Moab, Utah Elopement Film | Adventure Elopement | Morgan & Corey

“When I woke up and saw you standing by the river On the first morning of our backpacking trip I knew this is where we’d end up one day.”

A brisk and snow covered Moab, Utah elopement is a far cry from the beachy and warm intimate wedding Morgan and Corey were originally planning to have in Todos Santos, Baja California Mexico. But given the global pandemic, this adventure seeking couple shifted gears towards an elopement with just them, their two dogs, a good friend to officiate, and of course a wedding videography and photography team to document it all.

Morgan and Corey are used to the elements, having lived in a van for a year, driving across the country doing back packing trips, rock climbing and rafting excursions. Morgan in her pre-elopement plans attire braved the elements like a champ. And in her words, “It felt like it was always meant to be this way.”

One of our favorite aspects of this Moab, Utah elopement was working along side Map and Compass Photography, who is not only a like-minded wedding vendor, but a wonderful friend. Her eye for composing images against a vast landscape and prioritizing candid, authentic moments only made our jobs easier! See more gorgeous images of Moab, Utah elopements on her blog!

I like to take a little time in blogs to share the heart and thought process behind the editing of an elopement film or wedding film. We often hear from couples that the wedding videography they’ve seen is “cheesy” or mundane, clearly following a formula. And while something may be technically proficient, it doesn’t mean it contains good story telling. A pretty image is just a pretty image, it doesn’t do the work for you.

Being in the industry, we try to stay up to date with what’s going on in our lane of the wedding world. We watch a lot of top dog filmmakers and admire them for what they do, but still feel that so much emphasis is put on flashy editing and speed ramps and commercial style music choices that it feels more like a performance than two real people doing one of the most genuine things a human can do.

We edit for our couples, not for strangers. We care about the couple re-living their wedding day. All the awkward, mundane, messy bits of it. The nervous laughter, the snot dripping from the nose kind of moments. If this video feels like its gently strolling through the day with you, that’s because that’s how the day felt. And capturing that feeling is the most important artistic decision we will make while editing a film.

If you’re looking for an elopement videographer or wedding videographer who is going to keep your story and day of experience at the forefront of their workflow, we’d love to hear from you!

Vendors: Map and Compass Photography | Laura Loves Hair | Cactus and Tropicals

Music: “If You Need To, Keep Time on Me” by Fleet Foxes licensed on Tracks Music | “After The War” (Instrumental) by Branches licensed on Musicbed