CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The coronavirus pandemic has forced some couples to make a tough decision: postpone their 2020 wedding, or hold a livestream for guests to virtually attend.

One North Carolina wedding business is helping people livestream their wedding ceremonies with ease through a new system they created during the pandemic.

Samie and Ryan Roberts, the owners of Bustld, have spent the last few years helping couples create their perfect wedding. When things shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, their calendar quickly became empty.

“Over half of our revenue disappeared pretty quickly,” says Ryan.

The Roberts didn’t waste any time trying to figure out a way to help their business bounce back.

They say they noticed couples go ahead with their scheduled weddings using a Zoom livestream for guests. Samie says they also caught on to some of the complaints people had about the Zoom method.

“It’s just too many faces, it’s too complicated. We wanted it to feel like a wedding. We wanted it to feel special, we didn’t want it to be just another work conference” Samie says.

The Roberts created “Lovestream”, a live-stream service where couples can set up their own phones or iPads, and the Bustld team in Charlotte acts as the producers for the ceremony. The guests get a link to the ceremony, so all they have to do is make one or two simple clicks and pop the champagne to celebrate.

“We actually will work with you leading into the wedding to understand the timeline of events, and what you’re looking to capture. Then we do all the camera switching, and that’s part of the real magic of this,” says Ryan. “Typically we’ll go a close camera to a wide camera, close camera, wide camera. We kind of bounce around to show the processional and we just make more of a production of it.”

Samie says the business has taken off, with the couple averaging anywhere from seven to 20 weddings a week. They’re helping brides around the country in places like California, New York, and even Canada.

“I think people are realizing that they’re downsizing their wedding, but they want it to still be really special,” says Samie. “They want to celebrate with people, even if it isn’t the traditional way of celebrating.

For more information on Lovestream or Bustld, click the links.