How to choose the best live streaming platform for your wedding

Covid-19 has caused immense disruption to weddings, and it has meant that travel is more difficult to exotic locations. Luckily, even if your guests can’t make it, they can still get an engaging virtual experience.

With so many high-quality live streaming platforms to choose from, you can give them the best experience. Let’s go through the best options to choose from for a perfect live-streamed wedding.

There are two main types of live stream wedding formats to choose from. These are ‘full-service’ and ‘DIY.’ The former includes all of the extras such as equipment, officiants, tech help, and much more.

Whereas the DIY options mainly rely on free apps, and the rest is left to you. They are mainly video apps that we already know of, and they can easily be used for weddings. The main benefit is that they are much cheaper and, in some instances, can be used for free. 

But, for those that want a polished and luxurious experience, it is well worth considering the premium full-service platforms.

Simply Eloped is a popular wedding planning service that includes a fully-featured live streaming offering. It includes some awesome features such as professional tech support that provides peace of mind, a full consultation, and being able to record the entire ceremony so you can continue to enjoy it for years to come.

They refer to their streaming service as a ‘bespoke experience,’ and the pricing is tailored based on your individual requirements. As an example, it can cost $400 for up to 500 guests.

The next wedding streaming service on our list was launched as a response to the pandemic. LoveStream has three pricing tiers which start at $450 and go up to $1950. The best part is that you can have unlimited guests, and there is the option for multiple camera angles to capture those unforgettable moments.

You can choose from a variety of extra features such as personal tech rehearsal, virtual producer, virtual guestbook, professional streaming equipment, and more.

If you’re looking for a truly luxurious live streaming experience, then Wedfully is a great option to consider. They have partnered with zoom to provide a best-in-class virtual experience.

Their tailored packages include features such as e-vites, custom websites, rental equipment, professional tech support, and unlimited guests. You begin the process with a $200 deposit, and the final price is based on your customizations and requirements. The total cost starts from $700.

For a professional live streaming experience, you can’t go wrong with Married Livestream. They’ve been around for four years, and their ultra-professional videography helps you broadcast your wedding story with excellent audio and footage with multi-camera angles.

You can also get drone footage, 4K quality of the entire wedding, a digital guestbook, and the full recording available online and for download. Pricing starts at $1999, and the final price will depend on the specific add-ons that you order.

If you don’t want to splurge on a dedicated live stream wedding platform, then you can take advantage of free video apps. They still do a great job of streaming your video, and most of them will not incur extra costs, although there are usually add-ons that can be purchased.

One of the best budget wedding live streaming platforms is Lovecast. It is a live streaming mobile app that is fairly simple to use. However, guests don’t need to download the app, and an unlimited number can tune in with one-click access. Benefit from live chat, 1080p quality streaming, and get recordings instantly.

One of the most popular video communications apps to emerge in the pandemic has been Zoom. Although it is primarily used for business meetings, Zoom is also a viable option for live streaming a wedding.

There is a free version and a pro version which costs $14.99 a month. The free version supports up to 100 guests, and you can increase this to 500 guests with the large meeting addon. Zoom is secure, user-friendly, and it has features such as virtual backgrounds and guest muting.

A similar option to Zoom is Google Meet. The free version allows for 25 guests at a time, and the upgrade enterprise plan allows for 250 guests. Another key advantage of the enterprise plan is that you can immediately upload the recording to Google Drive, where it can easily be shared. As with Zoom, Google Meet is highly secure and easy to set up.

A good budget option for those that have guests that may not be tech-savvy is Youtube Live. Most people have heard of the platform, and it can be accessed with ease. You can create your own custom link ahead of time and share it with your guests.

There is an 8-hour time list for Youtube Live and no fees involved. The only thing you need to get started with wedding streaming on Youtube is an account. Any webcam can be used to stream the wedding, whether that’s from a smartphone or a laptop device.

As you can see, there are a variety of live-streaming platforms to choose from to suit a range of budgets. By weighing up the pros and cons, you will be able to make a more informed decision on picking the right platform for your requirements.