A Day That's Actually Yours
You've decided not to do the big one. No 140-person guest list, no head table, no receiving line, no forty-minute gap where you don't see each other because of photos.
That doesn't have to mean nobody comes. Plenty of the days I film have a few people at them — parents, a sister, two friends who drove down that morning. Six people on a bluff is still an elopement. The line isn't the guest count, it's whether the day belongs to you or to a schedule someone else built.
What that buys you is the whole day. You wake up unhurried. You go somewhere that matters to you — the cliffs, the pines, the desert an hour and a half east. You say what you came to say, and then the rest of the day is yours, in a beautiful place, with nowhere to be.
And it buys me the thing I actually need, which is room to direct. A big production gives a filmmaker ninety rushed minutes and a shot list. A day like this gives me hours — enough to plan the light, move you when the light moves, and shoot a film with an actual shape instead of a highlight reel assembled from whatever happened to be in front of the lens.
How It Goes
Planning
We get on a call and build the timeline together. I'll tell you where the light works, which spots are packed at 4pm on a Saturday, and how to structure the day so it doesn't feel rushed.
The day
I arrive early and we run the plan. I'll move you toward the light, give you something to do when standing still feels awkward, and then get out of the way entirely once a moment is working. Directed where it helps, invisible where it doesn't.
After
In 8–12 weeks you get your cinematic highlight film and the full ceremony film, delivered digitally at full resolution. Two rounds of revisions included.
Investment
Simple coverage. No mystery packages.
No travel fee anywhere in San Diego County. Every film includes the highlight film, the full ceremony recording, and two rounds of revisions.
The founding rate
Why these rates are lower right now.
Because I'm early, and I'd rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise.
I've been shooting for years — portraits, landscapes, and weddings as a photographer — but my library of finished elopement and vow renewal films is small. I'm not going to price like someone with fifty films online when I don't have fifty films online.
So the first few couples of this season get a genuinely reduced rate. Not a fake discount off a number nobody ever paid — a real one, in exchange for something real:
- →I can use the finished film and stills as portfolio work.
- →You give me an honest testimonial once you have seen it — good or bad.
- →Your date falls inside the current booking window.
That's the trade. You get the work for meaningfully less while this body of films is still being built. I get work I can show and an honest testimonial I can point to.
What you're taking a chance on: a shorter film track record than the established studios. What you're not taking a chance on is whether I'll be clear about what I can deliver. You see the work that's here, the price reflects where I am, and two rounds of revisions are included.
3 founding films left for September–December 2026. After those, everything moves to the standard rate.
Multi-day and travel outside San Diego County quoted individually. 50% holds your date, the balance is due two weeks before. Payment plans available on request.
Where to Elope in San Diego
Sunset Cliffs
Golden hour with waves crashing below.
Torrey Pines
Dramatic bluffs and quiet coastal trails.
La Jolla Cove
That perfect California coastline.
Anza-Borrego Desert
Wide-open skies and desert mountains.
Julian & the Lagunas
Pines, meadows, and real dark skies.
Coronado
Wide beaches and the old hotel light.
Still deciding? Read the longer guide to eloping in Southern California →
Elopement Questions
How much does an elopement videographer cost in San Diego?
Founding rates right now are $1,600 for a half day (4 hours) and $2,200 for a full day (8 hours), reduced from standard rates of $2,400 and $3,500 while I build my portfolio of finished films. For comparison, established San Diego studios charge roughly $3,200–$3,900 for comparable cinematic coverage. Both include a cinematic highlight film, the full ceremony recording, digital delivery, and two rounds of revisions. Most San Diego elopements fit comfortably in a half day.
Do we need a permit to elope in San Diego?
It depends on where. Small ceremonies without chairs, arches or amplified sound are generally fine on most city beaches, while state parks like Torrey Pines and Anza-Borrego have their own permit processes and fees. Sunset Cliffs Natural Park has restrictions too. I can tell you what I have seen work at each location, but always confirm current requirements with the managing agency — rules change and I would rather you hear it from them.
How many hours of coverage do we actually need?
Most couples over-buy here. If your ceremony is short and you're staying in one or two locations, four hours is genuinely enough — it covers getting ready, the ceremony, and a golden hour portrait session. Book the full day if you're moving between the coast and the desert, or want the whole day documented from sunrise.
Can you also take photos?
I shoot stills alongside the film, and you'll get a set of them. But if photography is the priority, hire a dedicated photographer — I'm a filmmaker first, and I'd rather tell you that than have you be disappointed.
How far in advance should we book?
I take a limited number of days per season so I can give each one real attention. I'm currently booking September–December 2026. Popular dates — anything around a holiday weekend, or peak golden-hour season — go first.
What if the weather is bad?
Coastal fog is common in San Diego in May and June, and it is often better on camera than clear sky. For genuine weather problems we shift the timeline within the day, and if that's not possible we reschedule with no penalty. I've never had an elopement I couldn't film.
Let's plan your day
Currently booking September–December 2026. A short call, no pitch.
Talk About Your Day →