In a word, YES! Your wedding guests want to hear your love story. There's nothing more frustrating than being at a wedding where you can't hear the officiant's speech and the personalized vows. You might worry that your wedding day will look like a sound stage at a rock concert, but we have some simple tips to make sure that your sound system is a welcome addition and not a distraction.
For outdoor settings, remember that nature has its own beautiful sounds: birds chirping, the wind blowing, leaves rustling. Those beautiful sounds are often met with cars and trucks zooming past, buzzing drones flying overhead, planes, and trains.
For indoor weddings, your officiant's voice will usually carry to the back of the room because they're well-practiced. However, most couples are overcome with emotion while declaring their love for one another, so enunciating and projecting isn't (and shouldn't be) their top priority.
DJs and some churches offer microphones and speaker systems, and now we also offer our own ceremony sound package.
Things You Need to Know
Wireless Microphones: Unless you have a top-of-the-line wireless microphone, you're likely to get feedback. (You know, that high-pitched screech that ruins the moment?) If your DJ is doing your ceremony sound, make sure they'll be present and will be acting as a sound engineer to make sure that doesn't happen! Before we started offering ceremony sound, we saw a wide variety of DJs with everything from truly awful equipment to microphones you'd find on stage at Madison Square Garden! (Don't worry, we took down the names of the people who impressed us and you can contact us for our favorites.)
Microphones on stands are my favorite option. You can hold your partner's hands, bouquet, your vows, and don't need to worry about the microphone's position. The black microphone stand also really camouflages into the background at most ceremonies. (I struggled to find a picture that really featured it, actually!) Your reader can easily read on iPhone or their papers as well.
Our Ceremony Sound
We use professional singing microphones on microphone stands
We use a battery-powered Bose speaker (with back-up power and extension cords, just in case!)
We always hold a sound check on the day with your officiant and readers.
Lastly, we always monitor the sound during the ceremony to make sure it's just right.
What do you want to know about ceremony sound? Comment below.
Happy wedding planning!
-Ariana
