Virtual Wedding Ceremony

Whether you have guests that can’t or don’t want to travel to your wedding, or maybe you are eloping in a destination, or maybe you just don’t want to have a wedding where your guests have to wear a mask, whatever the reason, you may still be wondering how to include them in your day. Enter the world of technology!

Drone photography, photobooths, online photo galleries, hashtags… technology has been changing the way couple’s plan their day for the last decade. Now couples are exploring how to utilize this technology during stringent rules and regulations that have changed the way they had envisioned their day.

Ways to include Live Streaming

RSVP as A virtual guest

Consider giving your guests the option to virtually attend your wedding in your invite. Don’t treat the virtual wedding as a backup or afterthought. By allowing guests to RSVP as virtual attendees, you can minimize your guest count without having to make cuts. It also shows your guests that you are mindful of everyone’s different comfort levels and needs during this pandemic.

Don’t go public

Avoid posting the link in public locations like social media or wedding websites. This will help protect your privacy and make sure only those you want in attendance to have access. Include the link in your wedding invite and have your wedding planner or professional providing live-streaming services. Alternatively, choose a close friend or family member to email, text and distribute the link the night before the big day.

Check Rules & Regulations

Be certain to clear live streaming with places that have specific rules about the accessibility of their site such as a church or city hall. Some locations will not allow live streams or even photographs in certain areas so be sure to know in advance what is and is not allowed.

bride and groom at San Francisco city hall

Test, Test, Test

Even the most tech savvy couples can run into technical difficulties. Be sure to test everything before the big day including the venue’s wifi.

Choose Your Platform

There are many options available to couples in order to provide a live stream of their wedding ceremony. The easiest way is to turn to the professionals and let them handle it for you. We offer great options for virtual ceremonies! But make sure even your professionals are utilizing the platforms that work best for you and your lifestyle. If the company only streams on Instagram Live but all your friends use Facebook or you are anti-social media, you won’t be able to maximize their service. Below is a comprehensive list of the many live streaming platforms available today.

*Recommended
1. Zoom is a video conferencing platform that you can stream to live channels like Facebook, YouTube, Periscipe and browsers.
Cons:
Up to 100 participants
Free plans limited to 40 minutes
Price: Free, paid plans start at $14.99/mo

2. Skpye, a subsidiary of Microsoft, allows you to have video meetings and calls.

Cons:

Up to 50 people
Not ideal for weddings

Price: Free

3. Livestream, operated by Vimeo, is as its name states, a platform dedicated solely to live-streaming events.

Cons:

Requires heavy bandwidth usage
Expensive

Price: Plans start at $75/mo

4. YouTube Live lets you reach attendees in real-time. When you stop streaming, an archive of your live stream is automatically uploaded to your channel. Live stream can be public, private or unlisted.

Cons:

Potential censorship

Price: Free

5. Google Hangouts is a video and messaging application by Google.

Cons:

Must be a google user
Up to 10 participants for the free account

Price: Plans start at $6/mo

6. Facebook Live lets you broadcast to your page, group, profile or event using the Facebook app.

Cons:

Potential censorship

Price: Free

7. Instagram Live Stories are live videos in Instagram’s Stories section. Share a live video and connect in real-time for up to one hour.

Cons:

One Hour limit

Price: Free

8. Periscope is operated by Twitter and lets you broadcast live video and interact with people through hearts and comments.

Cons:

Not a commonly used social media platform

Price: Free

9. Twitch, a subsidiary of Amazon, is a live-streaming services that focuses primarily on video games.

Cons:

Not suitable for weddings – intended for video game enthusiasts

Price: Free

10. Be.Live is an app to produce live-stream content for Facebook and YouTube with live comments.

Cons:

Limitation on guests
Not suitable for weddings – intended for content creators
High level of production and user involvement

Price: Free for three shows per month, then plans start at $24.99/mo

*Recommended
11. Restream lets you stream live to 30-plus social platforms at once.
Cons:
Watermarked for free plans
Price: Free with watermark, paid plans start at $16/mo

12. StreamYard is live-streaming studio that lets you broadcast to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Periscope, Twitch and custom RTMP (Real Time Messaging Protocol).

Cons: