A close portrait captures how you look at each other. A drone can slowly pull away from that moment to reveal the white buildings, volcanic cliffs and sea around you. Together, these perspectives tell a fuller story of your wedding in Santorini.
Beautiful aerial footage takes some planning. The location, weather, people nearby and wedding schedule all influence what we can capture. Here is how we approach drone filming at Santorini.video and what you can expect on your day.
What Drone Footage Adds to Your Wedding Film
For us, aerial footage connects you with the place you chose to get married. It shows the scale of the landscape, the position of your venue and the setting around a moment that might otherwise appear only in close-up.
Some of our favourite scenes are simple: walking together, sharing a kiss or dancing while the camera reveals more of Santorini around you. Your movement gives the scene its personal meaning, while the wider view establishes where it happened.
Wedding decorations can also look completely different from above. The arrangement of a ceremony terrace, the shape of the aisle and the reception tables become part of a larger composition. When the schedule allows, we like to capture the finished setup before it fills with guests.
We Want to Show Santorini on Your Actual Wedding Day
Whenever conditions and the schedule allow, we film our wider island views on the day of your wedding. The light, sea and atmosphere belong to that day, and we want those details to be part of your film.
This means looking beyond the aerial portraits of the couple. We also make time, where possible, for the surrounding landscape and the views that help establish the setting.
If weather, restrictions or changes to the programme prevent us from capturing those wider views, we may use suitable establishing footage from our own archive. We let the couple know when this is necessary. These are general views of Santorini, never footage of another couple presented as your wedding.
AI may be getting good at inventing a sunny day, but we still prefer the one you actually got married on. Generated wedding footage is not part of our current practice.
When Do We Use the Drone?
We plan aerial filming around the opportunities your day gives us. Typical moments include:
- Your couple’s session: walking, dancing or sharing a quiet moment with the landscape around you.
- The ceremony setup: a wider view of the decorated venue, when it is ready and time is available.
- The reception setup: tables, lighting and the relationship between the celebration and its surroundings.
- Your hotel: when the property is visually interesting and filming is permitted.
- Evening celebrations: selected views of the party or fireworks, where the flight can be safely and lawfully coordinated.
We choose the moments that will contribute to your film. The drone does not need to stay in the air throughout the celebration to give us memorable footage.
Allow Around Ten Minutes During Your Couple’s Session
Our practical recommendation is to allow around ten minutes with the couple during the portrait session for drone filming. We give you straightforward directions, such as walking together, holding each other or sharing a kiss.
The remaining aerial footage is fitted around the programme. You do not need to be present while we capture a landscape or an empty reception setup.
We do not promise a fixed total flying time. Conditions and the events of the day determine how many opportunities we have. Planning a little space in the schedule helps us use those opportunities well.
Do You Need a Second Videographer?
One videographer can film with a ground camera and a drone at different points in the day when the timeline allows. During portraits, for example, we can complete one sequence before moving to the next.
If you want an aerial view and a ground-level recording of the same unrepeatable moment, such as your exit from the ceremony, that requires separate operators and a suitable flight plan.
A second videographer is also worth discussing when the programme is busy or events happen in different places. It gives the team more flexibility to cover the celebration while creating additional perspectives.
Can You Fly a Drone Everywhere in Santorini?
No. A beautiful view does not automatically make a location suitable for drone filming. Airspace restrictions, the surroundings and the property’s own arrangements all need to be considered.
The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority requires operators to check current airspace restrictions through Drone Aware Greece before flying. Certain areas require authorisation or may prohibit the intended flight. You can read the authority’s guidance on where drones may be flown in Greece.
For planning purposes, we prefer locations where the intended flight is permitted without a complicated approval process. If a particular shot depends on authorisation, it needs to be discussed well before the wedding and cannot be assumed to be available.
Send us the exact location of your preparations and venue when we discuss the timeline. We assess whether aerial filming is appropriate there and coordinate with the hotel or venue when needed. Permission from a property and permission to use the airspace are separate considerations.
Quiet Locations Make a Difference
In places such as Oia and Imerovigli, we also consider the experience of people staying in nearby hotels. A flight can draw attention and create noise, even when the airspace permits it.
This is one reason to consult your videographer before deciding on the exact portrait location. We can consider the view, nearby guests, a suitable operating position and the time needed to include the flight comfortably.
Smaller drones can be a useful choice in sensitive surroundings, but their size does not remove the rules around people. Under EASA’s Open category, flights over assemblies of people are prohibited. A crowded viewpoint therefore needs a very different assessment from an open, quiet location.
Our Favourite Aerial Settings
Visually, we love Oia in the evening light and the views around the Profitis Ilias church on the walking route between Imerovigli and Oia. Cavo Ventus is another setting we particularly enjoy photographing from the air, with its dramatic relationship to the surrounding landscape.
At sunrise, Oia’s castle area and the views around the blue domes can offer much quieter conditions than later in the day. This gives us more options for compositions without crowds, subject to the checks required for the specific flight.
These are creative preferences, rather than a list of places where every flight is guaranteed. We confirm what is possible for your date and plans.
Sunset Footage Needs Its Own Place in the Schedule
Sunset can give us spectacular aerial footage, but it is also the moment when your photographer and videographer want to make the most of the ground-level light. Everyone is working within the same short window.
If sunset drone footage is a priority, tell us in advance. We can coordinate with the photographer and allow time for both approaches. Leaving the drone until everyone has finished can mean the light has already changed.
What About Wind and Drone Noise?
A sunny sky does not tell us everything about flying conditions. We consider the wind, gusts, surroundings and the operating limits of the equipment before deciding to take off.
Different drones have different strengths. A compact model may be less noticeable, while another model may be better suited to particular conditions. We select the equipment and assess the flight for the situation, rather than promise that any drone can fly in any wind.
Sound matters, too. We consider how a flight might affect a quiet moment, the people nearby and the audio being recorded. The timing and position of the drone are part of the overall filming plan.
How We Coordinate with Other Teams
If the photographer or another team also has a drone, we agree on who will fly and when. Clear coordination helps everyone work without competing for the same space or interrupting the programme.
Where appropriate, a suitably competent colleague may take over the controls through an agreed handover, with responsibility for the flight clearly understood. This can avoid an unnecessary landing and relaunch when the schedule is tight.
Sharing footage is a separate arrangement and should be agreed explicitly. Working together on the day is easier when everyone understands what is needed and what will be delivered.
Is Drone Filming Included in Our Packages?
Drone coverage is included in all Santorini.video packages, subject to safe conditions, applicable restrictions and the opportunities within the agreed schedule. It is part of our filming approach, rather than a separately priced extra.
If an objective restriction or unsuitable weather prevents a flight, this does not trigger a separate drone refund or package discount. We explain the circumstances and use the available coverage to tell your story. Any use of archive island views is discussed with you.
Planning Your Drone Wedding Footage
When you contact us, share your venue, preparation location and any aerial references you love. Tell us if a particular moment, such as sunset portraits or the ceremony setup, is especially important.
We can then plan the locations, timing and team around what is achievable. The most memorable aerial scenes bring together the landscape and your connection: a small movement between two people, with Santorini opening up around them.
Get in touch with Santorini.video to discuss drone coverage for your wedding, elopement or couple’s session.
