FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO IF A LOVED ONE CAN’T ATTEND YOUR WEDDING
The world is now flat. In today’s modern world, technology plays a massive part in how people share moments like weddings with their friends and family around the world. The internet brings us all closer, when we can’t be there physically.
Virtual Wedding Guests Ideas – Streaming your wedding to anyone, anywhere, on iPads, Laptops and even cell phones.
Many social media outlets are all making the world a smaller place. Weddings are starting to pop up among these resources to connect people who otherwise could not make it to the newlywed’s special day.
Think about it. With today’s technology, people can easily allow real-time streaming of any real life event – FOR FREE. If a loved one can’t be present, people can now just open their event to mobile devices to anyone, anywhere. This is a great idea for couples who want to include more and more people in the wedding and do not have the resources to pay for every guest to be present.
Whether your wedding is at The Crossgates Banquet House in Albany, NY or if you are planning a destination wedding at Humming Bird Hall at Montego Bay, Jamaica, a virtual wedding guest is an awesome option. Virtual wedding guests can save you and your guests money because it cuts down on travel. A virtual wedding makes it so no matter where in the world your guests sit, they can still watch your wedding ceremony unfold live on the World Wide Web.
FIVE TECHNOLOGY IDEAS TO BRING A GUEST CLOSER TO YOUR WEDDING:
There are many different ways to use mobile devices to create virtual wedding guests. Below is a very detailed DIY recipe link for beginners on how to stream your own Virtual Wedding for free:
The Sheldon iPad-Head idea could be perfect for your virtual wedding guest
1) The iPad-Head Virtual Wedding Guest
If you are a Big Bang Theory fan like I am, you may remember this. There was one episode where Sheldon didn’t want to leave the house, so he slapped an iPad-like tablet on top of a coat rack with a hanging shirt on it and created some kind of relay device on wheels to escort him around, without ever leaving the house. This is a very primitive form of The Bruce Willis film, Surrogates, however, the iPad-Head idea may be all you need to make your wedding stick out.
Apple has created the technology to allow for a very easy way for a virtual wedding guest to attend your wedding from afar. Try setting up iPad-heads on fake bodies and sit them right in chairs at the ceremony or reception. Then, have your guest run Facetime and it will be like they are actually there! They can talk and interect with other guests, as well as the bride & groom.
Virtual Wedding Guest Booth
2) Streaming Wedding Reception Booth
Here is an idea, in case you want more fun activities at your wedding reception. Set up an area in your reception hall and time set aside just for live interaction with virtual guests, online.
To create your own “Virtual Guest Booth Stream Station,” prop up either web cams, laptops or iPad/tablets so that virtual guests see the action from the virtual wedding guest booth, and also video chat with those who stop by.
SMART TVs – There are also Smart TVs now that makes creating a stream station even easier. Samsung has a TV that has a camera built into top frame, much like a laptop camera. They even have Skype built into the platform and a Skype button on the remote control. The age of the Jetson’s is upon us!
The more decorative and fun the booth display turns out, the more apt people will be to interact with your virtual wedding guest.
3) Video Toast with Virtual Guest – Digital Projection:
As a wedding activity, set up a special virtual toast maybe to take place before the best man’s speech. What you can do is get a PowerPoint / Digital projector and actually broadcast a Skype video call, or Google Hangout to the rest of your live guests. Then, have the virtual guest stream a toast to the whole room.
The Laptop Table of Virtual Wedding Guests via SKYPE
4) The Virtual Wedding Guest Laptop Table:
Whenever we had a big get-together at my grandmother’s house for a holiday, we always had “the kids table;” a place where only the kids sat. Borrowing from this idea and if your virtual wedding guests are game, you can set aside a whole table just for laptop virtual wedding guests. Put each laptop at each table setting and make it so each webcam allows each guest to see each other through a single-face platform, like Skype.
While a program like Zoom would work better than this because of its multi-user platform, this allows for walk-ups at the live event to interact with the people on on the laptops. It also makes for a great experience!
Because of technology, you can now stream your wedding live to anyone, anywhere for free!
5) FullWebcam Stream Virtual Wedding :
So you want to just stream your wedding for many guests to enjoy? Great idea! There really is something to be said for “keeping it simple.” Do some surfing and select a streaming video website. Several websites allow you to stream live from free web streaming sites.
You probably do not want to have the added stress of setting up and checking on the virtual wedding web cam throughout the night. Therefore, it is probably a good idea to ask a close friend or family member to fully accept the responsibility and go through a practice run with them.
Have fun with the creation of your virtual wedding guests! Whatever you choose to do, this idea will increase the chance that more of your loved ones will be present for your special day!
– DJ Kenny Casanova is an Albany, NY Wedding DJ. If you are interested in booking DJ Kenny Casanova, call or TEXT 518-506-3305.
Because of technology, you can now stream your wedding live to anyone, anywhere for free!
When we first got our dog Rudy, we wondered what he did during the day when we were at work. Therefore, I set up a webcam with a free stream site to see what he was up to. It turned out it was pretty lame; he slept all day. However, I was able to easily secure and set up a 24/7 feed for free that allowed me to be somewhere that I couldn’t be.
Maybe you want to stream your wedding, but don’t really know where to begin. Applying my failed “dog-cam” experiment to something that could be somewhat useful is no problem.
This article will give you a step-by-step instructional guide on how to stream your wedding for those who can’t attend. It will offer all the different planning aspects you need to make your online wedding stream free and seamless to your guests.
1. CHOOSE YOUR STREAM – Do some surfing and select a streaming video website. Several websites allow you to BROADCAST live for free! (JUST DO A GOOGLE!)
2. REGISTER – Set up your account early on. Once you have completed this step, your online stream provider will create your personal website address and/or log in information for your wedding guests to login to. This URL will bethe “channel” where they will access the live video stream on the date and time of your wedding.
3. DETERMINE WEDDING GUEST LIST – Let’s face it. Some people are more important to you than others. Uncle Charlie may be way more cool than Uncle Jerry. Sit down with your fiancée and figure out who you absolutely want at your wedding live.
Send out invitations. Nag the hell out of them all and make sure all your important “VIP guest” come! Make sure that you send out your regular invitations first WITHOUT THE VIRTUAL WEDDING URL. (You do not want to offer this option to guests that you really want at your reception. It could create competition and allow for more unwanted VIP guest absenses.)
4. DETERMINE YOUR VIRTUAL WEDDING GUEST LIST – Figure out who cannot make it to your wedding from your RSVPs. Create a new list of virtual wedding guests. Email the people on this list a virtual invitation with the streaming video information for your virtual wedding. It may be a good idea to remind repeat of the date and time of the wedding. You should also provide “dummy-proof” instructions on how to log in to see the wedding live.
5. ASSIGN VIRTUAL WEDDING CAMERA MAN – You probably do not want to have the added stress of setting up and checking on the virtual wedding web cam throughout the night. Therefore, it is probably a good idea to ask a close friend or family member to fully accept the responsibility. It is probably best to broadcast the wedding ceremony and the reception to give your guests the full flavor of the day. This means that your camera man will probably have to set up, break down and set up again at the reception.
6. PLAN THE SHOTS – Plan the shots and location of the web cam, beforehand. Go to your wedding location with your virtual wedding camera man and set up the webcam. Select the best shot with the least amount of clutter. One idea would be to set up a small “tv tray” with a table cloth an as minimal exposure to wires as possible.
If your ceremony is outside, it is probably best to run the laptop off of battery so you do not have to run wires. (Any good wedding DJ will tell you, “the goal should be that you do not want to see any wires at all.” If the reception is also outside, it may be best to try and set up out-of-the-way against a tent post or wall near the dance floor and/or head table.
7. TEST BROADCAST – Turn the webcam on and do an actual live run, with maybe someone watching at home on a computer, taking notes, on a cell phone with you and the virtual wedding camera man.
Make the needed adjustments to the location of the webcam or the height the webcam sits so it clearly shows your walk down the aisle and the location where you will be standing to say your vows.
You can even invite your virtual wedding guests to login during this test broadcast to make sure they can see . A simple follow up call could be the difference of a particular guest experiencing trouble being able to see it live, or not.
8. BROADCAST YOUR VIRTUAL WEDDING – Have your virtual camera man set up the webcam a little early at the ceremony on the day of the wedding.
Virtual Wedding Guests – Streaming your wedding to them
9: CREATE INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL WEDDING GUEST IDENTITIES (optional) – If you are really creative, we have is another virtual wedding idea blog that we call the “VIRTUAL WEDDING GUEST.”
The above link will explain how using Facetime, & Zoom can help creatively bring the otherwise absent faces to your wedding! ( This blog will also show how to create the opportunity for interactive virtual wedding guests, that can actually chat with the bride, groom & other guests at your reception.
PAY SERVICES ARE OUT THERE – Many wedding professionals believe that next year will be a defining year for this type of service, as streaming companies are breaking out with a whole new wedding online service for this very idea. New virtual online wedding stream services are emerging. SOme wedding websites offer streaming packages targeting weddings that allow guests to log-on and watch your wedding as it unfolds. A professional videographer films the special day, broadcasting it to a web site where your guests can watch live.
However, you can TOTALLY do it yourself and bring your own personality out with your choice of stream. Have fun with the creation of your virtual wedding online broadcast! Whatever you choose to do, this idea will increase the chance that more of your loved ones will be present for your special day!
