A woman who was unable to afford a videographer for her big day has revealed how she invested $1,000 into a simple idea – and turned it into a $2m business.
As Anne Marie Carroll and her soon-to-be husband, Bryan, began delving into wedding planning, something instantly stuck out for them.
Services such as videography and photography cost a fortune – to the tune of $4,000 – and so, they had to debate whether to give either up from their budget.
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Since the options available were too expensive, and the video styles didn’t feel like them, they settled on hiring a student friend of theirs to capture the special day instead.
However, the whole tricky situation sparked an idea.
Anne Marie, 29, had noticed other couples gravitating toward using digital cameras and camcorders again; and, coupled with a sense of nostalgia, decided to make an investment.
With just $1,000 from her savings, she bought a Sony 4K Handycam camcorder and set up her own website.
Now, just over a year later, she’s turned over an impressive $2m.
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“I remember jumping around the kitchen with my husband as the initial orders came through,” she
“I realised this isn’t just a good business idea – it’s truly solving something couples have been wanting.
“I’m feeling incredibly proud of myself and have learned how fast life can change in just a year.”
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Anne Marie, from Denver, US, hadn’t planned to start up her own business.
She wanted to become a teacher – but, after taking a business class in school, her interest shifted.
She said: “I had to create a product and run the operations in the school store.
“That’s when my interest in business started and I began leaning towards a college degree in marketing.
“Reflecting back, I think I always had an entrepreneur spirit, but never imagined the type of success [I’ve now seen].
“Before all of this, I was freelancing in creative advertising.
“I was juggling applying to jobs and freelance work, fully thinking I would need to stay in my advertising career when launching.
“But, after two months, I quit to focus on the business.
“It was so gratifying [taking that leap] and going for it.”
“When launching, I was most nervous that this wasn’t going to reach enough people and it would be something I’d have to eventually give up and go back to working full-time.
“I’ve always had the dream of working for myself.
“So, after I took the leap, I was reading to do everything in my power to make this idea work and avoid needing to find another full-time job.”
Anne Marie made the risky jump in May 2025.
She piqued interest using TikTok and Instagram; of which a few of her initial posts went viral – and led to a popular boost in sales.
Within one month, her business, Wedding Weekender, had brought in $70,000.
After one year, this figure sat at an eye-watering $2m.
She said: “I feel incredibly fortunate that this business has been able to grow so fast.
“And reach so many people who have been looking for a way to be able to capture their wedding on video – without the whopping cost.
“In our reviews, our couples always note how grateful they were to find us and be able to capture their weekend.
“Otherwise, they were going to give up videography in their budget.
“They say if they could do it again, they would still choose our service over a traditional wedding videographer.”
Now, during peak wedding season, they service 100 couples per week.
While the hours are long, Anne Marie knows that it takes sacrifice in order to see results.
Their packages start at $729 for one camcorder rental, accessories, organised raw footage and a five minute wedding video edit.
For $989, this increases to two camcorders and a seven minute video edit, as well as the other mod cons.
And, for bachelorettes, everything in the wedding packages is included, along with a four minute video edit, either priced at $989 or $1,249.
In the UK, the average price for a videographer sits at around £2,500, according to Bridebook.
Anne Marie is hoping to lead a business which prioritises fitting within couples’ budgets, without any compromise, and offers something more personal.
She has experienced growing pains along the way – but only because she’s too popular to keep up with demand.
Despite this, Anne Marie has expanded worldwide to Canada, Australia and the UK.
She added: “The hardest thing for us right now has been scaling our operations to meet demand – which is a good problem to have.
“We want to be able to bring our service to as many couples as possible who are debating having to give up videography in their budgets.
“I’ve always wanted to work for myself.
“I think it’s incredibly rewarding to be able to build something of your own and choose how you manage investing your time into it.
“We’ve really leaned into our social community and are constantly listening to what trends and elements of their weddings they want to incorporate into their videos.
“My advice is just start.
“I think it’s easy to get caught up in feeling like you need everything to be ready to go.
“I started with one camcorder and didn’t have packaging created before we started seeing orders come in.
“I hope my story can be an inspiration for other entrepreneurs that you can start a business without needing to invest a tonne of money.
“I have considered slowing down and accepting less orders to relieve some stress.
“But it’s hard to do that when you see the exciting momentum our brand has.
“Instead, I’ve invested in hiring to allow us to grow.”
