Having a live online presence for weddings is almost a norm in many places around the world, including Singapore. This clearly started since the circuit breaker during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak. When I speak to friends who had their weddings “online”, they had no regrets because there is no reason to delay starting a life together merely to wait for the pandemic to pass.
I have since collected some tips from couples on how to hold a zoom wedding in Singapore. Here are some of them
1. Ask the hotel for the internal WIFI.
There is no doubt that the terrible wifi makes any zoom wedding frustrating. Most hotel have 2 wifis, one for internal use and one for guest. The issue with the guest wifi is that the speed is dependent on the number of guest connecting and this is unpredictable. So speak to the hotel manager and request for the internal wifi. If you can’t get that, consider borrowing or getting a SIM card with data for the streaming devices.
2. What Devices to use
It is suggested that you have at least 2-3 devices filming the wedding from different angles. Preferable with 1-2 being on a table/ tripod for a fixed view (The best place is from the point of view of a seated guest), and another device with a friend good with cameras moving around (find someone with steady hands or your guest will be having motion sickness). The above means that any decent phones are good devices to use. iPads have been used but note that the cameras of tablets are often less ideal that handphone cameras.
3. How to set up the Zoom account
If it is important to see your guest, a normal zoom meeting using a paid account is all that you need. Place someone on zoom admin all the time because really funny mishaps have happened. These include people unmuting their mics and flushing the toilet or accidentally switching on their cameras and being caught unaware in unsavoury situations. So get ready to mute or even kick out anyone for the sake for yourself and your guest.
Alternatively, you can host it as a webinar in which things are a lot more controlled but it also means you don’t get to see the reactions of your guests.
4. Record the event
Always record the event, not only for memory sake but there will almost always be guest who suddenly have difficulty logging on to the platform. While you can’t delay the wedding just for them, you can now send them the video so that they can partake in your joy by watching the video.
5. Have Fun
The cool thing about zoom wedding is….everyone can join in. Most of my friends had friends from around the world joining in the wedding in wee hours of the night. This is really cool and the final advice is, don’t let the technicalities of a perfect wedding take away the joy and fun of getting married.