How to live stream your wedding

Live streaming your wedding was the biggest addition to weddings in 2020. And for some, that is a trend here to stay! We live streamed for a few of our weddings and have a few tips we’d like to share with you. 

What is a live stream?

In case you’re not sure what a live stream is, here is a quick little definition. An event can be streamed online to an audience in other locations. Many couples opted for smaller weddings in 2020 and sent links to their guests so they could watch online. With the technology getting even better in 2021, many are opting to still have this option for guests who can’t travel, even if they’re not having microweddings. 

Ways to livestream your wedding

The best way (clear video) to livestream your wedding would be if you have a venue (like a church) who has the capability to link to Facebook or Zoom directly with their cameras. One of our fall ceremonies was inside of a church and because they had several cameras inside the church, they were able to capture all the angles and connect directly with Facebook or Zoom. You need an API key for this, but your videographer should be able to help you with this. The simplest way to livestream your wedding is by using your phone or tablet and sending a link to your friends and family far away. 

Using Zoom or Facebook to live stream your wedding

Let’s back up and chat about Zoom for a minute. Zoom is a video platform that offers free and paid plans. You can also save the video to your computer, or the cloud. Zoom works fairly well on computers, tablets, and phones. 

A few cons to Zoom

Since pretty much everyone in the world hopped on Zoom last year, they updated their security settings. Which is great for privacy, but not great for adding your friends and family members to your video. There are so many settings to check: 

• a meeting or a webinar
• Allow guests to unmute themselves or stay muted
• Turn on their videos or leave them off
• Having someone to admit them to the “room” 
• Making sure you set it up to record automatically
• Where does it need to record? The cloud or computer? 
• The free version only allows for 45minutes at a time
• What if someone misses it? How will you get it to them (probably via facebook)
• Comments don’t always save
• Guests’ videos and microphones can be distracting to others. 

While none of these are that difficult, it does require someone to manage this for you. Typically your videographer won’t be standing behind a phone or computer to monitor all of this, so you’ll need someone to really watch the zoom room (and make sure everyone is on mute!)

Why we love Facebook for live streaming your wedding

We like to tell our couples to create a private facebook group for all of their out of town guests (or all of their guests). You get to choose who is in this Facebook group and if people request to join that you don’t know, you can easily delete their requests. Also, there will not be a link you have to send to your guests like with Zoom, because it will stream right to the private group!Facebook works so well on a phone, laptop or tablet for both the recorder and those watching.  Guests will not be on video so you don’t have to worry about making sure they are still on mute, but can still leave comments that will stay with the video. We love that the video will automatically stay in the Facebook group so if someone misses it, they can always watch it right after and so can you! 

Steps for live streaming your wedding on Facebook

1. Set up a private FB group and make your fiance an admin as well (and your planner) 
2. Determine if you want your guests to be able to post and also go-live if they’re at the wedding. 
3. Choose someone to be the “videographer”** and let them know exactly what parts you want recorded. We recommend the ceremony, grand entrance, special dances and toasts. (Pro tip: They can start and stop the videos to capture these different events so they don’t have to be “on” the whole time).
4. You may want to get a stand or ring light if your venue needs a little extra light. 

**(As a planner w/ an assistant, we offer to do this for our couples - either using our phone and FB account or yours).

Tips for live streaming your wedding on Facebook

1. Put your timeline in the Facebook group so guests will know approximately when you will be going live. 
2. Let your “videographer” know whether or not you want them to accept people who request to join the group during the ceremony. (Pro tip: we don’t allow this if we are recording for you. After the wedding you can see all the requests and determine who can be added as we don’t know all of your friends and family members). 
3. Work with your photographer and videographer** to find a clear space for them to record and hear the ceremony speakers. 

You should still have a videographer even if you livestream your wedding

**We’re making this it’s own paragraph because if you want a video of your wedding, we believe you should still hire a videographer even if you’re doing a live stream. Live streaming does not take the place of professional videography. Your videographer will be able to clearly capture all the audio from the ceremony, shoot from different angles, and have professional editing. A live stream cannot and will not replace the work of a professional videographer. It is just a fun and quick option for out of town guests to be part of your wedding day, which we love!

Our favorite videographers

We couldn't leave this post without sharing our favorite South Carolina videographers! We've worked with these amazing videographers and couldn't recommend them more!Garcia VisualsContact: James & Shyana GarciaE: garciavisuals@gmail.comIG: @garciavisuals.coWeb: https://garciavisuals.coWilliams MediaContact: Chaz & Kathryn WilliamsE: ck.williams.media@gmail.comIG: @williams_mediaWeb: www.ckwilliamsmedia.com First to Last FilmsContact: Jamie & Brittani HinckleyE: firsttolastfilms@gmail.comIG: @firsttolastfilmsWeb: www.firsttolastfilms.comRecollective FilmsContact: Hallie & Nick WorrellE: hello@recollectivefilms.comIG: @recollectivefilmsWeb: www.recollectivefilms.com Are you thinking about live streaming your wedding or have you already done so? Leave a comment below with any questions you might have about live streaming your wedding!