With all the technology that surrounds us today, it makes sense that many couples consider incorporating livestreaming their weddings. If you’re not sure where to get started, this article is for you!
What does it mean to live stream a wedding?
When a couple chooses to live stream their big day, they select key portions (like the ceremony) and share the footage live with their guests. Unlike a professional wedding video which gets captured, edited, and shortened before it’s completed, this will invite the guests to virtually attend the event as it is occurring.
The most popular segment of the day to stream is the ceremony, from the first moment when an individual walks begins to walk down the aisle, right up until “I do!” It’s not as common for receptions to be covered since there’s often more background noise and lulls during key portions of the agenda (which makes it hard to hear and is less interesting to watch.)
3 Reasons to Live Stream the Big Day
Before we get into how to live stream your wedding, the natural question that you might have is "What are the perks of live streaming the wedding?" Here's a few reasons why it might be wise to live stream the big day:
Attend: Allow important guests to feel like they are a part of your wedding if they’re unable to attend in real life. This is especially helpful for specific situations that keep VIPs from attending, like grandparents unable to travel or an enlisted family member currently serving overseas. By inviting them to take part in the live stream, this will make them feel like they were there.
Share: While it’s more exciting to be able to attend in person, this will provide you with a digital view of the experience which you can share with others. (Pro tip: it’s usually best etiquette to only share live stream details with those who were invited, and not a broad audience.)
Watch: Depending on the platform which you use to record your video, you and your new spouse will likely be able to watch it together after the wedding! Since it’s captured on the day of, there won’t be a waiting period while your videographer is perfecting your formal wedding video footage.
How to Live Stream Your Wedding: A DIY Guide
If this sounds like a good option to you, continue reading to learn about all-things live stream. Once you and your significant other have decided to go this route, here are 7 steps for how to live stream your wedding.
Wedding Planning Basics: 7 Steps to Live Stream a Wedding
1. Select the platform and get your account set up. Make sure to take some time to research what your options will be. While it’s easy to select a familiar streaming platform like going live in a Facebook group, on a Zoom Pro meeting, or via YouTube Live, know that there are also more elevated streaming options. These will range in complexity, technology requirements, and pricing to help meet a variety of needs. It’s important to consider what’s most important to you about the live stream experience: shareability, quality, privacy, ease of use, and cost. Bookmark this article with the best wedding live stream platforms for your research: The 14 Best Live Streaming Platform for Your Wedding (bridalmusings.com).
2. Talk to your wedding partners. We recommend discussing streaming with your vendors: planner, venue, and videographer. They might have tips on how to best execute on this, (based on experience), or options on how they can support. It's also important they are aware this is occurring so that there are no surprises on the big day.
3. Designate someone to oversee the live stream on the wedding day. It’s important to have a trusted person in charge of this important task. Select someone who isn’t involved in the portion of the event being streamed and that you know you can rely on. While they won’t need to be overly savvy in tech (outside of the basics), they will need to be willing to learn what your expectations are, and able to be focused on the day of the wedding to be able to see this through. (You could hire a pro to do this for you, too!)
4. Inform your guests. Once you’ve decided that you're going to do this, along with who to let in on the virtual experience, then send them the details in advance of the big day. This will allow them time to make any necessary arrangements. We recommend sharing instructions at least a week in advance along with clear guidelines for expectations---for example, if they need to keep this information private then make sure to let them know.
While some couples choose to make this information public, it’s more meaningful if you share it with only the guests who were invited and aren’t able to attend. In most cases, this also shouldn't be offered as a proactive option, but only to those who can't be there due to more extreme circumstances.
5. Create a plan on-site. Consider these three things: ensure there’s a strong Wifi connection, make sure there’s enough light, and select the best possible device to record. The device that you use will likely be dictatedy by the medium that you'll be using to share ---some platforms do better with a smartphone or tablet, and others are optimized for a computer. The device should have a good battery life and have the ability to capture video in HD. It’s also best to get the device hooked up to the WiFi and tested in the venue space. (This would be good to speak with your venue about.) If they are able to hook up to WiFi beforehand, then things will flow more smoothly on the day of.
Pro tip: have them join you on one of your final venue walk throughs! This way you can decide exactly where they will set up so that your entire wedding team is prepared. This will also allow you to make decisions together, like whether a tripod or additional table is needed.
6. Beginning 12-24 hours before, have the designated individual prepare in advancetso that they can follow the set plan. Make sure the person designated is ready to go early on the day of the ceremony and that they are clear on everything that's required. The device should be charged the day before so that it has a fully battery. It would be wise to share a day-of timeline with them, along with the WiFi codes again (as a backup). The device should be set up before your guests arrive (typically on a tripod or table that's decided upon beforehand.) And then once it's time, they can hit record, and stop the recording once it's complete!
7. Share the details with guests afterwards. Don't forget this step! Depending on the platform that you use, there might be a link or downloadable file that can be shared after the fact. We recommend sharing this with your guests within a week of the completion of the wedding. This will allow those who weren't available during the timeframe of the wedding to still have a virtual experience within a reasonable timeframe.
We hope you were able to learn something new from these tips on how to live stream your wedding.
In addition to professional videography, we think it’s a great option to extend your wedding experience to loved ones who aren’t able to attend. For more tips, read How to Live Stream Your Wedding (brides.com).
If you’re interested in a wedding videographer, we have packages available to you. This includes:
6-hour video coverage
8-hour video coverage
6-hour video and photo combo
8-hour video and photo combo
In addition, we also offer the option to add “Documentary video.” This is an add-on to one of our video packages which provides you with ~30 minutes of edited video, with an emphasis on the ceremony and the audio of vows and speeches. (This is priceless!) Learn about our offerings here.
[Photoshoot in the spotlight: May and Adam in Miami, Florida]
Choose Joy,
The Joy Team