Have you considered how convenient it might be for you to livestream your wedding?
Here in Southern California, most of the residents aren’t even from California. I can’t count how many of my couples were from somewhere else or one was local and the other was from the east coast or south. Couples have a hard enough time picking their guest list and I’m sure they wish they could invite every last friend or family member they care about, but that’s not realistic. Some times grandma can’t travel, your favorite cousin just lost their job and can’t afford to come, or your uncle refuses to fly (because he’s scared). Live streaming your wedding can solve all those problems.
In my opinion, most couples should opt for this option when they secure photo and video professionals for their wedding. The funny thing is, in 2020 I still have to convince couples why they need a videographer. Since I’m still doing that, I’m sure I will need to sell them on livestreaming.
Why should you livestream your wedding?
You should livestream it so that everyone that cares about you can still feel apart of one of the biggest days of your life. Weddings are pretty much a once in a lifetime event for the right couples and you should want everyone you love to witness it. When I livestream a wedding I Can do it with 1 to 3 cameras to ensure I have multiple angles. I use my tablet to switch from camera to camera to ensure I have the best shot for a specific moment. Now that most TV’s are smart TV’s Youtube is already available and I will have a set link ready to go in advance to ensure everyone can watch all around the world. You can post that link to our social media so that when it starts, people can watch your wedding in real-time.
Possible Issues
One of the only issues that I have faced or could potentially face is with the locations wifi. My first livestream wedding was on a boat, so I had to secure a wifi hotspot. Even though I had everything set up in advance, I admit it could have gone a little smoother. By the time the ceremony started, I was up and running, so everyone with the link in other states was able to watch their wedding live from Marina Del Rey.
The other issue that could potentially come up is that the devices I use only have a one-hour internal battery that would need to be recharged. Since I might not have the ability to plug them in during the ceremony for a continuous charge, a catholic wedding could be a challenge. Luckily for every issue, there is always a solution. One way to avoid this situation is by having portable battery chargers. The same ones you use to charge your phones on the go can keep these internal batteries fresh for a few hours on a full charge.
Technology
I film my weddings with 2 Panasonic GH4 ultra 4K DSLR cameras, a Panasonic GH5s, and a GoPro Hero 8. I don’t bring them all out every wedding, but I bring what I need depending on the package my couple has chosen. For livestreaming, I use Teredek Vidiu encoders along with my tablet which has an app that I use to switch between cameras.
Conclusion
You should get your wedding livestreamed, but you should not offer this to your guests as an alternative to coming. You don’t want people saying they will come and then they don’t. For anyone that you invited that said they couldn’t make it, these are the people you offer the link to, then just make sure the link is on your social media the day of, so that anyone that may have wanted to come, can watch it from the comfort of their home or where they might be in the world.
