Expert Advice: How To Live Stream Your Wedding

There are numerous reasons why certain members of your close circle might not be there when you exchange vows, including the fact that you are getting married in a remote place or that you have friends and family who just cannot make the journey.

The excellent thing is that you could be able to establish a live video stream of your nuptials so that your loved ones can watch it live without personally being present, thanks to the technology.

The practice of live streaming has exploded in popularity in recent years, and we believe it will continue.

The benefits of having a digital ceremony are endless. Some of these are clear, such as the situation where you want to be married, but a pandemic prevents it from occurring as you had originally envisioned.

A few of them are less obvious: you want to be hitched away immediately, but you don’t really have an opportunity to prepare for a big wedding; your military partner just got orders for a protracted assignment.

Perhaps a tropical storm is making it tough for guests to fly to your wedding destination, or maybe tight financial restrictions are compelling you to reduce the number of in-person guests.

Nevertheless, there are some factors you want to think about before starting the camera. Let’s go over how to live stream your wedding videography like an expert so that your virtual guests don’t question why they can’t just view the dance floor and all the celebrations of your wedding.

Costs of Live Streaming Your Wedding

Using a cell phone, doing it yourself with advanced devices, or hiring an expert wedding photographer, all have different expenses involved with live streaming a wedding.

While you can live stream your wedding for free, we advise at least upgrading your equipment if you’re organising your live stream in advance to achieve the highest possible audio and visual clarity.

Depending on the area and requirements, there are numerous investment possibilities for live streaming in extremely high quality wedding cinematography that range in price between $400 – $3000. Start by hiring nearby photographers who are familiar with your selected destination.

The Guidelines for Live Streaming

It is indeed critical to keep in mind that live streaming should only be used as a last resort for guests that sadly can’t make it to the wedding ceremony.

Avoid including it as an option on the invitation or inviting someone from the “B-list” to just watch the live stream of your wedding. Streaming ought to be an alternative.

One or the other way is not the way you should go. In light of this, the best reason to provide a live stream is to give attendees who RSVP “no” the choice to watch the live stream by accessing a customised message with the links and a thanks note.

It would definitely be better to avoid live streaming the reception function because attendees may well not enjoy being on tape if they have been intoxicated and dancing the night away.

It might also not be a very pleasant experience for the people sitting at home while others are enjoying the reception party.

Putting up a funny banner on the camera, such as “Say hello to your grandpa!” or “I am watching it from Miami!” to convey what a fixed camera is really doing with your in-person guests.

Live Streaming Platforms

Where can your guests go to watch the live stream of your wedding and celebrate along with you? Zoom, Instagram Live, Youtube Live, Twitter Periscope, Facebook Live and Amazon Twitch, are a few popular platform choices.

Your videographer will play a key role in assisting you in choosing the ideal platform for live streaming your wedding.

However, bear in mind the following technical considerations as you make your choice on the wedding live stream.

Choices for privacy: Make sure that you are guaranteed that no one enters the stream without having the wedding invitation.

Copyrights: Check if it is going to be a problem with the streaming service and perhaps remove it if you play music during the ceremony.

Re-watch option: Ensure that the platform you are choosing will allow you to re-watch and save the live stream session when the stream has ended.

Accessibility: You should also think about how guests can get access to the platform. Must they have an account on the platform? Will they be required to register for anything new?

Equipment for Live Streaming

It’s always better to hire specialists if you want the best quality feed and also to make sure you will get a preserved video after the live stream ceremony.

Ask prospective videographers regarding their streaming options; eliminating any uncertainty may well be exactly the thing to make you relax and help you get less worried about the whole process.

However, a do-it-yourself stream isn’t completely impossible. The first and most crucial action is to verify the venue’s internet connectivity beforehand. Secondly, using a stabiliser will lessen wobbling.

And lastly, you may also want to think about using a straightforward microphone arrangement to record audio if you really want to ensure that the event can be audible without jamming a smartphone into the frame.

Decide the Livestream Perspective

Now let’s get into the real deal, shall we? The first thing after setting up the basic requirements and sending out virtual invitations for the guests is deciding the POV of your wedding live stream.

Everything from the point of view, i.e., POV, is the perfect angle! It involves picking a location for your gadget so that online guests have an excellent view of what’s going on.

The factors in choosing this gadget location can be based on if you would like your ceremony to be seen real close, from a distance, or from the side.

You should find a spot that allows guests a clear sight while also not blocking fellow guests or your wedding photography crew.

Positioning Your Equipment

The appropriate equipment arrangement will depend on your desired point of view (POV), the anticipated number of in-person guests, the layout of the event, and the people helping you.

To ensure that your intentions and the candid wedding photographers’ are completely in sync, you should also speak with them. To identify an ideal live stream strategy for your function, use these pointers.

Ask a guest who is in the front row to sign into a streaming platform, provide the URL, and hold their phone up as you recite your wedding vows if you desire to keep these things low-key. The optical and electronic image stabilisation technologies included in recent iPhone and Android models will make it simpler for your viewers at home to enjoy the ceremony as it happens.

In the second row of seats, placing a camera near the doorway can be discreet yet efficient. Give your camera its own “chair” when you’re using one. This will prevent it from being moved. The guy in charge of the video feed can move it a little bit out and into the aisle once the guests of honour are seated to ensure that they will have a clear view that matches the rest of your guests.

A different yet fun alternative is to use a GorillaPod and place the gadget above you, among the florals at your wedding. This will provide a special viewpoint for your guests while ensuring that nobody’s vision is obstructed.

If you want to be really original, think of putting a camera in your centrepiece bouquets, sending up a drone, hiding a smartphone in the best man’s suit pocket, or leaving it at the minibar. If you choose to live stream using a zoom call, you might set up a lot of smartphones all throughout your location to provide the audience at home with more vantage points.

Place the tripod by the last row of guests and tape them as they approach for a little fancier setting. While the wedding ceremony is taking place, a designated visitor can hold the camera oriented towards the back of the hall. The live streaming friend can put the camera in the middle of the path facing the backdrop of your wedding once you are ready to begin so that they can close in on you guys to provide your online viewers with an unmatched sight. Following your nuptials, you can gesture to the cameras as you proceed down the aisle.

I can’t help wondering why we hadn’t done this earlier. I believe that live streaming will continue to be useful for far-off family members and friends who are unable to attend even after the pandemic.

Nothing compares to seeing it for real! Providing chances for interaction will continue to be crucial as marriages grow and evolve in the upcoming years, we’re willing to wager. Live streaming enables connection even though an embrace or a high five are incomparably better.