Wedding Vendor Feature: The Ivory Diary

One of my favorite blogs to be able to write and post are ones that feature or focus on another vendor within the local wedding community. The idea of community and having a village is so special and something I always want to make sure I am using my platform to promote.

Last October I had a sweet gal by the name of Marissa reach out to me and ask if I had any clients with wedding days coming up who may be interested in content creation so she could gain some experience. To me this seemed like a win-win opportunity for everyone. Marissa gets some experience, I get to meet and work with a new vendor, the client gets additional video coverage of their wedding day. Of course, I ran the idea by the two clients I had remaining for the year and, of course, both said YES without hesitation. Neither client had booked videography as part of their media team, so this was an opportunity both couples jumped on immediately. And I am so glad they did!

With that I would like to introduce you to the cute face behind The Ivory Diary – Marissa! She graciously took the time to answer my many questions (I just kept coming up with more), and I am beyond excited to share that interview with you today.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your business and how you got into content creation.

My name is Marissa Stapleton-Cecil, I’m a 27-year-old mom of two boys and recently started my wedding content creation business, The Ivory Diary, shortly after I got married myself, at the end of September of 2025.                                                

Wedding content creation focuses on short-form iPhone based videos for the bride and groom on their wedding day capturing moments they would have otherwise missed during their day: the reactions of friends and family when arriving to the venue, laughing and joking during cocktail hour, the tears they are shedding watching your first dance, admiring the decorations AND moments they did experience, but would like to experience over again… getting ready with their bridesmaids/groomsmen, their first look, their ceremony… the list goes on! These clips are then shared with the couple the morning after their wedding, so they can relive their day almost immediately.

The catalyst for me to start this business is kind of funny, I searched around for wedding content creators in my area for my own wedding and the ones I reached out to, were both already booked! I was so sad, because it’s such a great idea and cost-effective to have for your wedding if you opt for no videography (like me). The idea stayed in the back of my mind, and I thought, “Wait, there’s obviously a need for more in my area. I’m passionate about it. Why not just start doing it myself?” I bought a gimbal for my iPhone and made an Instagram page to start. I reached out to friends of friends for my first couple weddings, and then to Sydney here at A Piece of Harmony Events for my next few to gain experience. I’m so grateful to her for giving me a chance to build my portfolio via her clients. I have since added an actual content phone, an iPhone 17 pro, a digital super 8 camera and a Polaroid camera to my services. I’m now booking official clients for 2026 and 2027!

Why do you feel like content creation is an important part of the media team on a wedding day?

I feel content creation is an important part of the media team on a wedding day because it leads to more well-rounded coverage of the day, and fills in gaps between photography and videography. The candid, behind the scenes, in-between moments. It also leads to a more enhanced guest experience. Since I’m there with my phone recording everything, the guests can put theirs down and be in the moment knowing that everything will be shared with the bride and groom the next day.

Photography, videography and content creation complement each other so well! Each are a part of the media team, but they produce such different, yet valuable products… Photography will have posed and candid photos from throughout the day, videography will have a long-form, cinematic and polished film, and content creation will have short-form, iPhone based videos of candid, small moments throughout the day.

The turnaround time of content creation is also great, as couples get all photos and videos taken the morning after their wedding due to the fact that it doesn’t require the same amount of editing time that photography and videography take. Although, I know most photographers and now videographers do their best to provide a “sneak peek” within a couple days of the wedding, we are in a world of instant gratification and I feel like content creation helps bridge that gap in delivering tangible media to the couple quite literally, right after their wedding. 

We know every vendor can price themselves differently, but what would you recommend couples roughly budget for within the content creator category?

I would roughly budget around $1,000 for wedding content creation services. From what I have been able to see, prices range in this service anywhere from $350-$2,500+ for packages. I consider myself to be in the middle of the road compared to other vendors in this niche.

It’s important that you find a content creator who you like, and fits your style and vision for your big day. Every couple has different wants and needs, some are met at a lower price tag (maybe with a newer content creator with discounted rates while building their portfolio, only wanting a couple hours of coverage, at a local venue) and some are met at a higher price tag (8+ hour/multiple day coverage, destination venue, wanting extra add ons, etc.). Each couple is unique in their wants/needs and there are content creators out there to match!

How can content creators and videographers best work together to create an all-around positive experience for each couple?

Content creators and videographers can work together to create an all-around positive experience for their couples by having open, honest communication throughout the day and being mindful of their place in the flow of the day. (ie, taking time to trade off vantage points for the best possible shot, collaborating on posing ideas, sharing with each other their work style, having a clear plan for placement for the ceremony etc). At the end of the day, we all must keep in mind that we are creatives, with the same exact goal: to provide our couples with the best possible experience and deliver a product for them to be able to look back on their wedding day for years to come.

There’s been some noise about issues between content creators and videographers specifically, but I haven’t really had issues thus far.  Everyone I have worked with has been very welcoming to me and been interested in what I do, they see the value in it. The Spokane/CDA wedding community has insanely talented photographers and videographers! I’m grateful to work alongside them and learn from them as I go, I have high respect for them all. 

What is your favorite part of a wedding to capture?

This one is so hard, because I love it all. But my very favorite part would have to be vows or parent/child dances (traditionally father/daughter and mother/son dances, but can be any kind of combination, really). The vows are such a great insight into the couple’s journey and relationship, each so unique to each other. I love learning all I can about my couples. And the dances always make me tear up, I think it’s because I’m a mom myself and I envision what it would be like for me in the future with my boys and if I ever have a daughter, what it will be like watching my husband with her on that day! 

Because content creation is obviously more focused on the short, raw videos, and you return such a large number of clips, what is the best way for couples to use this service/product to get the most out of these clips and not get overwhelmed?

The best way for couples to use content creation services and not get overwhelmed is to have a list of important moments that they want captured for their content creator to follow. I always ask my couples beforehand to think about their “must have” moments and provide me a list of what they want from start to finish since content creation is mostly comprised of short-form clips. Everything else I get from the day will be even shorter clips.

Most couples ask for their first look, vows and first dance completely filmed. But it varies from couple to couple on what else they hold at highest priority. Some couples might have a longer “must have” list if they are opting for no videography. When delivering the album, I like to “star” or “heart” those moments so they will be able to click right away on those and watch.

Moving forward, I am slowly switching over to an app called “Clip-Flo”, which is dedicated specifically for wedding content creators. The app gives the option of sorting pictures and videos from the day into different albums and being able to label them (ie getting ready, first look etc) within the entire album of the day, which is such a game changer! It’s a newer app that launched not too long ago, so if you are looking into a content creator for your wedding, make sure to ask them about Clip-Flo! 

When it comes to booking and number of on-site hours, do you feel like an all-day experience is most beneficial? Or is there a good number of hours that cover pretty much all those big moments couples truly want to look back on?

For onsite hours, I feel like 6-8 hours is the sweet spot, and usually around the same amount of time as the photographer (and videographer) for collaborative purposes. I like to be there just before the dress is being put on, through when the dance floor opens up for everyone. This helps make sure that all “important” moments are covered (getting into dress, first looks, wedding party, ceremony, cocktail hour, golden hour, speeches & dances) so the couple has a well-rounded view of the day to look back on.

What is one piece of wedding planning advice you would give any engaged couples reading this? 

The best advice I could give to engaged couples reading this would have to be to soak all of it in. Even though it can be stressful, it’s truly such a short season of life. Make sure when you are planning, that you keep true to yourselves and what the day is all about… you two becoming one! Outside pressures and family dynamics can be hard to navigate, so if you lean on each other through it and remind yourselves of your end goal, to be married, then nothing else matters! 

If you were on the fence about content creation, hopefully this solidified your decision to go for it! AND… you now know a vendor who specializes in that and would be perfect to reach out to. Our wedding community is truly one of a kind and filled with the some of the kindest humans who want you to have the best wedding day possible. I promise you will love working with Marissa!!

If you are interested in reaching out to her, her email is: theivorydiarycontent@gmail.com

And make sure you are following along on her Instagram page for all things wedding content creation!