Weddings online

Dani Kohanzadeh and Nathan Saadat livestreamed their March 27 wedding in the backyard of Ms. Kohanzadeh’s childhood home in Beverly Hills, Calif. Credit…Madeleine Massey.

While the world is battling a pandemic of Covid-19, new video-streaming apps allow couples who decided to marry in 2020 share this special celebration with their family and friends and invite even more guests to witness their ceremony from the comfort of their own homes.

Dani and Nathan, who live in L.A and originally was planning to have a big wedding on March 28, 2020, at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel decided to not postpone their Big day to 2021. They got married in the backyard of Dani`s childhood home and invited more than 400 of their family members and friends to be witnesses using a video-streaming app Zoom.

Here are a few tips if you want to Livestream your wedding.

Choose the App

Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts. What to choose? All of these platforms are great for live streaming your event but, there are some limitations as well.

• Zoom-probably the most popular one. It allows you to have up to 100 participants but limits a call to 40 minutes. If you are afraid the video will be cut it the middle of you saying-
  “I Do!” you can buy a “professional” subscription for $14.99
• Facebook Livestream is currently Free and doesn`t have a limitation for the number of guests joining a Livestream.
• Skype is a free app as well but it limits participants for up to 50.
• Google Hangouts- Free app, allowing only 25 people to join your party. You can upgrade your subscription to allow for up to 250 guests to use this call.

Invite More Guests

Livestreaming your wedding gives you that unique opportunity to invite a lot more friends and family to join your celebration. You can send digital invitations letting them know the date, time, and platform you are planning to use. You can also make an announcement on your social media platforms.

Mr. Saadat and Ms. Kohanzadeh show off their wedding cake to their virtual guests. Credit…Madeleine Massey.

Create a backdrop

Having a beautiful backdrop can make all the difference in transforming an ordinary backyard to a very special place.
Ms. Kohanzadeh and Mr. Saadat, who got married at the home of the bride’s parents in Beverly Hills, Calif., set up a chuppah near the swimming pool. “We built it ourselves out of PVC pipes we bought at Home Depot, and we used Scotch tape to attach flowers,” Mr. Saadat said. “We’re Persian Jews, and it was really important for us to incorporate some of our religious traditions.” (The couple also signed a ketubah, a Jewish marriage contract.) You can also check your local vendors and see if they offer any elopement packages. Some of them include officiant, wedding arch, bridal bouquet, photographer, and even live-streamed musicians. One example: LINK to our special elopement package.

Photo Credit Cynthiajviola

      Choose the right equipment

You don`t need to buy an expensive device to Livestream. The latest smartphones, tablets, or laptops have very decent quality cameras.
Use or borrow from a friend, if you don`t have any, a regular tripod to safely position your device. If your ceremony will be held in a quiet spot-you don`t need to worry about audio. But if you expect a background noise it might be a good idea to buy an inexpensive external microphone.
Also, don`t forget about lighting. Consider the timing of your ceremony and locate your device avoiding overheating and also direct overhead lights.