When a loved one can't attend your wedding, consider live streaming any part of the ceremony or festivities so far-away guests can still celebrate practically in person. From video calling to live video channels, these six services enable you to live stream a wedding:

• HangWith: Open up this free mobile app for Android and iOS to stream live video with any number of people; it's that easy. As the event gets under way, viewers can chat with text appearing on the screen for the iPhone videographer to see.
• Skype: One of the most well-known video-calling services, Skype is a great free option if you are just trying to include one person. To include more people, sign up for Skype Premium ($10 per month), which allows group chats with up to 10 people.
• Ustream: The video website enables you to broadcast live video content. It even developed a Ustream Broadcaster app, so you can easily stream live HD video from your mobile phone.

Discover three more ways to share the wedding joy with friends after the break.

Apple is making a big — well, technically, little — announcement today, and for the first time since 2010, viewers can tune in live to the event. The speculated iPad Mini unveil will be streamed live from the California Theatre in San Jose via the Apple website and the Apple TV app, starting at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT.

Last week, Apple said that it had a "little more to show" us, and in a short few minutes we'll see if rumors of a mini tablet will ring true. Stay tuned for more event coverage, and let us know if you'll be watching the Apple live stream.

>> The Metropolitan Museum will broadcast the red-carpet arrivals for its Costume Institute Gala for the first time ever this year, and viewers can choose among three websites to watch it on.

Vogue.com, MetMuseum.org, and Amazon.com — which is sponsoring this year's exhibit, Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations — will all live stream the celebrities and designers walking into the museum from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on May 7. Fashion journalist and longtime Vogue contributor William Norwich and model Elettra Wiedemann will man the red carpet, interviewing notable attendees like Anna Wintour, Miuccia Prada, and Carey Mulligan.

Viewers can submit questions for Norwich and Wiedemann to ask celebrities on Twitter with the hashtag #metquestions. The live stream will also include pretaped segments about the Costume Institute's history and this year's exhibit.

While the live streams won't differ across the three sites, the Met's website will feature additional content and information about the exhibit, including interviews with its curators Andrew Bolton and Harold Koda. Vogue's site, meanwhile, will focus on giving readers an inside look at the gala and a video of this year's unknown musical guest.

See last year's standout red carpet looks.

Photo: Renée Zellweger arrives at the 2011 Costume Institute Gala.

Whitney Houston passed away suddenly last weekend at the age of 48, and while most of the music world is still reeling from her departure, services are being planned for Saturday, Feb. 18, in Newark, New Jersey. The 1,500-seat private service is expected to be attended by legendary entertainment artists like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Kevin Costner, who costarred with Whitney in 1992's The Bodyguard.

There will be one AP camera inside during the funeral, allowing fans to watch the services live online. However, no time has been announced for when you can tune in to AP's Ustream channel on Saturday to follow along.

This Sunday, the US women's soccer team goes head to head with Japan in the final match of the 2011 Women's World Cup final. If you won't be in front of your TV for all the action, there are a few ways you can watch live coverage online and on the go starting at 2 p.m. EDT. Check out our list below!

• WatchESPN (Free) — This app is perfect for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad users who will be on the road during the game. Using WiFi or a 3G signal, you can watch the game live from the app if you're already an ESPN or Verizon high speed subscriber.
• ESPNRadio ($3) — Listen to the game live on the ESPN Radio app on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, or tune in to the ESPN Radio stations on Sirius/XM.
• FIFA.com — The official FIFA website will be covering the game, offering up live scores, play-by-plays, instant replays, and more news.
• ESPN3 — ESPN3 will be broadcasting the match live on its website for select subscribers. Click the "Watch Now" button on the top right-hand corner, and find your provider to tune in!

Update: It's on now! Be sure to tune in to see the stars arrive!

Big news, Potter fans: YouTube will be hosting a Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows red carpet live stream on July 7 straight from London's Trafalgar Square! The live stream will kick off at 8 a.m. PDT, where you'll get a chance to see the entire cast of Harry Potter as they walk the red carpet alongside celebrity guests from across the globe. YouTube is even offering up the entire Harry Potter movie collection for rent for $3-$4, so you can catch up (or re-watch) before the final film hits theaters on July 15. It's the next best thing to attending live across the pond, unless you win our red carpet experience that is.

But even if you miss the London premiere on July 7, don't fret — you'll have another chance to see the stars on the red carpet as PopSugar will be bringing you live coverage from the US premiere in NYC.

Weather permitting, tomorrow marks the final launch for NASA's space shuttle program. At 11:36 a.m. EDT, the shuttle Atlantis will take off from the Kennedy Space Center for a 12-day mission to the International Space Station, marking the final trip to space for NASA's shuttle fleet. Thanks to technology, you don't have to head to Cape Canaveral to view the launch (though it could be a very geeky trip). Instead, there are a few ways you can watch the Atlantis launch live online; find out how below!

On Your Computer

NASA will be broadcasting the shuttle launch live tomorrow, with a pre-launch update beginning at 8:00 a.m. EDT.

On Your TV

Major news networks will be broadcasting the shuttle launch live on TV, so be sure to check your local listings for stations and times.

On Your iPhone and iPad

NASA has free apps for both the iPhone and iPad that allow you to watch NASA TV live, including tomorrow's shuttle launch.

Hashtags to Follow

If you can't get to a computer screen or pause to watch the live video, you can follow the action on NASA and NASAKennedy's Twitter streams, and watch for the #STS135 #NASA and #Shuttle hashtags.

The Eastern Hemisphere will get a big treat tomorrow night: a total lunar eclipse. Beginning at 6:23 p.m. Universal time (find out what time that is in your time zone), the Earth will pass between the moon and the sun, casting a shadow on the moon and decreasing its brightness by 10,000 to 100,000 times.

Asia, Europe, and Africa will get the best view of the whopping 100-minute eclipse (one of the longest eclipses expected this century) while North and South America will unfortunately be left out of the party. But don't fret America dwellers: you can still watch the eclipse in action thanks to a few live streams. Find out where to point your browsers after the break.

Last night at 8:35 p.m. PST, President Obama announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed by a military operation on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. But by the time his speech had started, the news of bin Laden's death had already spread around Twitter and Facebook. While social media is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends, it's quickly becoming my favorite place to check up on breaking news. How has social media changed the way news is reported? Check out a few examples of how this breaking story unfolded below.

• Twitter — White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer announced on Twitter that the POTUS would be making a speech at 7:30 p.m. PST, but the first tweet about bin Laden's death came from a former chief-of-staff for Donald Rumsfeld. Twitter explosion ensues.
• Push notifications — If you have installed any news apps on your smartphones (like AP Mobile for example), you'd get quick and timely breaking news pop-ups. I got my first notification about the news shortly after the first tweet about bin Laden's death hit the Internet. I then went straight to my trending topics on Twitter to get more information.
• Text messaging — News spreads quickly online and within social networks thanks to text messaging. Texting has been growing in popularity among all age groups, and is sometimes the preferred choice of communication over phone calls and emails.
• Facebook — A group called Osama Bin Laden is Dead pops up on Facebook, and within minutes, starts collecting hundreds of fans. As more people "like" the page, the quicker the news spreads through friends.
• Live news feeds online — President Obama addressed the nation via traditional media outlets like TV and radio, as well as on Ustream. It also had embedded video on its official webpage, and on the White House Live Facebook page. Additionally, White House staffers were live tweeting key quotes during the speech on Twitter.

How has social media changed the way you consume news? Where did you first read about Osama bin Laden's death?