By: Amy Barnes
Photography By: Matt Johnson
How long have you been in business? Why/how did you make the decision to start NuptSocial?
“I officially launched NuptSocial in July of 2023. I was a 2021 bride, and pretty much from the moment that we started planning in 2019, I kept telling my now husband that I wanted someone following me around all day with an iPhone. I had the best photographer and videographer, but I so badly wanted this other viewpoint as well. I also wanted to be able to relive the day as soon as possible, and knew it would take a while to get our photos and videos back. I didn’t want to ask one of my bridesmaids to do it, because I obviously wanted them in everything and to stay present.I also didn’t want to ask guests to take photos and videos because I wanted them to be present as well. Not to mention, I didn’t want phones in every single professional photo we got back, especially since the majority of guests wouldn’t have ended up getting photos and videos that would have made it worth the headache. I realized that I was in a ‘catch-22’ situation. I wanted the iPhone content, but I didn’t want the down sides that came with all the options I had. I figured that if I was wanting this service, then someone else probably was too. I thought about it and talked about it for a few years before I finally took the leap. I woke up on that day in July and decided that it was the day I was going to do it. I got started right away and haven’t looked back.”
Tell us about the services you offer.
“I like to market myself as a tech-savvy bonus bridesmaid/long lost friend. I offer different packages as jumping off points, but I am completely customizable to the wishes of my clients. At the core, I follow [the wedding party] around all day and take photos and videos focusing more on the ‘behind the scenes’ and ‘in-betweens' of the day. Within 24 hours, I deliver all of the raw photos and videos to the couple, so they have a camera roll full of memories to look through the very next day. People love to have something to post the next day to social media, but even clients who aren’t social media people have loved this service because of the quick delivery and differing viewpoint.”
“I also offer hourly rates for occasions leading up to the wedding. Take me dress shopping, take me cake tasting, take me to your bachelor/bachelorette party, take me to your rehearsal dinner. The options are really limitless. If it’s an occasion that my client wants captured, I’ll be there. I love that clients can still get tons of photos and videos of these moments that don’t usually get well documented.”
“For those who do love social media, I offer a lot of options. I make reels, TikToks, planned Instagram posts, and I’ll even log in to my client’s account to do an Instagram takeover for the day if they want certain moments posted on their story in real time. I love that social media is always evolving, because that means that I am too.”
“If my client sees a TikTok trend that they want to do on the day of their wedding, they can send it to me and we’ll make it happen. If they just want to wake up to hundreds and hundreds of photos and videos and stare at them with their partner in wedded bliss, I love that just as much.”
What separates your business from others?
“Even though there are very few people offering this service in the area, I think in general, my personality really sets me apart. As far as the content I produce, I’m super detail-oriented and refuse to produce anything less than amazing. I’m really prideful in my work and it shows. Most wedding and event content creators send every single thing that they capture during the day. I actually sit down and watch every single clip I record, and I’ll trim what needs to be trimmed, or delete anything that ends up not being great quality. It makes it way easier for clients to go through when they aren’t seeing a 2-second clip when I decided to change from x1 to a x0.5 lens.”
“I also bring a fun energy to the day. I have a way of making people feel like they have permission to be their authentic self. That is so important in this job because I want to capture those raw, candid, authentic moments, and that won’t happen if they’re not comfortable. My goal is for them to feel like I’m a ‘bonus’ bridesmaid who just so happens to be exceptionally good at working an iPhone.”
“One of my brides wrote this in her review and she described how I am as a vendor better than I ever could myself:”
‘Kya was a blessing to have on our wedding day from the moment she walked in the door. Her smile was absolutely glowing and she brought in all of the good vibes. She blended in perfectly with the bridal party and I instantly felt like she was just ~supposed~ to be there on my wedding day. She was absolutely supposed to be a part of it. While 'content creator' was her official position on the day of, Kya served so many other purposes. Throughout the day, she was (obviously) a content capturer, she was an official hype woman, she was a drink bearer when the nerves were kicking in, she was a tear-catcher when moments got sentimental, she was a dress-plumper and hider when the photographer was capturing, and she almost had to be a bouncer to kick people out when we were trying to capture the day. In terms of the experience that I had with her there, I can undoubtedly say that Kya was one of my favorite guests.’
Since starting this business, what has been the reception?
“Overall, it has been amazing. I am so thankful for the vendor community in Louisville for embracing me with open arms, and even hiring me to capture content for their marketing (yes, I offer services for vendors as well)! I had heard some horror stories from wedding and event content creators in other parts of the country who had other vendors being really nasty to them and essentially blocking them from getting hired by couples. Most of the time it has to do with exclusivity clauses in vendor contracts, but I haven’t had any pushback from anyone here. I also make sure to send the other vendors clips of them from the day and will even put together reels that they can use on their socials if they want.”
“I am all about working together and putting a priority on community over competition. Since this is a new service, I always make sure to educate people on what it actually is that I do. I will scream from the rooftops that I am not a wedding photographer or videographer. I don’t replace anyone and I actually work in conjunction with these vendors as another member of your media team.”
“There are still some people who don’t ‘get’ what I do or don’t think that there’s a market for it, but the number of people who are excited to have a service like this in Louisville greatly outweighs them.”
How can our readers reach you to book an appointment?
“You can find all of my information on my website, www.nuptsocial.com, and fill out an inquiry form to start the process of booking with me. I would love to work with you!”
