Many couples are still choosing to go ahead with their big day; just in a smaller way. But there’s no reason for your guests not to get involved! Streaming your virtual wedding is a great way to celebrate the day and still involve all your nearest and dearest.
So if you’re looking into how you can stream or host a virtual wedding, we have some tips for you.
Pick The Platform For Live Streaming:
There are so many platforms that are available for you to host your wedding easily and for free. The platform you use comes down to ease-of-use for you and your guests, as well as personal preference.
One of our favorite ways of streaming your wedding is through a Facebook Live in a private group. Creating a private group is a way to keep everyone up-to-date with the details and how everything works. If all your guests have a Facebook account, this could be an easy way to go with a platform they already know and use. However, this is a one-way platform and the only way you’ll be able to communicate with your guests is through the comment options.
Read: 4 Tips on How TO Style A Gorgeous Wedding
Another great option is through video conferencing software Zoom (who else wishes they’d bought shares in Zoom 12 months ago?!). The only person who requires a Zoom account is the person who has set the video streaming up. It then gives you a link to share with family and friends that they can access whether they have an account or not. Zoom allows you to see a number of people through their grid view which could be a great option if you want to be able to see all your guests on the day. However, due to privacy reasons each user has to be admitted into the Zoom conference call when they jump on board which means someone manually accepts them on the day.
There are many other platforms to use such as Google Hangouts, Skype, Discord, and more. So whatever platforms you’re using for work or play, consider which could be suitable for you and your guests.
Inviting Your Guests
Once you’ve decided which platform you’re using it’s time to let your guests know of your plans! If you haven’t already sent them an ‘unsaved the date’ or notice about postponing your wedding you can send these in the one invited.
It could be a physical invite you work on with your stationery supplier, a Facebook event, or a virtual wedding invite through email. Whatever you choose make sure you include the main details such as time, platform, and how they can get onto that platform.
Have fun with your invitation. Give your guests fun details like where your physical ceremony is going to be or whether you’ll be wearing something different from what you had originally planned. Don’t forget the dress code! Just because we’re at home doesn’t mean we can’t get dressed up. A glass of bubbles to celebrate could also be encouraged.
It’s also advisable to provide tech support to your guests.
There’s always one person who doesn’t know how to get things working, so you’ll have to send help in advance to all of your guests
Important details to include are:
(1) How the platform works (i.e will they see everyone or just you)
(2) Whether they need to create an account in advance
(3) Whether they need audio or visual enabled
Also, let them know how it’s going to work on the day. Is there going to be 10 minutes for people to join before the ceremony starts? Will everything start straight away? The last thing you want is people messaging your questions about why they can’t hear anything when there’s actually nothing happening.
On that note, allocate someone to answer tech questions and be available to your guests. It could be a member of your wedding party who is happy to help or even one of your witnesses. This will field tech questions from you to them. After all, it’s still your wedding day so don’t be afraid to delegate!
After trying to make sure your guests are now good to go with your help, it’s now your turn to make sure your tech is working properly. You want to make sure you have a strong internet connection, high-quality video, and strong audio that can pick up your vows from a distance.
You also want to decide how you’re going to stream the wedding. Will it be through your phone? Your laptop? A camera setup? Making sure you test all of this in advance will mean less stress for you on the day.
How close or far away you can get is going to depend on your audio quality so practice this at home beforehand. You want the camera to be close enough that guests can see the emotion on your face. But you also want to be far enough away to give them a decent view of the two of you and what you might be wearing.
Once you have the framing and the distance set, it’s time to think about the height level. Guests would usually be sitting during a ceremony so if you don’t have a tripod then a table could be a good height option. Just make sure whatever surface you use is stable.
Hire A Professional
If you really want a virtual wedding but are worried about how it will all go on the day, then don’t be afraid to get someone to do it for you. Most wedding videographers will be able to provide high-quality live streams to your guests and manage everything for you.
They can act as one of your two witnesses and you’ll be able to get a professional stream and even a professional video after the day. This could be a great keepsake of your ceremony and could even be shared if you are having a postponed reception at a later time.
