Employing social media managers, or digital ninjas, is becoming more and more popular in India. These professionals not only help couples go viral but also record priceless moments that could otherwise be lost and transform them into beautiful digital wedding diaries and captivating social media material.
Launch Instagram. swoon over the bride in green dancing to Chaudhary in the viral video. As her spouse joins in, applaud the duo and perhaps even cry a tear of joy. To proceed, scroll. However, the identical video published by another page is displayed to you by Instagram’s algorithm. So you watch it again because it’s too wholesome to miss. After a few Reels, it reappears on your stream… and so on.
If you use Instagram frequently, you have undoubtedly seen this exact situation play out on your feed.
However, what if we told you that, but for the attentive attention of a wedding social media manager, this video might never have gone viral—or even made it onto your feed—because they carefully selected this memorable moment from the bride’s lengthy, ornate welcome dance? How do we know? Well, the manager in charge of social media for this wedding told us.
Rising Trend of Hiring Social Media Managers
In India’s enormous Rs 10 lakh crore wedding business, a wedding social media manager (also known as a wedding publicist) is becoming a modern vocation. What do they do? The couple’s wedding intangibles (pictures and videos) should be shared in an aesthetically pleasing manner on a dedicated wedding page, along with behind-the-scenes photos, real-time posting, a social media plan to make the pair go viral, and the creation and execution of “trending” reels.
The practice of engaging social media managers for weddings is becoming more and more common among Indian couples, despite its infancy. In order to make a strong message for others who are struggling with alopecia, the viral bald bride decided to forgo a wig on her wedding day. She also hired a social media firm to record her wedding.
Nearly 7% of Gen Z couples hired a social media manager for their wedding, according to the annual wedding industry report from wedding planning website WedMeGood.
In an interview with The Ultimate News, WedMeGood creator Mehak Sagar Shahani states, “A growing number of wedding social media agencies have emerged, and many wedding photographers are now offering it as an add-on service with separate billing.”
Shaadi BTS, The Wedding Gram, What A Shot and Media Vows are some of the popular names.
What Exactly Do Wedding Social Media Managers Do?
You should anticipate that two or three members of the wedding social media team will be at the wedding, using their phones to record content and carry out pre-planned Reel concepts (such as trend-based videos or transition Reels).
On the couple’s special wedding page, their other team members will strategically share wedding details and BTS moments at the same time.
Following the ceremonies, the team will spend at least the next two weeks maintaining the couple’s profile and sharing visually appealing wedding-related content, such as pictures and videos. This could also contain touching tributes to the families, viral-worthy events, and transition reels.
The team meets with the couple to learn about their story, dynamics, vision, and precise deliverable demands prior to the project being finished. Only then do they develop a plan and come up with concepts that are specific to the pair.
According to Nikita Kabra of The Wedding Gramme, the deliverables mostly consist of the following:
- Short-form videos that encapsulate raw emotions
- Curated Instagram posts and captions that tell the story in the couple’s own voice
- Behind-the-scenes moments that often go unnoticed but mean the most
- Stories and trend-based Reels
The quantity of reels and posts is frequently pre-negotiated as part of the package. Some agencies charge Rs 50,000 each event day.
If you’re constantly on social media, have a knack for storytelling (turning even random videos into meaningful content with a relevant song and text), enjoy weddings (and the chaos that comes with them), and have an eye for viral-worthy wedding content, you might be a good fit as a wedding content creator or wedding social media manager.
What’s fuelling this trend?
Modern Indian weddings are strongly affected by social media. Instagram and Pinterest play an important role in selecting beauty artists and discovering clothes labels. Naturally, couples (particularly brides) want to be on the opposite side: dominating social media feeds, inspiring brides-to-be, and being featured on wedding blogs and news portals.
“So many brides book popular makeup artists to get featured on their social media handles, knowing they will be noticed and admired by their lakhs or even millions of followers,” says Rohit Kadyan, a destination wedding photographer based in Delhi.
Many couples are increasingly putting extra consideration into their weddings in order to get social media attention, from designing a viral-worthy wedding entry to generating odd moments during the festivities.
This is where social media managers come in: they take over the process, allowing couples to enjoy their wedding while remaining totally present in the moment.
Wedding industry experts believe that virality is one of the primary reasons why couples are hiring social media professionals for their weddings. Unlike primary photography and videography teams, which stress quality and timeless design, social media managers focus on rapid gratification. These teams collect content on their phones, edit it instantaneously, and share it on social media for public consumption. Some of it is also trend-driven, so promptness is essential.
According to Anupriya Khanna, marketing manager for luxury wedding photography business CineLove Productions, “Almost every third wedding, especially grand-scale celebrations, now has a social media team.” Why? Short-form content is becoming increasingly popular due to its ease of consumption. Compared to traditional teasers and long-form videos, short bits are easier to create and view. It feels like a moment has just occurred, and it is immediately there for everyone to view and adore.”
“People are planning their entries, artist performances, and even the entire schedule around it – ensuring they have a team to record and help make it go viral,” says Khanna.
Is social media fame the only factor? Nope.
Many couples hire a social media manager for reasons other than becoming viral. Instead, it’s about capturing raw, intimate moments that the photographic team may overlook, as well as highlighting aspects on social media that may not make it to their personal profiles when posting wedding clips.
“Typically, when a couple shares images on their social media pages, they do not go crazy. At most, someone would make 20-30 posts. However, when a social media agency takes over and creates a dedicated wedding page, it becomes a digital diary where you can unabashedly post anything and everything about the wedding without worrying about spamming your followers,” says Nazneen Saiyed, founder of marketing agency Media Vows, which also handled the viral ‘Chaudhary’ dance couple’s wedding.
This manner, the main attention they paid when arranging the wedding – whether it was the huge décor, wedding favour stations, funny signage, or small things like monogrammed napkins and song selection – is highlighted.
“While some couples hope their content goes viral, most simply want a well-documented wedding event to reflect on. It’s about narrative and capturing emotions rather than chasing views,” says Nikita Kabra, co-founder of The Wedding Gramme.
“Some people want every moment preserved, but others have particular requirements. Photographers frequently focus on the couple, but we make sure to showcase the family’s presence as well as the pair’s bond to them. There are innumerable genuine, exciting moments that frequently go unseen; we make certain they are not missed,” says Nazneen.
Meanwhile, Mehak discusses how many clips do not make it into wedding videos and how social media administrators make such moments available.
“During your wedding festivities, you are unlikely to use your phone. Your pals could also be busy. So, social media managers make sure that such small moments aren’t overlooked,” Mehak adds.
Mistakes to avoid, though
Celebrities and influencers frequently hire wedding social media managers. We saw a taste of it in the second season of Four More Shots Please!, when Lisa Ray’s character became so preoccupied with filming and publicising the wedding that her boyfriend eventually cancelled it.
As a couple who has hired a social media team for their wedding, you should understand your priorities. Is your wedding a method for you to become famous, where nothing can go wrong, or is it the start of a new chapter in your life that you are truly enthusiastic about?
This is not to denigrate social media management in any way, as it can help couples share their inspiring love stories, send out strong social messages (for instance, Neehar Sachdeva – the viral bride with alopecia), build a personal brand, grow their business, and, of course, create an endearing digital diary of everything that happened during the wedding celebrations.
Nazneen, for example, explains how she frequently calms brides down when she notices them worrying over something as basic as fireworks not going off at the appropriate time or a specific decor element being out of place.
Another thing to bear in mind is that the photography and social media teams should work together.
“So many times, social media team members spoil our angles and images by filming with their phones. Couples should absolutely schedule a meeting with both teams in advance to ensure that neither interferes with the other’s job,” says Rohit Kadyan.
This conflict is the reason why so many photography teams offer such add-on services to ensure flawless collaboration.
Basically, there are numerous ways to hire these pros today. Even your wedding planner can help you choose one. However, would you consider hiring a social media manager for your wedding?