Why Wedding Camcorders Are Suddenly Everywhere

If wedding videography once meant cinematic drone footage, slow-motion vows and a swelling soundtrack, more and more couples are opting for something more intimate: passing the camera hand-to-hand between guests. This lo-fi, nostalgic, intentionally imperfect format is quickly becoming one of the most emotional and unexpected wedding trends out there.

When Anne-Marie Carroll, founder of The Wedding Weekender, launched her mail-based camera rental service this spring, demand arose almost overnight. “Within the first week, one TikTok took off and we had over 50 orders before we even had a wedding example on our website,” she said. “It immediately showed us that couples are craving this.”

This desire is not only aesthetic but also emotional. Camera footage captures the festivities at the wedding: shaky dance floor moments, muffled toasts, off-mic laughter, and spontaneous interviews filmed by friends and family rather than professionals. The result looks less like content and more like memory.

“So many aspects of a wedding day get overlooked because you can’t see everything while it’s happening,” says Boston-based influencer and content creator Tayla Santos. When Santos started planning her wedding, a traditional videographer was “way” over the budget, but skipping video entirely didn’t feel right. Then she discovered Wedding Weekenders.

At her wedding, two cameras were passed between guests, capturing the day entirely from their perspectives. “This ended up being one of my favorite styles because the guests are engaged and excited, and it adds a nostalgic feel,” Santos said. When she received the video, she cried. “It’s such a raw and real video. It takes me back to that day.”

Carol’s path to starting The Wedding Weekender stemmed from her own experiences in the wedding industry. After working with wedding planners before the pandemic, she became a wedding content creator — a new role focused on capturing behind-the-scenes moments quickly and casually, often on an iPhone. But early on, she instinctively started bringing cameras to weddings.

“I’ve always loved cameras,” Carroll said. “My dad always had one for holidays and parties, so it’s a deep memory for me.” About two years ago, in the lead-up to a wedding, she handed a video camera to a group of groomsmen and immediately noticed a change. “When I come in with my camera, people get stiff. But when they’re filming each other, they’re goofy and relaxed—completely themselves.”