Why You Need an Elopement Video
5 reasons you should hire a videographer for your elopement
Updated on April 14th, 2025
We’re Lisa + Alex
We are a husband and wife elopement photography and videography team based in Colorado.
When we got engaged, we immediately knew that a big wedding wasn’t for us. We’ve never been the kind of people to follow tradition and we couldn’t imagine saying our vows in front of 100 people.
So we eloped in Scotland with our immediate families. And all these years later, our elopement film is the best thing we have from our wedding day.
10 Years
Capturing Elopements
250+ Couples
Worked With
One of the most common post-wedding regrets reported by couples is not hiring a videographer
We’ve made a list of 5 reasons why you need to include a video in your elopement day:
1. You want to hear the audio
Capturing our couples’ vows is our favorite part about being elopement videographers. It’s so valuable to be able to listen back to your vows after your wedding day and hear not only the promises, but also the tone and emotion of the moment. The moments your partner struggles to finish their sentence without tearing up, or the moments you make your partner laugh with a funny story.
If you are inviting guests to your elopement, we are able to capture the words spoken by your best friend while they officiate the ceremony, and your dad’s speech before dinner and seamlessly incorporate them into your elopement video.
When we look back on our own elopement video, we can hear the emotions in our voices, both trying our best not to cry through our vows. We also hear the sound of the wind blowing through the mountains. These take us right back to our elopement day.
“When we began wedding planning, we were on the fence about also getting videography. Their work is absolutely beautiful. We’ve had a ridiculous number of compliments come in about our videos. Close friends have described our videos as “so us,” which truly speaks to their ability to capture and portray you as YOU. They SO accurately captured the nerves, emotions, and pace of our big day, and we are transported back to those special moments every single time we see our videos.”
2. The movement in video matters
Your photos will do an amazing job of capturing single snippets of time, but video will show you the entire moment. The way the dress blows in the wind, you wiping a tear as it travels down your cheek, your partner reaching for your hand. The result is a captivating blend of sights and sounds that sparks nostalgia and emotion long after the day has passed. These are all moments that are so much more powerful captured in video than in photo alone.
The moment in video vs. photo
“We’re especially grateful to have chosen to use their talents for both our photography and video. There’s just something so special about each perspective — still and dynamic. We think both the photography and videos were crucial to fully encapsulating our day and helping us relive it again and again.”
3. Video is a great way to share your elopement with those who weren’t there
If you’re choosing to elope, there are likely important people in your lives who are not able to be there. And just because you are choosing to elope, it doesn’t mean you don’t want to share your experience with these people. Having an elopement video allows you to show your friends and family exactly what it felt like to be there.
When we eloped, we only invited our immediate families, so being able to share our elopement video with everyone else in our lives was so special for us.
“The highlight video they produced made the people that couldn’t be at our wedding feel as though they were a part of our day, brought me to tears, and gave us the ability to relive our day.”
4. Video makes it easy to re-live your day
Your photos will allow you to quickly flip through the best moments of your day. Depending on how much time you have, you may see the prints hanging on your walls, flip through your wedding album on your coffee table, see a favorite photo as your phone background when you’re checking the time, or scroll through files on your computer.
But a video demands your attention and immerses you right back into your elopement day. It gives you an excuse to sit down with your partner, reconnect, and look back on one of the best days of your lives together so far.
We got married in 2016 and on every anniversary we sit down and watch our video. All these years later, it still makes us emotional and we are so thankful that we have our day documented in video.
“Our expectations for photography and videography were high from the start. They nailed the shots and the emotion of the day while making it feel absolutely effortless throughout. We were stunned by the videography especially that captured everything so perfectly as it was on our day. A perfect keepsake that we will get to cherish for the rest of our days.”
5. Video gives you a unique way to show off your elopement location
Okay, we’ll admit that this one is a little bit vain. But you’re likely eloping somewhere beautiful. Whether it’s the mountains of Colorado, the beaches of Oregon, or even the deserts of Utah. We like to think of your location as a supporting character in your elopement day, and drone footage in our elopement videos truly allows us to showcase the landscape that inspires you.
Unique moments captured with drone
“Finding the right photographer and videographer to capture all of the small details is absolutely crucial. It really says something that whenever we go through our photos and replay our highlight film, all of the emotions of our wedding day come flooding right back. Lisa and Alex truly captured the beauty of our wedding and we cannot thank them enough.”
How to get the most out of your elopement videographer
You’ve decided to hire an elopement videographer. Now let’s make sure you set yourself up for the best elopement film possible!
1. Choose the right videographer
When it comes to your elopement video, the most important decision you’ll make is choosing the right videographer for your vision and elopement plans. Here are some things to think about as you begin to research elopement videographers:
Watch their films - I know this sounds obvious, but watch more than a few of their videos. Pay close attention to the way they tell stories and consider the way their videos make you feel. Some videographers create videos that are upbeat and fast-paced, others make videos that are more emotionally-driven. Can you see yourself and your elopement day in their work?
Listen to their audio - First of all, do they even use audio from the day of the elopement. Not all videographers capture any elopement day audio, and the inclusion of audio (or not) will have a big impact on your final video. If you decide that you would like audio included, take the time to really listen to the way it sounds. Capturing great audio on an elopement day is often the most difficult part of being a videographer because you have to contend with the wind and other outdoor noises. Is the quality of the audio good? Can you clearly hear the words being spoken?
Make sure they are experienced in elopements - As a videography team who started out in traditional weddings, we can confirm that there is a big difference between capturing elopements. On a wedding day, a videographer is not in charge of the experience. In fact, their goal is to blend into the background. On an elopement day, your photographer and videographer are in charge of leading you through your elopement day. It is their job to balance giving you an incredible elopement experience while getting the content they need, while also avoiding your day feeling like a production.
Make sure they have their FAA Part 107 License - This license will allow your videographer to legally fly their drone for your elopement. A lot of public lands (and even private properties) have strict rules about drone use, so hiring a videographer with their Part 107 also ensures that they know where drones can be flown.
Make sure they understand the importance of Leave No Trace - This advice goes for hiring your elopement photographer as well. If you plan to elope in nature, it is so important to hire a team who will act responsibly in the wilderness. This includes staying on trail, being respectful of wildlife and other visitors, and planing ahead to ensure everyone’s safety. Click here to learn more about Leave No Trace.
Choose someone that you get along with - You are going to be spending a lot of time with your elopement videographer! Make sure you feel comfortable being yourself and vulnerable with them.
2. Write your own vows
Your vows will be the driving force behind your elopement film. The more time you can spend on your vows, the better they’ll usually turn out, so set aside time in the months leading up to your elopement to start brainstorming.
A simple suggestion is to jot things down over the months leading up to the wedding and then combine those thoughts over time. These can be memories, important pieces of your story as a couple, or even inside jokes. The actual writing of your vows may not happen until closer to your wedding date, but by then you’ll already have so many thoughts and ideas that it will be easy to piece them together into a more complete thought.
3. Plan a day that’s unique to your relationship
When you’re dreaming up your perfect elopement day, think about the things you love to do together. Maybe that’s hiking with your dog, picnicking in the forest, stand up paddle boarding, rock climbing, or even snuggling up in a hammock. These activities will help your videographer create a film that is not only more personalized to you, but also more fun to watch!
4. Consider adding more day-of coverage
In short, the more coverage you have, the better your elopement video will be. More coverage time will allow you to slow down and be more intentional, it will allow you more time to get the jitters out and feel truly yourselves in front of the camera, and it will allow you to visit more locations and incorporate more unique activities into your elopement day. The more unique moments and footage your videographer has when creating your video, the more they’ll be able to fully tell your story.
Are you looking for a Colorado elopement videographer?
We specialize in Colorado elopement videography AND photography!
This means that you only need to hire ONE team to have your elopement day beautifully captured in both photo and video.
The benefits to hiring a photo + video team:
Your photos and video will look and feel cohesive.
A single photo + video team is accustomed to working together and able to seamlessly switch between mediums throughout the day. This allows you to focus your attention on your wedding day and not worry about making sure two separate teams are getting what they need.
Coordination during the planning process is seamless.
Bundling photo + video together can often save you money on your package!
Highlight Films
Highlight Films are the ultimate elopement video. They are driven by music and the audio that we capture on your elopement day (your vows and speeches). Highlight Films vary in length from 3-6 minutes depending on your hours of coverage.
Trailer Films
Trailer Films are a fun and fast-paced glimpse into your elopement day, think of it like a movie trailer! These videos range in length from 35-45 seconds and do not include any day-of audio.
Want to see more?
This blog post was published on April 14th, 2025