What Equipment Do I Need To Live Stream A Wedding
The only piece of equipment that is vital to live streaming your wedding is a device with a camera that connects to the internet . Keep in mind that not all devices are created equal. You will find the best cameras on smartphones, a pretty good camera on an iPad or other tablet, and a not-so-great camera on a laptop .
That said, which are the best phones for live streaming weddings? The general rule is the newer, the better. Samsung Galaxies, iPhones and Google Pixels that are less than a few years old typically have no issues as long as they are on the latest operating software.
LoveStream couple Neenu and Subin Photo by Zoe Larkin
Other equipment for live streaming your wedding.
In addition to a streaming device, we highly recommend two other pieces of equipment. First, a sturdy tripod for every device youll be using.
Secondly, a broadcast-quality microphone. You want a wireless microphone that feeds directly into the streaming device so your at-home guests can hear everything crystal-clear.
We recommend not using a Bluetooth microphone. Bluetooth connections can be weak and open up the door for other devices to connect.
LoveStream rents a discreet broadcast-quality microphone that uses a wireless transmitter to plug into one of your streaming devices.
Both a microphone and a tripod will significantly increase the quality of your wedding live stream.
How Much Does It Cost To Livestream Your Wedding
Have you ever heard that joke that if you put the word wedding before anything, that thing automatically becomes more expensive? A custom-made wedding cake could cost you ten times what a regular custom-made cake costs you. Thankfully, livestreaming your wedding does not have to be expensive. You can rely largely on gear you already own, iPhone and iPads. Heres what youll need, plus costs:
- iPhone and/or iPad cameras: $0, assuming you or friends have iPhones
- Switcher Studio, the livestreaming software used for this tutorial, lets you connect up to 9 iOS cameras to stream your big day from multiple angles. Im going to assume you and your fiancé or friends already have a few iPhones at your disposal. iPhones are great for wedding streaming since they have a small footprint in a space but capture beautiful footage.
- Tripods for each camera: ~$25 each
- Tripods lets you set up and stabilize your iOS devices, and theyre pretty inexpensive.
- Sufficient Wi-Fi: $0-305, depending on your venue
- Many venues have Wi-Fi networks that you can use to livestream your wedding. You can even bring your own router to the venue and plug it into their internet to ensure no one else is using your network.
- If your venue does not have internet and you need to BYOI , you have a couple of options: the hotspot on your phone or a standalone mobile hotspot and prepaid data plan. An example would be a Netgear Nighthawk LTE Mobile Hotspot Router plus one month of a 15GB prepaid Verizon data plan .
Have A Virtual Wedding Party
In fact, you could get a whole host of wedding party members involved. Why not ask your Maid of Honour to upload old photos of you and your spouse-to-be? Or share a poem or wedding reading to the Facebook page? Little ones such as nieces and nephews could still wear special outfits and messages from them can be recorded and added to the group for a super-cute touch.
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Check The Internet Connection
Contact the event venue to find out what their internet connection capability is.
- Many churches already have a live stream setup and will be happy to let you use it for free or a small fee.
- Venues such as hotels should also have internet services available, though they may cost quite a bit more.
- Outdoor venues may require you to use a smartphone for the stream or you can purchase a mobile hotspot from a cellular provider.
The ability to wire your equipment directly into their service is a stronger option than using wifi. If you are hiring a professional to live stream the event for you, they can give you the specifications they’ll need to confirm with the venue, or they may even contact them for you to verify the information. It’s also a good idea to go to the venue prior to the day of the event and test out the internet connection to make sure it works as well as it should. You can use a website like Speedtest or their smartphone app to test the connection.
How Much Does It Cost To Live Stream Your Wedding
You may be new to this whole streaming a wedding thing, so were here to ensure that while life may be unpredictable, your virtual wedding doesnt need to be. The journey you take is up to you destination wedding live stream, within budget, here we come!
Today, were sharing pricing details for what it really costs to plan a wedding live stream by focusing on the best live streaming services, platforms and apps and the different pricing packages they offer.
General video conferencing sites begin with free options for a low-key streaming experience, while full-service sites like LoveStream offer packages with desirable bells & whistles starting at $450 to really seal your day in an effortless and quality filming experience.
Photo by Kimonas Photography via Bridal Musings
Choosing a platform will determine what type of streaming equipment you use , how many guests can be in attendance, and how much time you have to stream. It will also determine how much youll be spending on their services. Thats where this price guide comes in.
Brides & grooms, lets find the perfect site at a price point that works for your wedding!
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Diy Wedding Livestream Platforms
Photo by Danielle Harris via Bridal Musings
7. Lovecast Simple & free! Lovecast is a wedding livestream mobile app that uses text notification to alert guests its time to celebrate. It features easy one-click streaming access for unlimited guests , live chat, and 1080HD video quality. Easy peasy!
8. WedSites One of our favorite wedding website hosts, WedSites makes it easy to embed a link to any of our virtual wedding events proposals, engagement parties, bridal showers & weddings to your wedding website.
9. Joy Couples who use Joys wedding website builder have easy access to live streaming through their own wedding website through any live streaming platform of their choosing Zoom, Google Hangouts, Facebook Live, etc. Pretty spiffy!
10. Zoom If you work from home, youre probably already accustomed to using Zoom. So, why not use those new tech skills for your wedding live stream? Just create & schedule a meeting, and share the link with guests. Set up any webcam device to stream your wedding live. Their platform allows 100 participants for free but limits calls to forty minutes. Upgrade for more guests & longer calls.
11. Similar to Zoom, you can use Googles video meeting platform for free for up to 25 guests with no time limit. Upgrade for more guests.
Photo by Peony Park Photography via Bridal Musings
Photo by Lydia Ruth Photography via Bridal Musings
What Equipment Do You Need For Live Streaming A Wedding
Youâd be surprised. Live streaming these days is much easier than it looks, and definitely much easier than us, photo and video professionals make it look.
This is all you need to live stream your wedding:
- Smartphone: The newer the better, but any phone will do. If you have one of the latest iPhones the quality comes really close to a professional camera, for live streaming purposes.
- Microphone: You will need one if youâre away from the action, outdoors, or in a location without a sound system. A small mic will help you get better audio for your viewers, but in many situations, itâs not necessary. When you you can run a test and see if youâll need a mic or not.
- Tripod or light stand with a smartphone holder. A cheap light stand will do, and you can get any smartphone mount.
- Internet connection: WiFi or 4G / LTE
Now that you know what you need, Iâll help you set up your device.
The first thing you need to know is that the live stream needs to be recorded in landscape mode. EventLiveâs app will force you to turn your phone horizontally to guarantee a great experience for your virtual guests.
You can put your phone down for a minute and connect the smartphone mount to your tripod or light stand. It is as simple as rotating the plastic mount into the metal thread of the tripod.
Place your phone in it, and youâre good to go.
It should look something like this:
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How Long Can I Live Stream My Wedding For
Most platforms will give you enough time for you to share everything that is important to you and your virtual guests.
The main difference is that with most of them you wonât be able to stop the live stream and resume later, as you can do with EventLive.
Live streaming platforms and their time limit:
- Zoom will allow you to live stream for 40 minutes unless you pay for a Pro subscription.
- Facebook allows you to stream for 4 hours on mobile, or up to 8 hours from a computer.
- YouTube allows you to broadcast live for up to 12 hours.
- EventLive allows you to live stream for up to 24 hours, and you can pause and resume your video as many times as you want within that time frame.â
Wedding Videography With A Live Stream Twist
For a day, you can be your own reality TV star. While I film your wedding like a normal videographer I also live stream the proceedings so that you can see the day unfold as it unfolds.
You simply have to share the URL of your private video player with your remote guests. They can see each live sequence in real-time here, as well as all previous live clips in a video playlist , so they can check out what has happened so far even when we are offline.
There will also be a chat window below this player so that your audience can comment and congratulate you live. Furthermore, every live sequence is captured in-camera, just like a traditional wedding video.
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How To Live Stream Your Wedding: In
Can you imagine having all your family and friends on your wedding day?Now.. can you imagine doing that without increasing your budget?What about including the ones who live far away from you and canât make the trip?
Live streaming your weddingwill give you the opportunity to do exactly that.
It will allow you to capture the event, share it with the ones you love, and be able to watch it over and over again.
Today, Iâll teach you how to live stream a wedding for family and friends anywhere in the world. No more worrying about delays or bad video quality.â
What Camera Angle Should I Use
Choosing your camera angles is something that a LoveStream specialist will help you with. With hundreds of weddings down, we know the best way to capture a wedding without being intrusive.
With a single camera package, the most common setup is as follows:
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The camera starts facing the back of the aisle so at-home viewers can watch the processional. Once the couple is situated at the front, someone you appoint will turn the camera to face the couple.
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The camera is placed close to the couple, either in the middle of the aisle or slightly off-center, so that we can see both partners. Check out this gorgeous still from one of our favorite weddings, Marvin & Tamika. Notice how the camera is placed just slightly to the right of the couple, we so get a great view of Tamikas dress while still being able to see Marvins face.
Screengrab from LoveStream couple Tamika and Marvins wedding.
For a multi-camera set up, which is available with our Plus and Premium packages, you have a few more options on how to set up angles. Typically, we see one of three set ups.
1. One wide camera situated behind the in-person guests that give at-home viewers a wide-angle view of the event . Two cameras close to the couple, slightly angled so the producer can alternate between them, allowing viewers to see both partners faces .
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Is Zoom The Best Way To Broadcast A Wedding
The last few years have been a little rough for anyone who was planning a wedding. Can you relate?
Couples had to find an alternative way to get married. Brides and grooms tried Zoom, Facebook Live, YouTube, and many other platforms.
Some turned out great, and others were not as enjoyable when muting guests turned to be a full-time job. With family members not being able to attend or make the trip, Zoom was the obvious choice.
So⦠why did it fail?
Well, at the beginning most people were not familiar with it. They wouldnât mute themselves and weâd be paying more attention to someoneâs dog barking in the background than the actual wedding.
When that changed and we got used to it , it felt more like a work meeting than a joyful event.
I still feel like that! Based on research , Zoom fatigue is still a real thing in 2021.
Itâs no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we communicate, but long-distance events donât have to feel like another boring work meeting.
There are better ways, promise.â
Which Parts Of The Wedding Should You Broadcast
This one is easy!You should live stream everything youâd like to have on your recording that can be shown to your family and friends back home.
Most couples usually choose to begin the live stream at the ceremony, starting 10 minutes before to make sure that everything runs smoothly.
Then, they pause the live stream and resume when itâs time to show a little bit of the cocktail hour, followed by entrances to the reception.When people have dinner the live stream is usually on pause, and then they start broadcasting again for first dances, speeches, and cake cutting. Thatâs when it usually ends.
Many couples decided to do a first look prior to the ceremony, and it was also included in the live stream. It was a very emotional moment for them to see each other for the first time and having that moment recorded gave them a huge reason to watch the replay many times after.
Insider tip: Our couples who did that said that the comments on their virtual guestbook skyrocketed when the groom started crying! They had so much fun reading it a few days later while watching the first look almost on loop.â
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