If you've had to change your plans or are thinking of hosting a full or partial virtual wedding ceremony, you're in the right place. Your WedSites account is already the perfect place for planning your wedding, and now, you can host your virtual events on your wedding website too!
How to set up virtual events In WedSites
The virtual wedding update has made it super easy for you to embed a video or add a link to your virtual events! The first thing you will need to do is navigate your way to the Website section of your dashboard.
1. Dedicate a space on your homepage or a new page for your virtual event
If you have a single-page website, you can dedicate a space on your homepage to share your virtual wedding information by adding a new video section on the page.
If you would like to create a new page for your virtual event, click the "Add page" button to create the page first. Give the page a headline, for example, "Join our virtual wedding" and choose the video platform of your choice!
Choose your favorite video streaming platform
WedSites has dedicated sections for Zoom, YouTube Live, Facebook Live, Vimeo, Lovecast, and Spotify playlist streaming platforms. Each video platform has it's Pros and Cons, depending on how you want to host your virtual event.
If you're still trying to figure out which platform is right for you, take this quiz!
How to host a Zoom wedding
Zoom is a great option if you want to interact with your guests. Everyone present has the option to enable their cameras so you can see their expressions! As the host of the event, you can mute guests for an uninterrupted ceremony, but you also have the option to open the stage for conversations before or after the main event.
To get started, you will need to signup on the Zoom website.
Use Zoom's "Schedule" or "Schedule Meeting" option to set up your virtual event.
Add in the details of your event
Save the meeting
・Date & Time: Schedule your meeting at the same time and time zone as the event on your wedding website.
・Duration: Zoom gives you 40 minutes of streaming time for free with up to 100 participants for free, but if you anticipate that you'll go for longer, we highly recommend upgrading to a paid plan.
・Passcode: Zoom will give you a password by default. We recommend that you don't change this passcode as it will be automatically included in your Invite Link, so your guests won't have to know this code to join the meeting.
・Waiting room (optional): If you check this option, your guests will be first put into a "waiting room" and you, or whoever is coordinating the event for you, will need to manually admit guests from the waiting room into the meeting. This is an extra security measure to make sure only your invited guests are able to join the meeting, but it's entirely optional. If you want to skip the manual approval process of each guest, leave it unchecked.
・Video: By default Zoom will have both the video settings for you, the "Host", and your guests, the "Particiants" turned off. This simply means that you and your guests will have a moment to compose yourselves before they're on camera. Once your guests are camera ready, they will easily be able to turn their video on for you to see their happy faces!
Add the Zoom link to your website
Once you hit "Save", you will see your meeting details. The "Invite link" is what you will copy and paste into your WedSites wedding website.
Your invitation link should look similar to this:
Copy and paste the "Invite Link" into the highlighted section like this:
If your Invite Link doesn't look like this, here's what you should do:
Click on the "Edit this Meeting" button an make sure that the Passcode is checked.
2. Go to your "Settings" and make sure the "Embed passcode in invite link for one-click join" option is On.
Going live with your Zoom wedding
When you're ready to go live, just click the "Start" or "Start this Meeting" button inside of Zoom!
How to host a YouTube Live wedding
YouTube Live allows guests to tune into your live stream, but you won't be able to see or talk to anyone. Going Live on YouTube is free, but you need to verify your channel and make sure you don't have any live streaming restrictions in the past 90 days.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if you've got a channel with less than 1,000 subscribers, you need to go live from a computer using a webcam and won't be able to use a smartphone or tablet device for your Live event.
When you are ready to start live streaming from your YouTube channel, all you need to do is copy and paste your YouTube Live URL into your WedSites website.
For more details, check out this post.
How to host a Facebook Live wedding
Facebook makes it really easy to go live, but keep in mind that all of your guests will need to have a Facebook account to watch the event. While guests can comment in the chatbox during the Live, you won't be able to see their faces.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you'll need to create a private Facebook group unless you don't mind everyone on your Facebook friends list to watch the Live.
Check out Facebook's instructions on how to go live here.
How to host an Event Live wedding
EventLive is a premium video streaming platform designed for live streaming weddings. For $50/event, you can have unlimited participants for up to 24 hours, and a replay/download of your live stream available for 365 days.
If you are using Event Live to stream your wedding, simply copy and paste the URL to add a button to your WedSites website.
Other video platforms
You can direct guests from your WedSites website to any other platform as long as you have a URL link to your virtual event!
Tip: Don't forget to have a rehearsal event to test it out
Having a proper rehearsal to test your tech is the best way to ensure that your day runs smoothly. Consider getting some of your family or friends together to do a test event. You want to make sure all of your audio, visual, and internet connection is working properly!
Note: If you are using YouTube or Facebook Live, please keep in mind that the live stream link will change each time you go live so remember to set up a new link for your actual event! Make sure to do a test run with your chosen platform before you share the URL link with your guests to avoid any confusion between the links.
Share a recording of your virtual wedding on your wedding website
If you've recorded your ceremony, you can easily share it on your wedding website after your wedding! Just upload the recording to YouTube or Vimeo and add the URL link to your website for all your loved ones to enjoy and relive your big moment.