Weddings
How to plan a Corfu elopement for just the two of you
A Corfu elopement guide: civil or symbolic ceremony, quiet places for two, a simple elopement-day timeline and how an intimate film of your vows is made.
Weddings, elopements, vow renewals and baptisms, filmed like cinema.
A Corfu elopement is a wedding for the two of you, or for the two of you and a handful of people you love, planned around a place and the light instead of a guest list. You choose a cliff, a cove or a quiet terrace, say your vows in your own words, and spend the rest of the day together while I film without getting in the way.
What a Corfu elopement looks like
There is no reception hall and no seating plan. A typical day starts slowly at your villa or hotel, moves to a short ceremony somewhere that means something to you, and ends with a walk, a toast and dinner as the light fades.
Some couples bring their parents or two close friends. Others come alone, and the only other people there are a celebrant and me. The fewer people there are, the more the day sounds like you: your voices, the wind, the sea below.
Most elopements need only part of a day of filming. Packages are quoted per wedding, so tell me what you have in mind and I’ll suggest what makes sense.
Civil or symbolic: the legal side in general terms
A civil ceremony that makes you legally married in Greece needs paperwork. What you need depends on your nationality and where you live, and some documents take time to prepare, so start early. Confirm the current requirements with the municipality and registry office in Corfu, or with your embassy, before you fix the date.
The simple alternative is a symbolic ceremony. It has no legal weight, so there is no paperwork, and you are free to choose the place, the time and every word. Many couples sign the legal part quietly at home and keep the real moment for Corfu.
Wherever you hold it, check who looks after the spot. Private land needs the owner’s permission, and filming at archaeological sites and monuments needs permission from the Ephorate of Antiquities.
Places in Corfu for two
Corfu has two very different coasts. The west faces the open Ionian and gets the sunset over the sea. The north-east looks across a narrow channel to Albania and is calmer and greener, at its best in the morning.
- Cape Drastis. White cliffs and deep blue water in the far north-west, windy on some days.
- Afionas and Porto Timoni. A hilltop village above a double bay. The beach is a walk down a footpath, so pack flat shoes.
- Pelekas and the Kaiser’s Throne. A classic sunset viewpoint over the west coast.
- Kalami and Kassiopi. Still water, olive trees down to the sea and soft early light.
- The Old Town lanes. Early in the morning the kantounia are quiet and the light bounces off the old walls.
- A private villa terrace. The easiest way to have real privacy.
Well-known viewpoints get busy at sunset in high summer, so for a place to yourselves think sunrise, a weekday or spring and autumn. There are more ideas in my guide to Corfu wedding locations.
A simple elopement-day timeline
Because the day is built around the light, I plan it backwards from sunset. This is the shape I suggest most often for an evening ceremony on the west coast.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| About 4 hours before sunset | Getting ready. I film the dress, the rings, the letters. |
| 2½ hours before | A first look, somewhere quiet, just the two of you. |
| 2 hours before | Travel. Island roads are slow, so allow time. |
| 90 minutes before | The ceremony: vows, rings and a long hug that nobody hurries. |
| 1 hour before | A toast, a walk and portraits as the light turns gold. |
| Sunset | The last frames by the sea. |
| After sunset | Dinner for two, or with your few guests, by candlelight. |
As a rough guide, the sun sets in Corfu at around 8:30–9:10 pm from May to July and around 7:30–8:15 pm in September. These times are approximate, so check the exact time for your date. On the north-east coast the sun goes behind the hills earlier, so there I often suggest a morning ceremony instead.
For a full day with guests, see the Corfu wedding day timeline.
How a Corfu elopement film is different
A big wedding film is built from many voices: speeches, friends, the dance floor. An elopement film has only two, so it becomes something closer to a short story about you.
It is intimate. I keep the kit small and the distance respectful. Most of the time you won’t notice me, and that is the point.
It uses natural sound. The waves, the cicadas, your laughter. I put a small microphone on one of you for the ceremony so every word of the vows is clear, and the rest of the soundtrack comes from the place itself.
The vows carry the story. With no speeches, your words become the spine of the edit. Some couples also write each other a letter the night before, and reading it on camera gives the film its heart.
Every film is colour graded and sound designed by hand, backed up twice while I work on it, and delivered digitally in HD or 4K within six months at the latest. The raw footage can be bought too.
Here is one of my wedding films: a wedding rather than an elopement, but the same approach: story first, then the light.
Thinking about eloping? Send me your rough dates and the place you imagine. More of my work is on the Corfu wedding videographer page, and I’ll reply as soon as I can.
Updated: 8 November 2026