5 Reasons to Add Videography to Your Elopement Package

Time and time again, I watch my couples wish they’d booked videography for their elopement so they could relive the sounds, the movements, and the feelings of the day in real-time. Nothing compares to the opportunity to hear your partner’s voice as they recite their vows to you, or watch the gentle movement of your dress in the wind as you hiked to an epic viewpoint. If you haven’t considered adding videography to your elopement package, I want to share why I think you absolutely should, and give you a few tips to help find your perfect videographer!

5 Reasons Why You Need an Elopement Video

1. Video is a powerful storytelling tool

Ever since the invention of the first analog video recorder back in 1951, video has proved to be one of the most powerful storytelling tools we have access to—and clearly, it’s only continued to evolve on a major scale since then! There’s a reason video has become one of the most popular forms of content on the internet today in 2025: it allows you to tell a story in a way that still photos simply can’t. 

Depending on the type of gear your videographer has, they might be able to take some epic drone shots of your elopement location to really set the scene of your adventure, or capture gorgeous b-roll to showcase the atmosphere of the day (think: waves rolling onto the shore, tree branches blowing in the breeze, dark clouds rolling through the sky, the ripples of a lake on a windy day. . .). 

Take a look at Conner + Jennell’s stunning sand dune elopement below to see what I mean – the introductory drone shots are to die for!

While photos can capture the look of your elopement day—the colors, the textures, the lines and the shapes—video captures the sounds and the movement, adding a whole new layer to the way your day is documented. Not only will you be able to see photos of your parents laughing as they listen to a joke you added into your vows; you’ll be able to hear the laughter as they look at you with so much love in their eyes, to watch the movement of their hands flying up to their faces to wipe the tears away. 

Sound is incredibly powerful at bringing a person back to a specific moment in time, just like smells are (though I don’t yet have a way for you to memorialize the smells of your elopement day, except maybe through keeping the perfume bottle you used—sorry!). Getting to watch your elopement film back and hear the glasses clink during your champagne toast, the birds chirp in the forest around you as you shared your first look, the light music you had playing as you got ready in your Airbnb. . . it’s such a gift that you’ll never regret investing in.

2. You can watch moments you might have missed

One of the reasons I’ll preach elopements till the day I die is the fact that they allow you to really slow down and be present on the big day—unlike traditional weddings, which often seem to move at the speed of light and involve rushed moments, strict timelines, and stress when anything starts to run a little bit behind. 

Elopements aren’t immune to these moments, though; there will probably always be something that you miss on your elopement day because you’re so focused on everything that’s going on. Whether that be a tiny, seemingly insignificant moment, like the split second that you looked away while your partner looked at you with so much love in their eyes. . . or a bigger one, like a meaningful hug between two loved ones who haven’t seen each other in years, while you were off touching up your makeup.

Having your day filmed allows you to trust that every moment of your elopement is being documented for you to look back on, and that you’ll be able to relive anything you might have missed, or not paid enough attention to in the moment. The ability to watch moments, expressions, and interactions unfold in real time is unmatched.

The b-roll of the horses running through the grasses in Emily + Ryan’s video below. . . I feel like I’m right back adventuring around Utah with them.

3. It’s the perfect way to share your day with loved ones

Wish you could share the magic of your elopement with your loved ones, without actually having them there day-of? With an elopement video, you can easily invite them into the experience after the fact, and they’ll get to witness all the beauty of your elopement in the next best way!

Once you receive your elopement video back, you’ll be able to easily send it to loved ones from afar, or if you want to make it extra special, you could invite everyone to a viewing party to watch it together. I’ve seen many couples do this if they want to have a larger celebration after a private elopement, playing their film in front of all their loved ones when they all get together a few months down the road. It’s such a special way to gather everyone together without actually having a big wedding, and to let them watch + listen to your special day as it happened! I have goosebumps just thinking about it. 

Not sure if you want to invite guests to your elopement, or keep things private? Be sure to read my guide to 11 Ways to Include Family + Friends In Your Elopement, where I give you meaningful ways to include them either way.

4. Your vows are captured forever

Ahhh hearing couples’ vows always makes me tear up, and knowing they’ll get to listen to them over and over again for the rest of their lives on video is the *ultimate* gift as a photographer/videographer. Your vows are what tie you together as a newly married couple, the words that bond you in a way you haven’t felt before. . . the promises you make to each other in this new season of your life. They deserve to be kept forever on more than just paper, or a still photo—in a video that you’re able to watch time and time again, listening to the way your voices quivered as you held back tears, the emotions you openly shared as you poured your hearts out to one another. If you hire a videographer for NO other reason than preserving your vows forever, that’ll be enough.

5. The nostalgic vibes of Super 8 film are to die for

One last thing! Have you ever heard of Super 8mm film? Depending on what generation you’re part of, you might have grown up using it to make home films, or watched your parents carry it around on all your family vacations. Super 8 is making a comeback and I’m stoked that it’s becoming popular in the wedding industry, because it’s SUCH a cool way to capture your day in a super nostalgic, romantic way that’s totally different from digital film. It’s gritty, it’s grainy, it’s imperfect and unpredictable. . . and that’s why we all love it so much. 10/10 recommend finding a videographer that offers Super 8 in addition to digital video (spoiler alert: we do!).

Tips for Hiring Your Elopement Videographer

See what I mean? Video brings a whole new layer of magic to the story of your elopement, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve totally fallen in love with the idea by now. But before you dive in headfirst, I wanted to share a few tips to help you find the BEST possible videographer for your special day + make sure it’s worth your investment a thousand times over.

Look for someone with real-life experience

When I say real-life, I mean real elopement or wedding experience! 

There are plenty of incredible videographers out there, but when you’re narrowing down your options for your elopement, it’s important to find somebody with a decent amount of experience filming real elopements, and real weddings—not just styled photoshoots, or other events that are similar. 

Things like camera quality, gear and equipment, microphone quality, editing style, and day-of film style (documentary vs. posed, fly-on-the-wall vs. in your face, etc.) will be key to finding the right videographer for you. 

They’ll be capturing just as many precious memories as you photographer will, just in a different way, so the person you pick is equally as important!

Hire a photo + video team

My biggest tip for finding your elopement videographer is to kill two birds with one stone: find a team that offers both photo AND video (wink wink), and your life will immediately become so much easier. You’ll save yourself the time and energy of communicating with an extra vendor, you can be rest assured that both your photos and video of the day will be shot + edited in the same style, and you might even be able to save a buck if they offer a deal when you book both!

I have firsthand experience in this, obviously—if you don’t know my partner and I already, hi! 

We’re Sarah and Michael, a destination elopement photo and video duo curating one-of-a-kind elopement experiences for rad couples like you. 

Not only do I (Sarah) take some pretty dang beautiful photos, if I do say so myself—Michael also tags along with me to film your day, and produce the most STUNNING elopement videos. Trust me: we go together like elopements and adventure 😉 

Click here to learn more about us (and our extra special elopement planning extraordinaire, Nugget), and to see where we’ll be traveling in the near future!

Book an all-inclusive package

Finally, I highly, HIGHLY recommend finding a photography + videography team that offers an all-inclusive elopement package.

An all-inclusive package is without a doubt the way to go if you want to:

• Have a stress-free elopement experience from inquiry to “I do”
• Have your entire elopement planned out for you
• Combine your wedding and honeymoon into an epic, multi-day experience
• Have all your vendors hired by someone you trust

In short, it’s the easiest, most effortless way to plan your elopement ever—or to have someone else plan it for you, for that matter!

Our all-inclusive elopement packages include allll the above, plus more services such as custom timeline creation, accommodation search and booking, and curated location guides to fit your unique vision. If this bespoke, done-for-you elopement experience sounds like a dream to you, take a peek at our packages and pricing here to see if we’ve got what you’re looking for.

Once you consider all the magic and possibilities that videography could bring to the story of your elopement day, it’s hard to go back to considering just photography. We’ve seen it happen time and time again with our couples who are forever grateful they chose to add video—your families, friends, and loved ones will thank you when they get to experience the feeling of your special day, even if they weren’t there beside you.

Fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page to inquire about adding video to your elopement package, and we’ll get back to you shortly to start turning your dreams into reality. We can’t wait to hear from you!

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Craving even more ideas, tips, and resources to help plan your elopement? We’ve got ‘em—check out some of our recent favorites below.

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