How to live stream a funeral on Facebook

With more than half of funeral homes now providing some form of streaming service, families increasingly expect this option. Facebook Live offers a zero-cost entry point to test this service at your funeral home. While not perfect for professional use, it’s a starting point many funeral home owners explore before investing in dedicated solutions.

This guide cuts through the technical jargon to show you exactly how to live stream funerals on Facebook. We’ll cover what equipment you actually need, how to avoid common pitfalls, and when it’s time to consider more professional alternatives that won’t risk your reputation with technical glitches.

As a funeral home owner, you’re likely hearing more requests for live streaming from the families you serve. This isn’t just a pandemic-era trend—it’s becoming a standard expectation for modern funeral services.

Families are increasingly asking for ways to include relatives and friends who can’t attend in person. Being able to offer live streaming—even a basic version through Facebook—helps you meet this growing demand without turning families away or sending them to competitors.

While Facebook Live itself is free, you can package live streaming as a value-added service. Many funeral homes add $200-400 to their service packages for this offering, creating a new revenue stream with minimal equipment investment.

Interestingly, our data shows that 30-50% of live stream viewers are actually local to the funeral home—not just distant relatives as many assume. This means your services are being showcased to potential future clients right in your community. It’s like having dozens of extra people “visit” your funeral home without physical space constraints.

The recording feature is perhaps the most underappreciated benefit. Our data shows that nearly 20% of people who watch the recording were physically present at the service. We consistently see that attendees will watch the recording later as part of their grief journey. Emotional moments during services often aren’t fully absorbed in real-time. A recording allows families to revisit meaningful eulogies, music, and tributes at their own pace.

With the right setup, Facebook Live can be relatively quick to implement compared to more complex solutions. For busy, understaffed funeral homes, it offers a way to begin offering this service without significant time demands on your team.

Many funeral directors assume they need expensive, specialized equipment to start live streaming. The reality is much simpler. Here’s what you actually need to begin offering Facebook Live streaming at your funeral home:

The smartphone in your pocket is likely all you need to get started. Modern smartphones have excellent cameras that work well for Facebook Live streaming. 

Invest in a basic, lightweight tripod with a smartphone mount. There’s no need for expensive, heavy-duty equipment for indoor funeral services. A simple $50 tripod from Amazon will serve you well. Just ensure the phone mount has a standard ¼” female connector to attach to the tripod.

This is where you’ll see the biggest quality improvement. The built-in microphone on your phone picks up all the ambient sounds around it—coughing, shuffling, air conditioning—while making the speaker at the podium difficult to hear.

Wireless lavalier (clip-on) microphones make a tremendous difference. Brands like Comica, Neewer, and Hollyland offer affordable options ($80-150) that deliver professional-quality audio. These typically come in pairs, allowing you to place one microphone at the podium and another on the officiant.

Don’t make the common mistake of overspending on fancy streaming cameras or complicated setups. Many funeral homes have invested thousands in equipment they rarely use because it’s too complicated. Start simple with the equipment above—you can always upgrade later if you decide to make live streaming a core service offering.

Before offering live streaming services, always get written permission from the family. This protects your funeral home and creates clear expectations about what will be broadcast.

Internet speed is critical for a successful live stream. Before the day of the service, visit the venue and test the connection:

1. Open your phone’s browser and go to https://www.speedtest.net/
2. Run a speed test to check the upload speed. Facebook Live requires at least 1-5 Mbps upload speed for a stable stream.
3. If the venue has WiFi, test both the WiFi connection and your cellular data.
4. Compare the results and plan to use whichever connection is faster and more stable.

This step is particularly important in older churches and historic buildings where thick walls and materials can interfere with signals. Having this information in advance helps you position your setup in an area with the strongest connection.

It also helps you manage expectations. If there is not a strong enough internet connection to live stream at the venue, you can let your clients know ahead of time.

Facebook allows you to schedule a live event in advance, which is perfect for funeral services. Note that scheduling must be done from a computer, not a mobile device:

1. From your feed, Page, or profile, click Live video, or click What’s on your mind?, then click the three horizontal dots and choose Live video.
2. Click Create event.
3. Add an Event name and Description, then choose the Start date and Start time of your service. You can also add an End date and time.
4. From the Privacy dropdown menu, choose who can see and join your event. Guests can invite friends is toggled on by default, but you can turn it off. Note: Live videos and events hosted by a Page can only be posted to a Public audience.
5. Click Next.
6. When you’re done, click Create event to schedule your live event.

Once scheduled, share the link with the family of the deceased. If they want to make the service public, you can also add the link to the obituary on your funeral home’s website. This step is crucial for ensuring family members know how to access the stream.

Plan to arrive and set up at least 30 minutes before the service begins. This gives you time to troubleshoot any issues with connectivity.

To start your Live video from your scheduled event on a mobile device:

1. Open the Facebook app and navigate to your Page or profile
2. Find the post with your live event
3. Tap Live video
4. When you’re ready, tap Go live

While it’s common practice to place your camera at the back of the room to remain unobtrusive, this significantly reduces the quality of the viewing experience for remote attendees. If the family is comfortable with it, consider these alternative placements:

1. Side angle near the front: This allows viewers to see both the speakers and the casket/urn without being directly in the sightline of in-person attendees.

2. Center aisle on a low tripod: If placed about halfway down the aisle on a short tripod, the camera remains relatively inconspicuous while providing a better view.
3. Off to the side of the podium: This gives viewers the best view of speakers but requires more careful placement to avoid being disruptive.

When setting up:

• Create a brief test stream before the day of the service to verify your connection strength at the venue
• Always enable “Do Not Disturb” mode on your device before going live
• If using external microphones, do a quick sound check and adjust volumes accordingly
• Place your tripod on stable ground and ensure it’s locked securely

Remember that poor video quality is somewhat forgivable, but poor audio will make the entire experience frustrating for viewers. Prioritize sound quality when setting up.

The actions you take immediately following a funeral live stream are just as important as the setup. This is where you can provide lasting value to families and avoid potential disappointments.

Facebook automatically saves your live stream once you end it, but it’s critical to know that this recording is only available for 30 days before being automatically deleted. As a funeral director, you need to download this recording promptly to provide to the family.

To download your Facebook Live recording:

1. Log into Facebook on a desktop or laptop computer (this cannot be done from the mobile app)
2. Navigate to your profile or page where the live video was posted
3. Find the live video post and click on it
4. Click the three dots in the top right corner of the post
5. Select “Download Video” from the dropdown menu

Important note: If your internet connection fails during the live stream, the recording will also stop at that point. Unlike professional funeral streaming platforms like Forget Me Not Ceremonies, Facebook does not create a local backup recording on your device.

Once downloaded, most funeral homes provide the recording to the family at no additional cost as part of their live streaming service. This is a valuable addition to your service, especially considering that our data shows nearly 20% of people who watch the recording were physically present at the service.

Options for sharing the recording include:

• Uploading to a cloud storage service like Google Drive and sharing the link
• Transferring the file to a USB drive for the family

A significant limitation of Facebook Live is that it puts the burden of long-term storage on your funeral home. You’ll need to:

1. Develop a consistent system for organizing and storing video files
2. Maintain adequate storage space on your computers or external drives
3. Consider cloud backup solutions for redundancy
4. Track which families have received their recordings

This file management becomes increasingly complex as you live stream more services. Forget Me Not Ceremonies never deletes your recordings so you can access and download them whenever you like.

After the service, consider adding a note about the availability of the recording if families want to contact you.

When using Facebook Live for funeral streaming, there are several important factors to consider that can significantly impact your experience and the service you provide to families.

This is by far the most significant challenge funeral homes face when using Facebook Live. If copyrighted music is played during the service (which is common in most funeral services), Facebook’s automated system may:

• Mute portions of your live stream
• Block the stream entirely
• Remove the recording after the service

This happens automatically and without warning, potentially disrupting the viewing experience at the most meaningful moments of the service. While you can appeal Facebook’s decision, the process is time-consuming and there’s no guarantee your appeal will be successful.

For funeral homes that regularly live stream services, this limitation alone is often the primary reason for switching to professional funeral streaming platforms like Forget Me Not Ceremonies that allow copyrighted music.

If the family requests a private stream, you’ll need to use a Facebook Group with privacy settings enabled. This requires:

1. Creating a private Facebook Group
2. Manually approving each member who requests to join
3. Live streaming within that group

This process is considerably more cumbersome than public streaming and requires advance planning to ensure all intended viewers are approved before the service begins.

For privacy protection, we recommend:

• Getting written consent from the family before streaming
• Positioning your camera to avoid showing the faces of attendees (focus on the officiant, podium, or casket/urn instead)
• Clearly communicating to the family who will be able to view the stream

Facebook Live includes a comment feature that allows viewers to interact during the stream. While this can provide comfort to the family seeing supportive messages, it also carries risks:

• Inappropriate or insensitive comments
• Spam or unrelated discussions
• Distracting conversations

Consider assigning a staff member to monitor comments during high-profile services, or inform families about the option to disable comments entirely for the stream.

Technical issues can arise with any live streaming platform. Have a backup plan ready:

• Keep a separate recording device running as backup
• Have contact information ready to share with viewers if the stream fails
• Know how to quickly troubleshoot common issues like poor connectivity

If you’re using Forget Me Not Ceremonies, a local recording is always being saved. This means that, even if your internet connection fails, the service is still being recorded. If our app determines that you don’t have enough bandwidth to live stream, you can send a message to all of your virtual guests at once letting them know that you will be recording and uploading. This saves your funeral home from receiving dozens of calls from virtual guests.

For funeral homes considering Facebook Live as a regular service offering, consider how it affects your brand image. The platform’s limitations (lower video quality, potential for ads appearing alongside your content, and copyright issues) may not align with the professional image you want to project for your funeral home.

While Facebook Live offers a free entry point into funeral streaming, many funeral directors find themselves looking for more reliable solutions as they incorporate this service more regularly. Here’s how to know when it’s time to consider upgrading to a professional platform like Forget Me Not Ceremonies.

If you’re experiencing any of these situations, it may be time to consider a professional funeral streaming service:

1. You’re streaming more than 1-2 services per month When live streaming becomes a regular offering, the limitations of Facebook become more problematic and the efficiency benefits of dedicated platforms more valuable.

2. You’ve had copyright music issues If you’ve experienced muted or blocked streams due to music played during services, this is the #1 reason funeral homes switch to professional platforms.
3. Families have expressed disappointment with stream quality Poor connections, audio issues, or viewing difficulties can reflect negatively on your funeral home’s reputation.
4. You’re struggling with technical issues If you find yourself constantly troubleshooting or worrying about the live stream working properly, professional platforms offer peace of mind.

Managing and storing recordings has become burdensome As you accumulate more recordings, the file management aspects become increasingly time-consuming.

Professional funeral streaming platforms like Forget Me Not Ceremonies provide specific advantages over Facebook Live:

• No copyright music restrictions
  Play the music families request without fear of having the stream muted or blocked.
• Dedicated support
  Access to support 7 days a week and staff monitoring live streams to ensure everything goes smoothly.
• Local device recording
  Automatic backup recordings saved to your device, ensuring you have a copy even if internet connection fails.
• Long-term recording storage
  Recordings stored online permanently, eliminating the need for your funeral home to manage file storage.
• User-friendly interface
  Platforms designed specifically for funeral services with intuitive controls and fewer technical hurdles.
• Professional appearance
  No ads, suggested videos, or unrelated content appearing alongside the funeral service.
• More interactive features
  Virtual guests can chat live, upload photos, sign the guestbook, watch multiple live streams on a single page, and download the service program. They can even request information about pre-need.

While professional platforms do involve a cost, many funeral directors find that:

1. The service can be packaged as a premium offering to families
2. The time saved on technical issues and file management offsets the cost
3. The consistent, reliable experience preserves their professional reputation
4. The reduced stress and worry about technical failures is worth the investment

Most importantly, as families increasingly expect live streaming, having a reliable professional platform helps funeral homes maintain their service standards.

Live streaming funerals on Facebook can work for family members handling arrangements on their own with limited resources. Its primary advantage is that it’s free and widely accessible.

For funeral directors, however, Facebook Live presents challenges that can potentially damage your brand and reputation. The issues with copyright music, lack of local backup, absence of technical support, and the presence of ads can create a cumbersome, time-consuming experience that may not reflect the professional image you want to maintain.

If you’re streaming just one service per month or a few per year, Facebook might be sufficient for your needs. But if you’re serious about offering live streaming as a regular service, investing in a professional platform like Forget Me Not Ceremonies will make the process significantly easier for you and your staff.

What was once a novel offering is now becoming a standard service that families expect. Having a reliable, purpose-built solution ensures you can meet this expectation consistently and professionally.

Ready to see how much easier funeral live streaming can be? Book a personalized demo to see the Forget Me Not Ceremonies platform in action and discover why thousands of funeral directors across North America trust us with their live streaming services.