Wedding content creators have become a pretty big thing over the last couple of years.

You’ve probably seen them on Instagram, following couples around with a phone and capturing little clips throughout the day, usually vertical video that can be posted almost immediately. I can understand the appeal. There’s something pretty cool about waking up the morning after your wedding and already having some footage on your phone to look through or share with friends.

But if you’ve already booked professional photography and videography, I think it’s worth asking yourself whether you actually need another person following you around with a camera.

I’m not against content creators. I’ve worked alongside them at weddings and there are some very good ones. The idea of having someone capture informal, behind the scenes phone footage can be great. My concern is what happens when that person starts trying to do the same job as the photographer and videographer, because that can actually change the feel of the day and, occasionally, get in the way of the professional coverage you’ve already paid for.

So what does a content creator actually add?

A content creator is generally there to capture the wedding as it happens, using a phone to create short vertical videos, candid moments and social media content. It’s a different product to professional wedding photography or cinematography.

As a photographer, I’m thinking about light, composition, timing, expressions, backgrounds and how the photographs will work together as a complete story of the day. Our videographer is thinking about movement, sound, audio and multiple angles, and then turning all of that into a finished film. A content creator is generally looking for the quick, informal moments that look good on your phone and can be shared straight away.

There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, if that’s specifically what you want, I can see the appeal. The question is whether you need it when you’ve already got professional photography and video booked.

The biggest selling point is speed

One of the main selling points of a wedding content creator is getting your content quickly. Sometimes you’ll have clips in your phone before you’ve even left the reception, which sounds pretty good when you’re planning your wedding.

But it’s worth looking at how quickly you’re already going to receive your professional photography and video.

At Wattleseed Collective, our usual turnaround starts the day after the wedding. I’ll generally send around five sneak peek images so you have something to share straight away. Within the first week, I’ll put together a blog post with around 50 to 100 images from the wedding, which you can send around to your guests and family while everything is still fresh. Then the full wedding gallery is usually delivered within two weeks.

I take that part of the job seriously. This is my job and, after more than 10 years in the wedding industry, I’ve developed a pretty strong work ethic when it comes to getting couples their photos. I don’t like the idea of leaving people waiting for months to see their wedding.

We also have our Essentials video package, similar in price to a content creator, professionally filmed and edited and is usually delivered within two weeks. So if the main reason you’re considering a content creator is because you want video quickly, you may already have that covered too, and with professionally filmed and edited footage rather than phone video.

Of course, getting a handful of phone clips the next morning is different from receiving your full professional gallery two weeks later. They’re different products, and if having immediate social media content is important to you, that’s a perfectly valid reason to have a content creator. But I’d still ask yourself what you’re actually hoping to get from one that you aren’t already getting from your photographer and videographer.

My biggest concern is having too many cameras around you

This is probably where my opinion comes from most strongly. Our style at Wattleseed is natural, fun and relaxed. I don’t want your wedding to feel like a production, and I don’t want you thinking about cameras all day. The best photographs often happen when you’ve forgotten we’re there and our Google reviews from couples often say this about us

I’ve worked with content creators who completely understand this. They stay back, capture the little moments happening around us and don’t interfere with the photography or video. That’s great. I’ve also had the opposite.

At a wedding recently, a content creator was standing in the aisle as the bride walked into the chapel. She ended up in some of my finished photographs because there was simply no way to edit her out. She was also standing over my shoulder during the family photos and while I was posing the couple.

That’s where I have a problem with it.

When I’m photographing family groups, I’m not just standing there pressing a button. I’m organising people, working out where everyone needs to stand, looking at the light, checking expressions and trying to get the photograph done without keeping everyone standing around forever. If another camera is sitting beside me, people naturally start looking at that camera too. Suddenly I’ve got someone looking at me, someone looking at a phone and someone looking somewhere else entirely.

The same thing can happen during couple portraits. I’ll spend time finding the right light, positioning you and creating a particular photograph. Having another person standing over my shoulder getting essentially the same shot on a phone can distract you and change the dynamic. Instead of just being together and enjoying the moment, you can suddenly feel like you’re being photographed by three people.

And that’s the opposite of what we’re trying to achieve.

Behind the scenes is different

I actually think this is where content creators can be really good. Capture the bridesmaids mucking around while they’re getting ready. Film the groom’s mates having a beer. Get your friends dancing, the little moments between the big moments and some of the things happening around the edges of the day that might not make it into the professional photographs.

That’s genuinely different content, and I have no problem with that.

What I don’t particularly want is another person standing beside me during the first kiss, the family photos or the couple portraits trying to capture the same thing on a phone. If I’m photographing you walking into the reception, your videographer is probably already filming it. If I’m photographing your first dance, the videographer has that covered too. If I’m setting up a portrait, I’d rather the content creator capture what’s happening around us than try to recreate the photograph I’m already making.

There’s a big difference between capturing behind the scenes and effectively becoming a third photographer with a phone.

Experience matters

Wedding photography has a particular rhythm to it, and after more than 10 years shooting weddings I’m constantly thinking a few minutes ahead. I know when the bride is about to walk down the aisle, when I need to move into position and when I need to get out of the way. I know when family photos need to happen quickly, when a moment is happening that can’t be repeated and when I should simply stand back and let things happen.

Someone can be fantastic at creating social media content and still have very little experience working at weddings. That’s not a criticism. It’s just a different job.

But when you’re stepping into a wedding where there’s already a photographer and videographer working, you need to understand that flow. I’ve had situations where I’ve had to work around a content creator who didn’t realise they were standing in the photographer’s frame or that something important was about to happen. That’s not something I particularly want to be worrying about on your wedding day.

So, do you really need one?

Honestly, that’s up to you. If you love the idea of having a bunch of phone clips ready to share immediately, then go for it. If you want someone capturing behind the scenes moments that your photographer and videographer aren’t going to capture, there can definitely be value in that.

But if you’ve already booked professional photography and videography, I’d think carefully about what the extra person is actually adding. You’re already going to have professional photographs, professionally filmed video, sneak peeks the day after the wedding, a blog with 50 to 100 images within the first week and your full gallery within around two weeks. Our Essentials video is also usually delivered within two weeks.

And I think this is where social media can sometimes influence wedding planning. You see other couples doing something, you see the clips online and suddenly it feels like something you’re supposed to have. You don’t. Your wedding doesn’t need to have every new trend added to it.

If you do decide to have a content creator, that’s completely fine. I’d just make sure they understand that they’re joining an existing photography and video team. They should be happy to stay out of the photographer’s frame, stay clear of the aisle during important moments and give us some space during family photos and couple portraits. Most importantly, they should be there to capture something different rather than compete with the people you’ve already trusted to photograph and film your wedding.

For me, the best weddings are still the ones where the couple forgets we’re there. They’re talking to their friends, laughing, drinking, getting emotional, dancing and actually enjoying the day instead of worrying about whether they’ve got enough content.

That’s what I’m trying to photograph.

Not a perfectly staged version of your wedding for Instagram. Just your wedding, as it actually happened.

So do you need a wedding content creator?

Maybe.

But before you book one, think about what you actually want them to add. If it’s something genuinely different, great. If it’s simply another camera following you around while you already have professional photography and video covered, you might find that less is actually more.

The less you’re thinking about the cameras, the better the wedding usually feels. And that’s when we get the best photos too.