The growing trend of creating social media-focused videos and photos at weddings is gaining traction online, drawing mixed reactions. Some believe wedding content creators ease the pressure on guests to capture every moment perfectly. Others argue that they are non-professional photographers shaped by social media hype.

The rise of wedding content creators is closely linked to the boom in short-form videos on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which have become widely consumed forms of media. While the trend has already gained popularity in many Western countries, it is gradually making its way into weddings in urban areas of Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal.

In the past, only people connected to the couple or guests on social media could see moments from a wedding. Now, this trend brings a marriage ceremony into the spotlight, making it visible even to a wider digital audience of strangers.

These creators capture raw photos and videos at weddings, mainly designed for social media. They also select trending songs and audio clips that couples and guests can lip-sync to, making the content more engaging online.

In a conversation with Sakura Basyal, who runs the Instagram page @weddingcontentcreator.np, the 21-year-old Kathmandu-based creator explains what the term ‘wedding content creator’ really means. With two years of experience in content creation and a background working with a wedding live-painting company, she naturally transitioned into this new role.

She sees the profession as much needed in Nepal, where weddings are treated as major events with days of preparation. For Basyal, documenting a wedding in detail is a labour of love.

But what do they actually do?

Sakura explains, “We plan the content with our clients before the event and decide what kind of videos we want to shoot. On the wedding day, we capture both the planned shots and behind-the-scenes moments. After the event, we edit the videos and highlights and deliver them to the client so they can enjoy and remember their special day.”

In this way, the content becomes easily accessible for couples to cherish, instead of having to search through a photographer’s large collection of files.

She says short-form content adds a new layer of excitement to the wedding day and offers couples a different way to preserve memories. Since couples are often busy with rituals and guests, they may not have time to plan or capture everything themselves. While photographers and videographers mainly focus on the bride and groom, wedding content creators document the lighter, behind-the-scenes moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. In doing so, they allow couples to relive those memories later.

Unlike traditional photography and videography, wedding content creation does not always require formal training or advanced technical skills. Many brides have expressed on their personal social media accounts that they prefer having someone solely responsible for creating content that can be instantly shared online, making their special day more visible and engaging for a wider audience.

Newlywed bride Luniva Ranjitkar Sthapit believes wedding content creators help couples experience their own celebrations more fully. With ceremonies moving quickly and constant rituals demanding attention, she says many brides and grooms barely have time to pause or even eat during the day. Between being called to the stage, greeting guests, and participating in rituals, the event often passes in a blur.

According to her, content creators capture the small, fleeting moments that couples may otherwise miss. These include intimate gestures such as a mother adjusting a bride’s dupatta, friends helping with last-minute touches during chaotic preparations, or a father quietly becoming emotional before composing himself again. She adds that candid glimpses of the lively janti and behind-the-scenes interactions are what ultimately make each marriage ceremony feel personal and memorable.

While curated content can drive higher media engagement, some brides still value documenting their special moments in a traditional way.

Subyakshya Pradhan, age 28, is a to-be-bride who isn’t driven by the rush of trends and reels. “I believe documenting my wedding through traditional photos and videos. They will add more value to my memories,” she says. She believes that moving away from carefully curated content will help her feel a stronger emotional connection to videos and reels captured by her friends and family.

Anuska Regmi, an 18-year-old, contemplates that wedding content creation distracts from the purpose of small steps and rituals of a wedding.

“If you have someone who directs how to pose and what to do in order to create reels out of it, it takes out the value behind it. Next thing you know, you’re being told to ‘redo the sindoor moment’ for the angles because it did not look social-media worthy,” reflecting that this concept makes it difficult for people to truly be themselves in gatherings.

Reclaiming that hiring a wedding content creator can also become an added burden, she points out that many celebrations are already heavily documented by guests themselves. At several weddings she attended this year, attendees were constantly filming moments on their phones, often capturing events from multiple angles as if they were documenting a rare spectacle.

In such a situation, she feels that paying extra for curated social-media content can be unnecessary, turning the day into a carefully packaged highlight reel rather than a lived experience—one where couples are still navigating rituals and stage lights while online audiences react from afar.

While youths like Anuska lean against employing content creators for special events, wedding content creation is creating opportunities for the younger generation, as most of these creators fall under a young age group who understand how to present events online.

In future, creators like Sakura Basyal are hopeful that this role grows steadily, even becoming a creative freelancing hustle for many young adults.