you. Instead, adjust your camera settings to make the most of available light.
Capture Details
Small Gestures
Photograph small, intimate gestures like a gentle touch, a shared glance, or a comforting hug. These details often tell a powerful story. Make sure you have a plan to capture the wedding signs, flowers, table decor, bouquets, boutonnieres, favors, shoes, hair styles, jewelry and other small details that make a big impact. Reminder, if you can capture some of these details from the wedding party, parents and grand parents in the content you provide to your couples, they will be thrilled.
Behind-the-Scenes Moments
Capture the behind-the-scenes moments that the couple might miss, such as the bridal party getting ready, or guests mingling before the ceremony. Create a BTS highlight on your Instagram profile to gather your behind the scenes moments into one easy to find location. This is a great way to increase leads and to convert lead to a sale after a wedding venue tour.
Engage with Guests? This one is tricky.
Build Rapport
I do not recommend engaging with guests for social media content if this is not your professional area of expertise as a pro candid content creator. Some couples may prefer that their candid content is focused soley on pre-planned moments and will not include guests at all, especially underage guests. Sometimes a couple may have a pre-planned social media trend they want to include guests in, but again this is where very good communication comes in and a planned program for candid content is created with your couples sharing their preferences and boundaries. Most wedding venues do their best to be invisible throughout the wedding so that guests are relaxed and enjoying the experience. With any candid content program, guests will likely be in many of the videos and shots, every wedding venue should have clearly communicated policies that the venue reserves the right to capture candid content from events held at the venue. I provide more detailed education on this policy in our free weekly Zoom sessions, wedding venue owners have FAR more rights regarding their wedding venue than they are aware of.
Be Patient
Candid moments can’t be rushed. Be patient and wait for the right moment to capture the perfect shot.
Capturing candid moments at a wedding requires preparation, patience, and an eye for detail. By blending in, staying unobtrusive, and focusing on genuine emotions, you can create a beautiful collection of candid photographs that tell the true story of the wedding day. Thank you for reading our article on Wedding Venue Owners Often Provide Candid Content To Engaged Couples For FREE! Please drop us a comment and let us know if you have a candid content program at your wedding venue.
Ready to capture unforgettable candid moments at your next wedding? Join the Wedding Venue Owners & Management Community FREE weekly education sessions where we discuss topics like this one and the rights of the wedding venue. Alone wedding venues are vulnerable, together we tap into powerful information and resources that protect & empower the locally owned wedding venue! We are better together! Fill out the form below to get weekly reminders for our free education ZOOMs for wedding venue owners & management ONLY! Join the Wedding Venue Owners & Management Community group on Facebook.
Why are locally owned venue experiences often superior to corporate owned?
- Locally owned wedding venues know their vendors, they rely on great wedding vendors to work as a team with the venue to provide the best experience. Corporate owned venues often have so much internal turnover that the wedding management is rarely in the position long enough to have a consist wedding vendor management program.
- Wedding venues that do not have vendor relationships or a vendor management program, are at greater risk for unprofessional service providers being hired and the wedding experience being reduced or completely ruined. This is easily avoidable when a venue prioritizes great vendor relationships based on work experience not bribes or kickbacks.
- Locally owned wedding venues tend to have the BEST relationships with local wedding pros and refer wedding pros for essential services at their venue because they know their couples will have the best experience when the entire wedding team is working together professionally.
In every article we will shout out some of the best LOCALLY OWNED wedding venues across the country! We hope to create more awareness for the professional excellence and wedding industry revenue locally owned wedding venues generate. It’s vital to support our locally owned wedding venues who create wedding industry jobs, they prioritize excellent experiences over cost savings and they are responsible for bringing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year into the local economy! How can you support locally owned wedding venues? Mention them in your social media, mention and link them on your websites, help them book more weddings by recommending locally owned! Find locally owned wedding venues on our wedding venue map.
- Cedar Fox Weddings
- The Hidden Abbey
- Ellas Garden
- Round Barn Farm
- Lake Front Acres
- The Glade Venue
- Stone Ridge Event Center
- Triple T Farm
- The Barn at Poplar Springs Farm
- Legacy Farms TN
- Sunnyside Farm
- The Bella Sera
Wedding Venue Owners Often Provide Candid Content To Engaged Couples For FREE! Do you have a similar topic and would like to be featured in a guest blog or educational Zoom for wedding venue owners? Fill out our contact form and connect. I am eager to support wedding venue owner education opportunities.