Attended my first Zoom wedding today

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sawdust123

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Nov 10, 2006
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Some good friends of mine had been planning a destination wedding before Covid hit and changed everything. They ended up doing a Zoom wedding. Except for some minor technical difficulties, it went well and lasted 2.5 hours. I was pretty impressed. Of course, being a zoom wedding, they were able to have about six times as many people attend including many from all over the country and Europe. There were over 110 Zoom connections and probably 250+ people. Here is approximately how it went (I may have screwed up the order a bit)

Start: Organizer explains the Zoom controls to everyone and what is expected.

Pre-ceremony: A slide show of the B&G set to music.

Live music: A piano player performing live from their own home.

Processional: (pre-recorded and live) Various people dressed for a wedding walking down a path in different locations. Mutli-camera view of bridal entrance.

Ceremony: B&G w/officiant. Their love story was told by the officiant with some pictures and videos interspersed. Basic ceremony afterwards.

Cake cutting and toasts: Right after ceremony. Six people gave prepared toasts.

Reception: Guests were placed into breakout rooms. Mine had about 10 people. The B&G made the rounds to join each breakout room before.

Ending: Group pictures of every Zoom gallery page. B&G thank everyone who was part of their day. They do a short dance and say good bye.

Overall, it worked. The emotion was there. Many guests were crying. And best of all, the chicken didn't taste like wood.

They did have some technical difficulties. Most could have been solved easily. The organizers could have been more vigilant about muting and unmuting people. The officiant could have used a monitor or someone to cue her when videos were finished.

The outfit that did all the arrangement starts their packages at $800. Add on packages can easily bring the total to the $2000 mark. They even have packages to rent equipment (cameras, mics, etc. I credit their inventiveness. They clearly captured the emotion of the event. They just need to work on making the technical side smoother.
 
$800 is less than I charge for simple no-nonsense DJ service. Sounds like this is the brainchild of some IT guys shifting gears and using what is essentially the same institutional web cams and PCs found on most college or business campuses.

I'm freelancing for an event tomorrow with some similar aims - but, that price tag is in the $14K range. I think if I pursue my own solution it would be at least a $2,500 starting price and would not include any pre or post production work. The client would be responsible for their own slide shows and other pre-recorded content. I would simply be providing them an enhanced live feed or mix to stream to their chosen platform.

I'm going to try my own rig on an event in a few weeks - it's an Eagle Court for some Boy Scouts (no charge) but, it will allow me to try a two camera shoot with stills and audio mix as a feed to Zoom. It's a very small private gathering so I get the full benefit of being able to practice with no risk. (I'm really only committed to a podium mic and active speaker for their presentation). Given that they were going to try and get the event live on Zoom I offered to try and produce a better video feed. It will give me a chance to try the Roland V60 as an audio mixer for presentation, along with an Elgato 60 for video capture from the video feed. All in all I'll learn how much audio delay is involved to perfect the capture, test some new Cat Snnkes, and NX5 cameras, then leave with a saved scene to used again in the future.
 
I think if IT guys were the brainchild, it would have gone smoother. I think it was more like wedding planners gone techie. The outfit was called Wedfuly out of Colorado but the wedding was held in CA. They post their rates and add-ons. They do offer rental gear but seem to be currently out of it. Some of their add-ons include the video pre-production stuff.
 
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I think if IT guys were the brainchild, it would have gone smoother. I think it was more like wedding planners gone techie. The outfit was called Wedfuly out of Colorado but the wedding was held in CA. They post their rates and add-ons. They do offer rental gear but seem to be currently out of it. Some of their add-ons include the video pre-production stuff.
Wedfuly too close to Woefully ...
 
Just we are clear, Zoom participation is not the same as attendance...and never will be.
And ... ????? It is what it is until social distancing goes away. Waiting for large gatherings to be OK for life moments to happen isn't always the best route either.
 
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And ... ????? It is what it is until social distancing goes away. Waiting for large gatherings to be OK for life moments to happen isn't always the best route either.
But words mean things and "social distancing" is not social it is more appropriately termed "anti-social spacing".
 
I think if IT guys were the brainchild, it would have gone smoother. I think it was more like wedding planners gone techie. The outfit was called Wedfuly out of Colorado but the wedding was held in CA. They post their rates and add-ons. They do offer rental gear but seem to be currently out of it. Some of their add-ons include the video pre-production stuff.

There's really no gear involved at all. It's primarily done using your own cellphones or tablets as camera sources. For $800 you get a babysitter (editor) to host your zoom meeting - selecting screen views, muting and un-muting associated mics.

The quality of your online wedding images rests entirely with the photo and video skills of your family and friends. If we pay closer attention to the promo we notice that much of the video content shown is actually from professional video cameras and professionally lit. Our event would be shot by whatever and whomever is available - likely making camera placement the #1 online tech support function.

For $350 you can rent equipment - which is two cheap tripods and (my guess) a pair of cheap rechargeable IP cameras (out of stock worldwide since March.) If you have one of these watching your dog - you're already half way there.

If you ordered everything they offer it would cost you nearly $3,500. You and your guests send them photos and content which they clip and drop into their template presentation files.

Given the young women who seem to be promoting this it's obviously a very good way to develop a work from home income given the massive need created by the lock downs. We've got to admire them for that.

The window of opportunity here is also very short. It's simplicity is it's greatest weakness - so, there's a lot of potential for people to simply do this on their own. It's not clear if Wedfuly is a true "collaboration" with access to Zoom capabilities not available to you and I. Eventually, they may be displaced by larger corporate players (Microsoft, Facebook, Google) with similar if not better template solutions. It takes longer for these mega-companies to follow through but they will eventually show up. Hopefully by then, Wedfuly will parlay their exposure into another non-virtual wedding planning business.
 
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But words mean things and "social distancing" is not social it is more appropriately termed "anti-social spacing".
But whatcha gonna do ... socializing via Zoom is still better than not being there at all. Not everyone has the luxury of waiting things out.
 
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But whatcha gonna do ... socializing via Zoom is still better than not being there at all. Not everyone has the luxury of waiting things out.
I don't necessarily agree that this is better than not being there at all. You have to think a little deeper - what is it that you think people are actually needing to "wait out?" Certainly not the legal rights of marriage - because you can seal that with a single witness and no fanfare at all.

So, the goal then must be something else - and it begs the question why do I prefer an online spectacle of 200 people NOW - to a real gathering of my closest personal family and friends held when a suitable site is available? Why are we are willing to celebrate our birthday every year at any time of convenience - but, compel ourselves to place an unnatural widespread immediacy to the celebration of our union in marriage?

I'm seeing many more of my wedding inquiries to be postponed ceremonies and receptions (next year) for people who have ALREADY gotten legally married. Hence, they have all the legal rights of marriage and simultaneously reserve all the emotional benefit of a FIRST TIME ceremony and reception with family and friends present in person.
 
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I don't necessarily agree that this is better than not being there at all. You have to think a little deeper - what is it that you think people are actually needing to "wait out?" Certainly not the legal rights of marriage - because you can seal that with a single witness and no fanfare at all.

So, the goal then must be something else - and it begs the question why do I prefer an online spectacle of 200 people NOW - to a real gathering of my closest personal family and friends held when a suitable site is available? Why are we are willing to celebrate our birthday every year at any time of convenience - but, compel ourselves to place an unnatural widespread immediacy to the celebration of our union in marriage?

I'm seeing many more of my wedding inquiries to be postponed ceremonies and receptions (next year) for people who have ALREADY gotten legally married. Hence, they have all the legal rights of marriage and simultaneously reserve all the emotional benefit of a FIRST TIME ceremony and reception with family and friends present in person.
Well there are those that are deploying, those that have buns in the oven, and those who have plans in motion to move in together and maybe their personal beliefs require them to actually be married to do that. Just saying not everything CAN wait ...
 
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But whatcha gonna do ... socializing via Zoom is still better than not being there at all. Not everyone has the luxury of waiting things out.

Wonder how many DJs will be hired for zoom weddings and what will their pay be?
 
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But whatcha gonna do ... socializing via Zoom is still better than not being there at all. Not everyone has the luxury of waiting things out.
That is the problem with the disconnected, dishonest times in which we are held captive.

We are, sadly, being conditioned to accept lies as facts, make believe as reality and teleconferencing as being there.

No one on Zoom was there, ...at all.

It's like parents that spend 90% of their time away from their family and claim that that are with them in spirit...it just self serving, false apologetic BS.

You are either with them, in person or you are not.

I don't necessarily agree that this is better than not being there at all. You have to think a little deeper - what is it that you think people are actually needing to "wait out?" Certainly not the legal rights of marriage - because you can seal that with a single witness and no fanfare at all.

So, the goal then must be something else - and it begs the question why do I prefer an online spectacle of 200 people NOW - to a real gathering of my closest personal family and friends held when a suitable site is available? Why are we are willing to celebrate our birthday every year at any time of convenience - but, compel ourselves to place an unnatural widespread immediacy to the celebration of our union in marriage?

I'm seeing many more of my wedding inquiries to be postponed ceremonies and receptions (next year) for people who have ALREADY gotten legally married. Hence, they have all the legal rights of marriage and simultaneously reserve all the emotional benefit of a FIRST TIME ceremony and reception with family and friends present in person.
The deepness you recognized is, unfortunately hidden is the shallowness of the me, my mine, I-generation.

We continually devalue and dilute marriage and the importance of family at the altar of selfish, non-consequenced behavior and the end is no where in sight.

When services for divorce & abortion are legally easier to obtain than a mass or service to worship and societally get past than the election of the opponent's candidate, we are in truly troubled times...and I say again, the end is no where in sight.
 
That is the problem with the disconnected, dishonest times in which we are held captive.

We are, sadly, being conditioned to accept lies as facts, make believe as reality and teleconferencing as being there.

No one on Zoom was there, ...at all.

It's like parents that spend 90% of their time away from their family and claim that that are with them in spirit...it just self serving, false apologetic BS.

You are either with them, in person or you are not.


The deepness you recognized is, unfortunately hidden is the shallowness of the me, my mine, I-generation.

We continually devalue and dilute marriage and the importance of family at the altar of selfish, non-consequenced behavior and the end is no where in sight.

When services for divorce & abortion are legally easier to obtain than a mass or service to worship and societally get past than the election of the opponent's candidate, we are in truly troubled times...and I say again, the end is no where in sight.
I know .. reality bites. Are you saying that everyone being there in person is MORE important than the actual ceremony (which was done live in person)?? The rest is just a party ...
 
Overall, it worked. The emotion was there. Many guests were crying. And best of all, the chicken didn't taste like wood.

If that's all we can have for now, so be it...no matter who or what caused it. No use in arguing that.

Plus you can bring your own catering!
 
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Are you saying that everyone being there in person is MORE important than the actual ceremony (which was done live in person)
No. I did not type or imply that...and to suggest that I would do so is folly or direct antagonism.

But being there in person at the ceremony, typically a religious sacrament/ritual, is monumentally more important than pretending skype/zoom is in anyway meaningful or a substitute for human interaction, particularly at the most important and meaningful human acts of love and commitment. We witness and affirm and support and acknowledge in person not by proxy or through some detached, reclusive, sterile video conference.
 
...best of all, the chicken didn't taste like wood.
...but was that macaroni soggy and/or the peas mushed.

Did the steaming food stink and, the real test, was chicken's slowly rotting into something that looked like cheese?

Don't sugar coat it, give us the deets!
 
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The debate over whether Zoom is acceptable for a wedding is really a matter of the personal tastes and values for the B&G only.

The bride and groom here were very pleased with their results. Zoom enabled them to include everyone they wanted. They wouldn't have been able to do that with their original wedding plan due to the practicalities and costs involved for their far-flung circle of friends and family. They had chosen a small out-of-the-way destination because they didn't want people to feel obligated to show up. Zoom meant no one had to show up but everyone could still be a witness.

I am getting married in a few weeks. We too have a far-flung network of friends and family. However, we want to celebrate in person and that just isn't practical right now. Other practicalities put it on our best interests to be married sooner rather than later. Another couple we are close friends with will be the only ones with us. He will officiate, she will take pictures. Then we will go out to a nice dinner overlooking the ocean (if they don't shut restaurants again). Next year, we will host a catered reception at the house. We will probably do some sort of vow renewal that can include her cute little nieces as flower girls. Whatever it is, it will still be relatively simple and unpretentious.
 
BTW, one cool thing about this wedding was that the flower girl was the bride's mother. I have never seen that done before. I think they did that because she was the only parent still around. A lot of people thought it was a lovely touch. The mother really seemed to enjoy the role too.
 
I understand that they made do...that is precisely the point.

We are being manipulated to accept "making do" as some sort of accomplishment when it is more in line with a surrender than an accomplishment.