Check Out Ashley Scharnitzke’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Scharnitzke.

Hi Ashley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
We (Ashley and Kyle) started Big Day Social because we saw a huge gap in the wedding industry related to social content. While weddings still need wonderfully edited, posed, & story booked photography and videography, our digital forward generation also wants the raw, just as it is content. As wedding content creators, we want to take the pressure off friends and family to capture these moment memories. With our creative spirits and love for all things marketing, my partner and I started one of the newest wedding trends of the year and have pioneered a whole new experience for brides from the ground up.

We can’t tell you how many weddings we have been to in the past where the bride, groom, parents, or friends are gathered at the farewell brunch the next day, asking as many people as they can if anyone got any photos or videos of the wedding. I naturally found myself snapping many memories throughout people’s weddings and wedding-related events, and they were SO grateful to have something to look at the next day. I love capturing fun memories and small moments that I may miss otherwise.

From this experience, Big Day Social was born. We want to provide people with raw content, preserving those genuine and intimate blips in life that we can never get back. Big Day Social strives to give couples a new wedding service that is in line with modern technology and gives people relevant content for social media sharing. More than that, I found so much joy in providing this new, innovative service. Nothing is better than relieving people from the pressures of having their phones in hand so they can focus on living in the present.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The amount of feedback we received was quick, intense, and amazing! Our first few initial videos went viral fast, so many people came out of the woodworks to give their opinions. People ate this concept up. They loved the idea, and we quickly had inquiries country-wide and even internationally. It was loud and clear to us that people want and need this business. Photographers and videographers quickly judged the concept, and I think they felt a little threatened by the idea. Our innovative concept allows couples to quickly and creatively share their wedding content on social media. Still, we never created this business to take away from the art and hard work that traditional wedding photographers and videographers do. We are more social media focused, capturing those behind the scenes, before & afters, boomerangs, and correctly formatted footage for reels/TikToks. Due to the online feedback from photographers and videographers, we made it a point to connect and communicate with our fellow wedding vendors for every event. Some were hesitant to work with us since they had never seen this type of vendor before. Still, our professionalism and positive and collaborative attitude made for a smooth event. The photographers/videographers we have worked with have quickly learned to love us and even use our content for their marketing purposes.

Starting a small business while working full-time in corporate America is no joke. We have put blood, sweat, and tears into launching this and have learned much about being a small business owner. We couldn’t be prouder!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Big Day Social disrupted the wedding industry by incorporating social media as one of the must-have services, giving couples a unique experience. Our mission is to leverage social and digital tools to capture authentic and fun moments, provide couples a quick turnaround on wedding content, and create a digital experience for wedding couples. We have coined ourselves as “wedding content creators” that provide unedited photos and videos couples wouldn’t normally see without our services. Having a wedding content creator is the new “no tech” wedding, as couples (and their friends and family) can ditch their phones but still get the content they need. Nothing is better than capturing moments in life just as they are and allowing people to be present without worrying about taking their phones out. Life is too short not to experience the present moment fully. It brings us immense joy to have started a service that allows us to capture the special moments in a modern way so that others don’t stress about having to and can fully live in the present.

By bringing weddings into the 21st century, we provide a 24-hour turnaround for photos & videos, and wedding content is uploaded to a digital album (Guests can contribute their photos to the digital album too). We give the wedding couple the right to own all the raw content (they can edit & filter however they like! There are no contracts restricting use). We also capture content in a format relevant for social sharing. We take the stress off couples wanting trendy content for reels/TikTok videos because we can manage to capture their desired content in the manner they need.

We also live for those behind the scene wedding moments. Most people don’t realize how many moments you can miss at your wedding. There is SO much that goes into a wedding. We don’t want our clients to miss a moment of all the hard work that goes into executing their drop-dead gorgeous wedding! We want our couples not to feel attached to their phone but to know that they captured all the hilarious, fun, and crazy moments. With behind the scene content, couples can remember themselves as VIPs they are.

In addition to the above, we also pioneered the idea of a wedding Instagram page. Couples can share the wedding planning process and day-of wedding events with their family and friends in an easy and fun way. Big Day Social provides hands-on management for an Instagram page dedicated to the client’s entire wedding experience. From how they met to when they say “I do,” we’ll share their love story with their family and friends in a new and engaging way! Our custom Wedding Instagram Page includes content leading up to the event, links to a wedding website or registry, updates and reminders to guests, and day-of and post- wedding management to help share the client’s special day in a new social media format. We post important wedding information such as travel & hotel info, registry info, shuttle times, what to wear ideas, and reminders to guests to RSVP and re-post all the guest’s photos and stories the day of. We treat the day of as a live wedding feed housed on Instagram.

If we knew you were growing up, how would we have described you?
Chaotically creative? My brain has always been wired to think of what to design, create, or imagine next. My interest level has always had a broad range with a drive to capture joy in whatever way I can. Coming from some challenging childhood moments, I gravitate to find the light in life, whether that was through creating art, surrounding myself with amazing people, or pursuing physical activities that drive me to appreciate the beautiful world we live in. Anyone that knows me from childhood can attest to my love of taking pictures. I think the hard moments growing up taught me to value and appreciate life when people were happy and radiating love, and I wanted to capture that. Life is so short and precious, and I want to soak up every moment I can. – Ashley

Pricing:

• Our candid photo album starts at $1,400 for local weddings

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bigdaysocial.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigdaysocial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BigDaySocial/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigdaysocial1
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGnlx8T-NvWka86ayrKiFOw
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/big-day-social-phoenix
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bigdaysocial