Wedding Live Streams: Everything To Know Before Wedding Day
LoveStream couple Kelley & Karim; Photo by Erin Maynard Photography
Considering having a wedding live stream as part of your special day? Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered.
LoveStream is the only wedding live stream platform actually built for weddings. Designed to be user-friendly for both virtual guests and the couple getting married, there’s never been an easier way to share your big way with an unlimited number of guests.
Are wedding live streams still a thing?
Yes! According to numerous trend reports, live streams are still expected to be a big part of weddings, even post-pandemic. While the idea might have stemmed from destination weddings and COVID-affected events, it’s clear that every couple can benefit from including some type of virtual element in their wedding.
Why would someone have a wedding live stream?
There are so many reasons to have a wedding live stream. Let’s look at a few of the reasons we see most often.
VIPs can’t make it to the wedding. Whether it’s a sudden illness, conflicting schedule or a pandemic, when your closest loved ones can't make it to your wedding, it can feel like the end of the world. LoveStream can’t magically un-cancel their flights, but we can do the next best thing. A wedding live stream ensures they still get to help you celebrate in real-time, as if they were there.
You’re having a small guest list. A tiny guest list doesn’t have to mean a bunch of people get left out of your wedding. If your in-person guest list is restricted due to venue size, budget or just personal preference, you can still include everybody by live streaming your wedding.
You’re having a destination wedding. Destination weddings typically see a lower percentage of accepted invites, as a lot of people won’t be able to travel for your wedding. Even if they really want to be there, it logistically might not make sense for them. If that’s the case, live streaming your wedding can solve that dilemma for them!
You want a video of your wedding. Videographers and live streaming play different roles at a wedding. Plus, if you’re trying to cut your budget and don’t care about getting an artsy highlights real after the event, but do want a recording of the wedding, then including a wedding live stream is the perfect solution. LoveStream is about a third of the cost of a traditional videographer, but with all of the personalized support you’d expect from a wedding vendor.
Your parents want to invite their friends. Most engaged couples have had that conversation with their parents. Your mom’s coworkers really want to be invited, or your dad wants you to include his best friend from high school. It’s a tough road to navigate, but sometimes you just don’t have room in the budget for additional people that you’re not personally very close with. Live streaming your wedding offers an affordable solution.
You have family or friends in other countries. So many of us have loved ones spread around the globe. International travel is expensive, time consuming and stressful. Give your out-of-country loved ones a way to tune in to your big day by live streaming your wedding.
You want to save money. Finally, one of the top reasons we see couples live streaming their weddings is because of the budget-saving potential. Couples typically pay around $70 per wedding guest on catering and bar services. Consider downsizing your in-person guest list to include your extended friends and family virtually.
How do you invite someone to a wedding live stream?
Live stream wedding invitations are much less complicated than you might think! And you have a few options depending on what exactly your event is going to include.
For example, if you have a segment of guests who are only invited virtually, you might send them something like this. This is an invite from one of our recent wedding live stream couples.
Photo by Angela Patricia Asirvatham
Notice the clear wording on their invite, and feel free to replicate something similar on your own live stream wedding invitations!
Virtual Wedding Ceremony
[Name] & [Name]
joyfully request the honor of your online presence at the celebration of their marriage
[Date & Time]
Please access the following link to attend
[live stream URL]
If you are giving guests the option to attend virtually or in-person, you might try something like this:
[Name] & [Name]
invite you to join them at the celebration of their marriage
[Date & Time]
[Location]
reception to follow
If unable to attend, [Name] & [Name]
delightfully request your online presence.
Please access the following link to attend
[live stream URL]
Want even more wording options? Check out our live stream wedding wording options, and don’t forget to visit our friends at Minted for even more inspiration.
How do you live stream a wedding?
There are numerous ways to live stream your wedding. They range in quality, price and difficulty, but they fall into three main categories: DIY, videographer and professional live stream wedding service.
DIY wedding live streaming: This involves doing everything yourself and streaming on social media, Zoom, FaceTime or another video chatting app. These options are free or very cheap, but you get what you pay for. Streaming to these platforms means you are completely on your own when it comes to troubleshooting, helping guests log in and so on.
Videographer: Videographers are great at capturing the feeling of a day through a highlights reel, but they are also the most expensive option for live streaming your wedding due to the type of equipment they use. The cameras videographers or photographers use were not designed to live stream, whereas smartphones were. Consider this when deciding between a videographer who can live stream, and a live stream wedding service.
Professional live stream wedding service: This is where LoveStream fits! LoveStream couples receive a custom website where their wedding live stream will air, onboarding and planning support, and we can even provide support to your virtual guests on wedding day.
Want to learn more about the differences between these three options? Check out our complete wedding live stream comparison guide.
Wedding live streaming on wedding day.
So now that you’ve chosen your preferred way to live stream your wedding, what happens on wedding day?
If you’re working with LoveStream, we make it incredibly easy.
Before wedding day, you will meet with our team to plan the details of your live stream.
On wedding day, you will appoint a trusted friend or family member to set up the streaming device(s).
With LoveStream, this involves placing each device on a tripod, clicking a link to the streaming studio and our remote team takes over from there. If you are using microphones (we rent the best ones!), your on-site contact will also get these connected.
From there, our team takes over producing your wedding. If you’re using a multi-camera package, your LoveStream producer will switch between camera angles to create a dynamic and exciting show for your at-home guests.
That’s it! It’s an easy and non-intrusive way to share your wedding day with loved ones.
If you are using a DIY option, there are a lot more things to think about on and before wedding day. If you’re using Zoom, for example, whoever is running your wedding will have to manually admit all virtual guests, mute or unmute each, highlight the correct video… the list goes on.
With a videographer, wedding day set-up varies.
How to book a wedding live stream?
You came to the right place!
LoveStream makes it simple to live stream your wedding. To get started, purchase your package online or book some time to chat with our team.
This page may contain affiliate links to products and services we think our readers will love. Purchases made through these links may result in LoveStream earning a commission at no additional cost to you.