Wedding Filming Guides for Videographers: Permits, Drones and Travel by City
A beautiful location is always someone's land. A beach belongs to the county, a garden to a separate trust, a headland to a national park, the sky above to the country's aviation authority. And everyone has their own answer to the question, "Can I film here?"
These guides are for videographers who shoot weddings in a specific city: locals tired of combing through dozens of websites each season, and visitors flying in with their couple. Each guide covers filming permits and their costs, drone regulations, speech recording laws, locations, lighting and seasons, logistics, and how to deliver a film to a family living in different countries. We cite agency websites as primary sources and note when we checked them.
Before You Fly: Filming a Wedding in Another Country
The guides answer questions specific to each city. But there are some things you need to decide back home, no matter where you're flying.
Can you work there? A tourist visa almost never allows you to work, and filming a wedding for money is considered work, even if the couple and the money are from your own country. In Bali, for example, the visa on arrival and the filming visa are different categories, and the latter requires a local sponsor. Official websites rarely answer the question "What if I was hired by a couple from my country?" so the best document is a written response from the embassy or consulate. For more details on Indonesia, see the Bali guide.
How to bring your gear. Two cameras, lenses, lights, and a drone in your luggage are considered professional equipment at customs, not personal items. This is what the ATA Carnet, or "equipment passport," is for: it allows you to import equipment temporarily and duty-free, provided you later export it. The system operates in many countries (Indonesia, for example, joined in 2015), but each country decides for itself which categories it accepts the carnet for. It is issued by a chamber of commerce in your own country, and that is also where you check the destination country. In any case, keep a list of your equipment with serial numbers—it's needed by both customs and insurance.
Batteries in carry-on baggage only. According to FAA regulations, spare lithium-ion batteries and power banks are permitted in carry-on baggage only. Batteries up to 100 Wh need no approval, batteries from 101 to 160 Wh require airline approval and no more than two spares, and batteries exceeding 160 Wh are prohibited. Airlines may have their own, more stringent rules, so check them as well. Check the battery label for the capacity.
Drones: Licenses don't transfer. Each country has its own rules and agency, and a US pilot's certificate is of no use in Australia or Indonesia.
| Country | Agency | What's Important for a Wedding |
|---|---|---|
| USA | FAA | Commercial flight — under Part 107, not allowed over guests without category approval; for more details, see the article on drones at weddings |
| Australia | CASA | Weddings are specifically listed among "populous areas," where standard regulations prohibit flying; many parks ban drones at private events |
| Indonesia | Ditjen Hubud (DGCA) | An Indonesian pilot certificate and drone registration are required; a local pilot is most often used |
| United Kingdom | CAA | Separate pilot and operator IDs (Flyer ID, Operator ID) — check requirements before traveling |
| European Union | EASA | General EU rules, but venues and local authorities impose their own restrictions |
Permits depend not on the city, but on the landowner. On a private site, the venue decides. In a park, on a beach, or near a historic building, the landowner decides: the city, county, state, or trust. Even in Los Angeles, where filming permits are a separate industry, wedding shoots often don't require permits, but there are exceptions depending on the location. Therefore, the first rule of any guide: break your day down by location and find out who owns each one.
Insurance. Venues and parks often require public liability insurance—in Sydney, it's A$10 million for photography on City of Sydney land, while Parks Victoria requires A$20 million for drones, including aviation coverage. Check whether your policy is valid overseas and whether it covers drones.
Delivering the Film to Families in Different Countries
A wedding abroad almost always means the film will be watched in multiple time zones and languages. Grandma in Guadalajara, uncle in Manchester, parents in Adelaide—each will open the link on their own morning, on their own phone, without you there.
A good delivery solves this in advance: one link that opens in the browser without registration; the film, individual clips of speeches, and photos side by side; clear buttons in the language of the viewer.
OurStoria's client galleries are designed this way. You choose the gallery interface language for each project from eight languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, and Ukrainian. You can give the download password to the couple only: everyone can watch, and the originals are saved by those you've given permission to. Try it at your next wedding abroad: upload the film and speeches, select the language, and send one link to everyone.