Today we’d like to introduce you to Hayley And Hunter Byrd And Harris.
Hi Hayley and Hunter, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
As twin sisters, we’ve always shared a love for creativity and storytelling, and together we have 10+ years of combined experience in social media marketing, influencer marketing, talent management, and more. Around the same time, we both had our first babies just two weeks apart, which honestly changed everything for us.
What really sparked Champagne Social was seeing a small wave of wedding content creators starting to emerge, mostly in the California and New York wedding space. We immediately noticed there really wasn’t much of that presence in the South yet, and it felt like such a natural next step for us.
Because of our backgrounds, we instantly understood the value of capturing weddings with an iPhone. We knew it was still new and a little overlooked/underestimated at the time, but it just made so much sense to us. Couples wanted to relive their day almost instantly, but beyond that they wanted their wedding captured from a raw and modern third perspective, which was something they could share with friends and family, post in real time, and keep in their pocket forever. Becoming moms at the same time also made us even more aware of how quickly meaningful moments slip through your fingers and how important it is to capture even the smallest details. So we started and never looked back.
We stepped into it early and started building as we went. What started as a simple idea quickly turned into a full business that’s allowed us to travel for weddings, provide for our families, work with incredible couples and brands and so much more than we ever would have dreamed of. We are so grateful for everything we’ve been able to achieve and know there is more to come!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Building a business as moms is truly not for the weak! There were so many late nights running on barely any sleep, feeding babies every few hours, quick 5 min cries from overwhelm and then right back to it. We were in a state of feeling like, “I have no idea what I’m doing.” We never went to business school, so every part of building Champagne Social was our first time learning it in real time.
I think people sometimes expect this perfect story where you launch a business and immediately book out your calendar, but that definitely wasn’t our experience at all. We launched Champagne Social in October of 2023 and didn’t book our first paid wedding until June of 2024, lol. In between that, we did a few weddings for free just to get our name out there and start building trust in the industry.
Wedding content creation was still pretty underestimated at the time, and felt very unfamiliar territory. But we believed in where the industry was heading and in our knowledge and skills.
Honestly, those early weddings meant everything to us. We will never forget the brides who trusted us when we were just starting out. We still talk to so many of them and genuinely love them so much. They were a huge part of helping us build Champagne Social into what it is today!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
LOVE this question because honestly, there are so many things that feel deeply important to us when it comes to Champagne Social.
At the core of it all, we are a luxury wedding content creation business specializing in social-first iPhone storytelling, but what sets us apart goes far beyond creating content. We care deeply about excellence in the entire experience of having us around on a wedding day. How we present ourselves, how we move throughout a wedding, how we interact with vendors, how we make our couples feel…all of it matters to us.
One thing we’re incredibly intentional about is our team. We never wanted Champagne Social to feel like “the owners” and then a group of random associate shooters underneath that. Anyone representing Champagne Social aligns fully with our vision, our style, our energy, and the level of care we expect. If someone from our team is at your wedding, it will feel like having us there. That’s something we’ve protected from the very beginning, and we’re extremely picky about who joins our team because of it.
We’re also really proud of how aligned our brand feels. Our name, editing style, it all feels very true to who we are. We never wanted to build something that felt copied or trend-chasing. We wanted Champagne Social to have its own identity and emotional feeling behind it, and we think people can feel that when they experience our work.
Another huge thing for us is skill refinement. We spend an unbelievable amount of time researching, studying, practicing, refining, and getting better at what we do. We believe confidence comes from putting in the work. We always tell newer content creators that if you’re not booking the weddings you want, if vendors aren’t noticing you yet, if couples aren’t understanding your value, or your socials aren’t growing the way you hoped – stay focused on your skill above everything else. Because at the end of the day, the strongest thing you can stand on is knowing you are genuinely the best at what you do because you took the time to become great at it.
More than anything, we want people to know that Champagne Social is built with intention. Every detail of our brand, our team, our client experience, and our work has been thought through carefully.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Honestly, our biggest advice would be to not be afraid to ask questions and put yourself out there, even if it may feel awkward. When we started, there really weren’t many people to pull from in this industry yet, but we were lucky to find planners and photographers who truly championed us from the very beginning.
We also weren’t afraid to reach out to other creators, ask questions, and learn as we went. We still believe community over competition is so important. We’re always happy to help newer creators because we vividly remember having absolutely no clue what we were doing in the beginning… and honestly, sometimes we still don’t, haha.
Pricing:
- Most couples invest between $2,400–$5,500+ depending on coverage, travel, and wedding weekend needs
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.itschampagnesocial.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itschampagnesocial/
