The Wedding Filmmaker Who Wants Couples to Forget the Camera

Ask Ellen de Raad if she's available for weddings outside Europe and Curaçao, and she doesn't hedge. "HELL YESSS," she says. "Being a destination wedding videographer allows me to combine two of my greatest passions: storytelling and travel. I love experiencing new cultures, discovering beautiful places, and creating films that reflect not only the couple's story, but also the unique atmosphere of their destination." Based between Curaçao and the Netherlands, and working frequently across Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, and beyond, Ellen has only been filming weddings since 2023 - and in that short time, she's built a documentary-style approach that treats a wedding less like an event to record and more like a story she gets to be part of, even briefly.

She Didn't Set Out to Film Weddings

Before there were weddings, there was travel. "I never grew up dreaming of making wedding films," Ellen says. "My journey into videography started with a love for travel, storytelling, and documenting meaningful experiences. Long before I began filming weddings, I was creating travel films. Through those experiences, I discovered the power of video to preserve not just how a moment looked, but how it felt. Now I get to do that for my couples."

The shift happened almost overnight. "Everything changed when I filmed my first wedding in 2023," she recalls. "I was sold. I found myself increasingly drawn to weddings because they combine everything I love most about filmmaking: genuine emotions, human connection, beautiful locations, and memories that deserve to be remembered." Her experience at that first wedding continues to influence the way shefilms events today.

Today, I specialize in intimate weddings, destination weddings,

she explains.

"My approach is documentary and unobtrusive, focusing on authentic moments as they naturally unfold. Rather than directing every scene, I prefer to observe, blend into the background, and create dynamic films that feel true to life."

Twelve to Fifteen Weddings, and a Job That Never Feels Like One

Ellen keeps her yearly count to twelve or fifteen weddings, but ask what she loves about the work and the answer runs well past logistics.

"Oh man... so many things!" she admits. "What I enjoy most about being a wedding videographer is preserving moments that can never be recreated. I'm naturally an observer, so I love capturing genuine emotions and the little in-between moments as they unfold." 

The attachment goes deeper than craft. "What makes this work so special to me is that it never feels like 'just a job." Every wedding brings new people, emotions, and experiences, and I genuinely become invested in each couple's story. Every couple becomes part of my journey, and I give a little piece of myself to every film I create." Travel is still very much part of the equation, too. "As a destination wedding videographer, I also get to combine my passion for travel with storytelling, documenting celebrations in beautiful places around the world," she adds. 

"Most of all, I love knowing that a wedding film becomes more valuable with time, allowing couples to relive not only how their day looked, but how it felt."

Four Days in Curaçao

Asked which wedding has stayed with her most, Ellen admits the question itself is difficult for her to answer honestly.

"This is such a difficult question because I genuinely become invested in every couple's story," she says. "Like I said, it never feels like 'just a job' to me. Each couple becomes part of my journey, and I give a little piece of myself to every film I create."

Even so, one wedding comes to mind first. "If I had to choose one wedding that has stayed with me, it would be Joel and Lennard's wedding in Curaçao," she recalls. "I had the privilege of documenting four beautiful days with them, their family, and their friends. It started with a relaxed beach day, followed by welcome drinks at an oceanfront cocktail bar, a sunset ceremony on a pier overlooking the sea, and a fun-filled recovery day that ended with karaoke."

What made it memorable wasn't any single moment so much as how the whole weekend felt.

The love, warmth, and connection between everyone felt incredibly genuine. By the time their wedding weekend started, they already felt more like friends than clients. After spending four days celebrating alongside their family and friends, I felt completely welcomed into their circle and their story.

Vintage Cameras, Modern Weddings

Ellen is truly excited about one trend, not just interested in it for work. "One trend in wedding videography that I personally love is the return of retro, home-video-inspired footage," she explains. "I see more couples embracing a more nostalgic and authentic style, and I think it adds something really special to a wedding film."

She builds that look into her own films directly. "I often use this style in my own films by combining footage from a vintage camera alongside my cinema cameras," she says. "The slightly raw and imperfect look makes the moments feel real and intimate. It creates the feeling that you're not just watching the wedding, but that you're actually stepping back into that moment and experiencing it again. For me, it's a beautiful balance between the cinematic quality of a wedding film and the honest, unfiltered feeling of a home video."

The Couple She Filmed Twice

Ellen remembers her first wedding clearly, and it wasn't quite where her story with that couple ended.

"Yes, of course I do!" she says. "My first wedding was actually the civil ceremony of a couple at a beautiful old town hall." A year later, their paths crossed again. "What makes it even more meaningful is that I had the chance to film their actual wedding celebration in Italy the following year," she recalls. "Seeing them again, after having already been part of such an important moment in their story, was incredibly special." 

Going back changed the way she sees her work. "It reminded me why I love this work so much," she reflects.

Weddings are not just one-day events to me; they are stories and relationships that continue to grow. Being invited back to document another chapter of their journey was something I will always be grateful for.

What She Wants Couples to Remember

Ellen's advice to couples starts with a question most timelines don't leave room for. "My biggest piece of advice is to remember why you're planning this day in the first place," she says. "It's easy to get caught up in timelines, details, and expectations, but the moments you'll remember most are often the ones you never planned. Take time to be present with each other, soak it all in, and trust the team you've chosen."

She's just as direct about whose day it actually is. "Your wedding should feel like your story, not someone else's template," she notes. "Don't feel pressured to create a day that looks a certain way or follow traditions that don't feel like you. The most meaningful celebrations are the ones where you can truly be yourselves." Her own footage has taught her where the real moments tend to hide. "The most memorable moments are rarely the perfectly staged ones," she adds. 

"They're the spontaneous laughs, the emotional hugs, the quiet glances and all the little in-between moments that happen naturally throughout the day. That's why I believe in giving couples the space to simply enjoy their day, while I quietly capture the moments that make their story unique."

It's a philosophy she's summed up in four words of her own:

Wedding films for couples who want to feel their day, not perform it.