For filmmakers who love sharing wedding stories as much as they love traveling the world, destination wedding videography sounds like the perfect job. You don’t just get to travel — you get paid to travel. And often to some of the most scenic, beautiful places in the world.
Of course, this travel-and-film kind of dream job may sound too good to be true — or so out of reach you won’t even entertain the idea of it. But not only is destination wedding videography possible; with hard work, it’s quite doable. We talked to one husband-and-wife creative duo that’s turned this dream into a reality: Veiled in Motion.
Valery and Mark DerHovanessian, the brains behind Veiled in Motion, travel the world capturing breathtaking wedding videos. Take this adventure wedding in Iceland. Or this scenic elopement in Haleakala National Park. And don’t miss this snowy Vermont wedding for all the hygge feels.
The DerHovanessian crew, based in Boston, didn’t just wake up one day and start filming mind-blowing Iceland ceremonies. They worked tirelessly for years, blending a mix of at-home and on-the-go weddings to make this dream career work.
We chatted with Valery DerHovanessian to hear their back story — particularly getting her tips on how to help you take the leap into destination wedding videography, too.
Getting Started in Wedding Videography
The DerHovanessians first dabbled into wedding videography in college. They went to school for film and video production, with Valery’s first gig out of college working for a small corporate and wedding video production company.
“This is how we met!” Valery recalled of the time she and Mark were first introduced. “We were the video editors in the wedding department and shared the same office editing wedding videos next to each other.”
They began dating, quit their jobs, combined their talents and passions, and embarked on a wedding-videography career path of their own.
Breaking into Destination Wedding Videography
Their desire to launch a destination wedding videography business stemmed from a love to travel. “We’ve always loved to travel so we knew right away that we would try to incorporate that into our business,” Valery said. “Our first official year in business we had the opportunity to film two destination elopements in Iceland. The next year we booked an elopement in Hawai’i and four more weddings in Iceland.”
The more the Veiled in Motion name got out there, the more this dream became a reality. “We’ve now filmed eight weddings in Iceland with more booked in the future,” Valery said. “We’re also excited to be shooting a wedding in Arizona this year in the middle of the desert.”
Valery has some tips for those looking to follow a similar career path. “Experience is key,” she said. “Even if you have a solid film background, filming live events is a totally different ballgame.”
She recommends getting experience by jumping in head first. “If a friend or family member is getting married, it doesn’t hurt to ask them if you can film the event for the experience and to start your portfolio. If your work is good, more people will want to hire you.”
Tips for a Seamless Destination Wedding Videography Shoot
Wedding days in and of themselves bring all sorts of potential hiccups — from late arrivals to bad weather, plus all those wedding-day nerves. But, add the unpredictability of travel to the equation, and destination wedding videography can feel even more stressful.
“The actual act of traveling for a destination wedding is probably the biggest hardship,” said Valery. “Traveling with all your equipment, making sure your flight is on time — all of it.”
The DerHovanessians have experienced numerous travel snafus firsthand. “We once had a flight to Iceland booked during a Nor’easter here in Boston,” Valery said. “It was like a guessing game to see whether or not our flight would be canceled. I remember frantically calling the airline in panic, but luckily we were able to change our flight to the next day without any impact on the wedding. Planning for travel delays is definitely a must, especially for international weddings.”
Long story short: Build in extra time, and be prepared for the seemingly impossible — particularly with the unpredictability of travel during the pandemic.
Consider Destination Elopement Videography
One trend Valery is noticing in the world of destination weddings? Destination elopements — something you should consider marketing yourself for if this creative travel job piques your interest.
“I think the pandemic has definitely encouraged more couples to ditch their tradition wedding plans to get married in cool places with just the two of them or their close loved ones,” she said.
Packing Your Gear for Destination Wedding Videography
Packing for your own personal trip is tricky enough. Add your wedding-video gear to the mix and wow, does that suitcase fill up. Valery shared some of her top destination wedding videography packing tips with us. The biggest pointer? Pack light.
“Check with the airline about their carry-on policies,” she said. “We try to be as minimal as possible when traveling with our equipment for destination weddings, and we don’t check our bags. Anything we need for filming goes on the plane with us.”
Remember — It’s a Business First
Valery’s last piece of advice for aspiring destination wedding videographers is know your worth. Don’t let the glitz and glam of travel distract you from your long-term career goals.
“Don’t undervalue your work just because you want to travel to certain destinations,” she said. “The more you stick up for yourself and prove your value, the better poised you are for a long, travel (and passion) filled career.”
Destination Wedding Videography Gear
Veiled in Motion’s go-to destination wedding videography gear includes:
Panasonic GH5s
Zhiyun Zeebil Gimbal
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 II Aspherical Lens
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm f/2.8 II Lens
For more wedding videography inspiration, don’t miss our four simple tricks to improve your wedding content.
