As a wedding photographer, I’ve seen just about every style of wedding from big to small. My now-wife Julia and I knew we wanted to have a small destination wedding. At first, we considered a micro wedding in Italy. We realized it would be easier to get all of our guests to California where we could still enjoy wineries and rolling hillsides. We chose Super 8 for our destination wedding videography because we knew it would capture the intimate, lighthearted experience of our celebration.
Destination Wedding Videography on Super 8
Film photography and videography are actually a big part of Julia and my story. We met in New York City when we were both actors. I reached out to her to see if she wanted to meet up for a photoshoot so I could update my portfolio. It turned out that we had worked at the same Santa Rosa theater about six years apart from each other. We even had a lot of mutual acquaintances. As we got off the train to part ways, she said “we should grab a drink some time.” The rest was history.
Film entered the picture when Julia taught me how to use her grandfather’s film camera. We took it on our first trip together, upstate to Hudson, NY, and I was hooked. We came home and I bought my first film camera that week.
Fast forward to me purchasing my first Super 8 camera. I wanted to document our memories in home videos that didn’t live on an iPhone. I love how simple and nostalgic Super 8 is. You don’t have any sound or distractions from what’s happening on screen. In my mind, the medium is perfectly imperfect. I found that I cherished memories more when I had Super 8 video to look back on and that I remembered more about those moments.
When it came to planning our destination wedding videography, I knew I wanted it to be on Super 8. I also knew how much it would mean to me to be the person to film it. I knew I wouldn’t necessarily capture everything. The video I did create would have the essence of the day, though. And I was right! I love the way this film came together. You can see the whole thing here.
Our Intimate Wedding Celebration
I filmed our destination wedding videography at our venue in Glen Ellen, CA. When we first started looking for a California wedding venue, we wanted to find something where we could have the full day on the same property, including lodging. Beltane Ranch charmed us. We ended up having an amazing wedding weekend with 24 of our closest friends and family.
Beltane Ranch really prides itself on a farm to table experience, and the farm is very present. We got to feed all the farm animals. Chickens roamed around our cocktail hour. Our guests got to feed the horses and donkeys before dinner under the stars. All of the food, including on the wedding day, was farm to table.
As people who really value our close connections and intimate experiences, we wanted our wedding to feel like we were in our own world. We really got that at Beltane Ranch. We felt like the only people in the world.
One of our favorite wedding moments was playing a trivia game with our guests. We asked them questions about our relationship to see who knew us best. The winners got the Polaroid cameras we used that day. Funnily enough, one of the winners, Julia’s friend’s partner, had just met us the day before.
The whole experience was amazing, and I’m so glad we have a creative, deeply personal wedding video to remember it all. Are you interested in having me document your destination wedding videography on Super 8? Reach out to me here!
Thanks to all of the vendors who made our wedding so special:
Venue: Beltane Ranch
Planner: Shaun Gray Events
Photographer: Caleb Gaskins
Super 8 Videography: Jason Moody Photo
Florist: Birdseed Florals
Hair and Makeup: Emily Dimant
