Ask The Experts: All You Need to Know about Livestreaming Your Wedding

The wedding world is in a very difficult place at the moment. If you were planning your wedding for this spring/summer I really do feel for you. Hopefully by now you have managed to re arrange your day to either later on in the year or sometime next year. Cornonavirus has done a lot of things but it won’t stop people getting married, however there may be a few things that you need to take into consideration. When the lockdown is eased and we are able to meet again, your wedding may not be quite the way you first planned it. Numbers may be restricted by law or by your venue. You may also find that some guest are unable to come, due to age or health reasons. BUT do not fear, there is always an answer to a problem and that is what today’s post is all about. If you have faced any of the problems we have mentioned here then live streaming your big day may be the answer. Sharing a live steam with your nearest and dearest could be the answer. Here, thanks to Grand Technical, is some expert advice on how to live stream your wedding.

Photo by  Vee Taylor Photo full wedding here

I’ll pass you over to Grand Technical to tell you more

With the most recent measures announced by Boris Johnson last Sunday, it seems as though we are on the path to the lockdown slowly but surely being eased. The Prime Minister mentioned that some hospitality venues may open as soon as the start of July – which is of course great news. Whilst this most likely means Wedding Ceremonies will be able to take place before Receptions follow, it does mean that we may be able to think about planning Receptions from September onwards, if the easing measures are carried out according to plan.

But how will Weddings look once the dust has settled? It’s likely that, at least in the short term, the nature of all public gatherings will be slightly different. While we expect most people will be itching to attend your big day, there may be some members within your family and friendship groups that feel they cannot take the risk. This may be anyone of an elderly age, or with underlying health conditions.

photo by Nova Wedding Photography full wedding here

So why not endeavour to be inclusive of their needs by livestreaming the Wedding? This way, guests that are unable to make the journey can still feel as though they are part of the day. Now, by livestreaming, it’s important to point out that we do not simply mean pointing the Best Man’s iPhone at the altar and going “Live” on Facebook. Not only will the video and audio quality be extremely poor (mostly due to Facebook or Instagram’s compression procedures), but the streams themselves on social media platforms are often liable to glitches, and worst of all, drop outs or the stream ending prematurely. This is simply not good enough for your Wedding Day!

So what you really need is a Professional streaming service. Now first of all, you need to decide which parts of the day are you going to livestream? The Ceremony? The Reception? Speeches?

Photo by  Alba Turnbull Photography  full wedding here

The Ceremony 

For the Ceremony, the requirements are not too complicated. We would recommend just having one high quality camera set up at the back of the room, pointed at the altar. This way, the bride, groom and vicar will be present in all of the footage. You will also need to have a lapel (clip-on) microphone for the Vicar, and a Handheld Microphone for the Bride & Groom (mostly to say, “I do”). If you want to capture the Bride’s (which may be yourself) walking into the room, as well as occasional shots of guests in the audience, you would be advised to have a second camera at the front of the room, facing towards the back.

Photo by  Nate Messarra Photography full wedding here

The Reception

For the Reception, the requirements of the day will differ as it progresses. Whilst the meal is probably not of huge importance, you could have one camera angled at the room if certain guests still want to feel connected at this point – but it’s probably not hugely important. However, you will certainly want to stream the speeches for external attendees.

Photo by Brian Hatton Photography. full wedding here

The speeches

Now of course, where the camera is placed for this section does depend on the room layout. But it goes without saying that the camera man will need to have an unblocked view of the Wedding table. In terms of Microphones, you will only really need one Handheld Microphone at this point, which can be passed between anyone who wishes to make a speech on the day.

If you want someone to make a speech who isn’t able to attend on the day, then this of course is doable too. The most common way to do this is to have the family member (or friend) record their message in advance, and forward it to the production company. Ideally, you will want to have a few screens around the room, so guests can see the video as well as hear the message. You may also be able to have them give their speech live if you wish. This is very easily doable, and can be reproduced over the screens and PA system on the day by your technician. We would however, always recommend having them record their message in advance as a backup, just in case their internet has any difficulties on the day.

photo by DeNeffe Studios   full wedding here 

Other areas to cover

Other sections you may want to include will be the Cake Cutting and the First Dance. As these are usually in a similar section of the room, you can simply have one camera aiming at the Dance floor for both sections. If they are in opposite ends of the room, you may need to have a second camera to ensure nothing is missed. A room microphone will suffice in capturing the sound for both sections.

Finally, we would advise leaving the camera set up on the dance floor for the final sections of the evening. Ideally, it will be able to see the Dance Floor and DJ/Band.

One of the other major positives of streaming your event with professional cameras, is that the video and audio can be recorded and edited into a high quality, professionally put together video of your key moments of the day. If you wish, you can keep all of the footage for your own personal use too.

photo by Miss Whittington’s Photography  full wedding here

We hope this has provided of an overview of how and why livestreaming your upcoming Wedding may be a great idea in the new world we’re about to enter into. For further information on how to get this set up in England, Wales & Scotland, please contact Grand Technical.

For more information on Grand Technical go to

wwwgrandtechnical.co.uk / [email protected] / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM

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