Invite for Live Streaming - Help with wording!

I can't speak to the cultural component (though I heard that Indian ceremonies are lengthy affairs with several stages...?), but I can speak to my experience with livestreams!

We've had marginal success with trying to include our families from around the world and I can tell you what worked, and what didn't:

What works:

1- Being clear in stressing the word **VIRTUAL** in STDs/invites. I know it may feel awkward and perhaps even tacky, but I will stress this particularly for the sake of your older relatives: they are very used to the traditional paths of a wedding industry, and straying from that path too much can be jarring and confusing. If you go the way of making invitations, include the word virtual. There are other ways to soften the blow of not being physically present (see below), but this is a major regret my FH and I feel about our invitations, as we got many responses saying they could not make it, or no response at all.

2- Including major time zones on the STDs/invites. Many formal invitations write out the time, but as the way you are doing things is already unconventional, I encourage you to highlight the major time zones on the invitations itself.

3- Watching your wording. We sent out two batches of invitations --the first to my US family/friends, and the second to my FH's family/friends in other countries-- and we've had far better reception with the second batch. Why? Because we changed one part of the wording about their presence being requested. When you use words like "witness", "attendance", or "presence", people will just assume you mean you expect them to be physically there. On our second batch we changed the wording on the bottom from "Your presence on this day is the best gift of all" to "Your presence on this day, whether near or far, is the best gift of all" and I have to say it made all the difference in people getting it and following up.

4- Get a wedding website ready and provide site information on an RSVP insert. Whether it's a QR code or a simple note, let people know the website and encourage them to RSVP, even if it's for the virtual component. Include an events schedule on the site, and you can even create separate RSVP forms for each event if you like, so people can select which ones they want to attend and get notifications on.

What doesn't work:

1- Apologizing. People may get upset or feel slighted for you breaking the mold, but like you I want to include people because it feels like the right thing to do. We're trying to make the experience as normal as possible, and we understand some people may not get it. At the end of the day, you're doing what's right for the two of you.

2- Putting the registry up front and center --or, conversely, leaving one out. I imagine a lot of people on these forums will say no no no to any kind of cash grab on a virtual ceremony, and they are quite right. But having a registry available for anyone interested in finding one, is not the same thing. Sadly, there's a transactional relationship in modern times where wedding guests don't necessarily get a gift to show support for a newlywed couple in their community; they do it because they were given a plated dinner and an open bar, and I find that incredibly sad. But also in my experience, the people who truly care about you and your new marriage will want a way to provide a gift, if they understand you've tried to include them. Make sure your website has a registry for this reason. For us, we put it at the bottom of the welcome page, but simply a tab on the menu that says "registry" is neither egregious nor offensive. If people want to go there, then they have the option.

3- Using social media to stream. Facebook, for example, can and will cut the audio if the algorithm gets a whiff of you using copyrighted music. There are amazing companies out there that flourished in the wake of COVID that would be able to put together a production for you that bypasses this. I personally used LoveStream, though I imagine there are many others. Even though streaming online yourself might seem the more economical path, remember, you will be under a lot of stress, the stream might hit moderation walls, and you can look at it as an investment into entertaining your loved ones from afar. If the expectation is to include them, then a little investment in a streaming company is a kindness you can afford.

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I hope some of this information is useful to you! Feel free to DM me if you want to pick my brain some more. Good luck, and congratulations!