Can you Live Stream your Wedding Ceremony with a Cell Phone?
With wedding guest numbers likely restricted for 2021, couples are looking for ways broadcast their wedding ceremony to family and friends who can’t be there in person. The beauty of live streaming is that no one has to feel left out. A high quality stream means viewers will clearly hear your vows and see the emotion on your face. Knowing that your online guests are having a great experience helps make your day special. It’s comforting knowing that they’re a part of your ceremony, enjoying it live alongside you.
When considering streaming options, the first thing that pops into most couple’s minds is using their cell phone. After all, it has a camera, microphone and a connection to the internet. Combine that with free streaming services like Instagram or Facebook Live and you’re good to go, right? Technically, yes, but there are some major drawbacks.
This article will go over the pros and cons of streaming your wedding ceremony with a cell phone or laptop. It’ll also cover how hiring a professional (hopefully Union Eleven!) results in a dramatically improved experience for your viewers.
Advantages of using a cell phone:
Cost. That’s it. You already own phone, and you can ask your cousin Jimmy to hold it up and point it at you. As long as Jimmy can connect to wifi or a decent cell signal, you can stream to Instagram or Facebook for free. That’s a pretty sweet deal, and if you’re on a restricted budget it’s better than nothing. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for, and watching an event streamed via cell phone can be frustrating and confusing.
Disadvantages of using a cell phone:
There are three main areas where cell phones suffer, and professional set-ups shine: Video quality, audio quality, and reliability.
1. Video Quality
In some situations, cell phones provide excellent video quality. A wedding ceremony is not one of these situations. Even if Jimmy is sitting in the front row with the phone, your viewers are still stuck with the same, wide angle shot for the entirety of the ceremony. The shot is likely not very good as Jimmy can’t zoom in and show anyones face. Jimmy could get up and move around, maybe even getting close enough so people at home can see your expressions, but that’s a huge distraction to you and your in-person guests.
When Union Eleven streams a wedding we set up multiple cameras around the outside of your ceremony. These cameras have telephoto lenses so we can zoom in tight on you, your partner and the officiant. This means people at home can see your emotion, not just hear it. It’s much more immersive.
Next time you watch a live event, notice how often the shot changes, it’s typically every 3-10 seconds. Having multiple camera angles to switch between helps keep viewers engaged. Watching the same, static, shot for minutes at a time is… well… boring (no offence).
2. Audio Quality
Audio quality is actually more important than video quality. People will suffer through bad video, but they can’t stand bad audio. This is the biggest weakness of the cell phone. Even if you connect a high quality microphone to your phone, the fact that it’s still far away from the people talking means that the quality will suffer.
Microphones should be as close to a persons mouth as possible. Otherwise, wind in the trees, cars in the distance, the person next to your whispering, they’ll all be picked up by the microphone with just as much strength as you reading your vows. The result is a poor listening experience at home. The only way around this is to get the cell phone close to the person who’s speaking.
To get around this problem, Union Eleven clips small wireless mic’s close to the mouth of both the officiant and groom, resulting in loud, clear audio. It’s a night and day difference. In fact, your online guests will hear your ceremony more clearly than your in-person guests.
Check out the example below to see how dramatic the difference is:
3. Reliability
With weddings being once-in-a-lifetime events, reliability is critical. There’s an inherent risk with any live event where “do-overs” are not an option. There’s no way to have a completely foolproof setup. That said, when streaming with a cell phone, you have a single point of failure. If anything goes wrong with Jimmy’s phone, or his phone’s internet connection, your stream is toast.
The advantage of using professional equipment is that overall you’re dealing with a much more reliable set-up. We have gear to handle internet and power drop outs, replacement parts, and a person running the show who knows how to handle unexpected technical issues.
Another thing to keep in mind with free streaming services like Facebook or Instagram is that you can’t have copyrighted music playing at any time. These services automatically mute, or shut down streams when they detect unlicensed music. Most couples are unaware of this, which could be a complete disaster. The last thing your online viewers see could be you walking down the aisle to your favourite Ed Sheeran song. Also, in order to view a stream on Facebook or Instagram, you need to have an account. Your friends all have accounts, but does your Grandma?
Union Eleven gets around both of these issues by using a dedicated streaming service. You can play whatever music you like during your wedding with no risk of it being taken down. We also embed your stream into a beautiful custom web page that anyone with the link can access. It’s a very simple and reliable process. Thousands of people have viewed Union Eleven streams, and we haven’t had a single complaint about accessibility.
Thanks for taking the time to read this article! I hope we’ve clearly communicated how much of a difference hiring a professional will make. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!
