One thing we have learnt from the ongoing pandemic is that technology has and will continue to keep us connected with our loved ones and friends!
Whilst the smaller zoom weddings trend might not last forever, I think we’ll continue to see zoom and similar technologies being used to include our family and friends that live abroad in weddings happening in Nigeria. Whilst the online experience may struggle to match being physically at your wedding, we believe you can create a memorable experience for your ‘e-guests’ - continue reading for tips on how to achieve this.
Give your guests a sense of involvement
Communicating to guests adds to their experience and carrying them along this journey will help get them pumped for your big day. Don’t forget to share an e-invite ahead of the event with important details such as timing and how to join - there are design tools like Canva where you can create a lovely invite quickly and for free. Another nice touch could be sending food packages to all or a select few of your guests abroad (we all know the effect of party jollof!) - this may come at a cost so consider how this impacts your budget.
A virtual party to remember
Just because some of your guests cannot celebrate with you physically, does not mean they cannot party it up with you. You want to encourage your guests to fully participate with your event - dress up (in traditional attire is a plus), put on their dancing shoes and boogie down. Make sure the audio experience of the streaming is good, so guests can enjoy music played by the dj and live band. If this is difficult to achieve, consider creating a music playlist of your favourite songs - your guests get to know you better and they can create a fun experience in their own homes.
Technology
Whatever technology you use, think about the practicalities of the physical set-up for the streaming. If you want to be hassle-free and looking for a professional touch, consider hiring a media company to help with the broadcasting. For a smaller wedding, you might be able to manage this yourself with a few elements - a phone with good camera quality, a tripod to prop your phone and positioning your equipment where you can get good coverage of your event.
Available technologies
Here are a number of options to stream your wedding to online guests:
Zoom: Zoom gained massive popularity in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic. We advise you choose the Zoom Pro option as the free version only allows meetings for up to 40 mins. The Pro version has a much longer meeting duration limit of 24 hours, costs $14.99/ month and allows 300 maximum participants.
Facebook Live: The free and popular social media platform has a broadcasting function which helps its users to livestream events. To keep your broadcast private, you may want to consider setting up a closed group for your guests ahead of your event. This might require the guests having a Facebook account, which can be managed if guests are given enough notice to set one up.
Youtube Live: create an unlisted Live video and share the link with your family and friends to join in on your big day. YouTube saves your livestream, which is great if you would like to watch the stream yourself!
We hope you find our tips on streaming your wedding helpful! Would you consider adding this element to your wedding for friends and family abroads - let us know in the comments and how you’ll go about this!