Ceremony Sound Tips for Brides

By Grant Allendorf

How to make sure everyone at the ceremony can hear what is happening

Tips for being heard at your event

Have you ever been to a wedding ceremony and nobody could hear the officiant or the bride and groom when they said their vows?

One of the most important elements of a wedding ceremony is hearing the officiant and the bride and groom’s vows. Many times the officiant is soft spoken and only the first few rows hear what he or she has to say. Wind and road noise can sometimes make it difficult to hear the all important words of the officiant. The way to ensure that everyone will hear the ceremony would be to hire a sound, entertainment, or DJ company to provide the correct equipment for this all important segment of the day

We at Supersounds provide two mics at each ceremony: one on a stand for singers and readers and one wireless over the ear (lemo –broadway) for the officiant (Shure and Audio-Technica sell this product). This mic is important because it is unobtrusive (flesh colored) and has a small wire that goes half way down the side of the officiant’s face.

You don’t want a mic on a stand for the officiant because it would be in every photo.

The officiant also has to have their hands free to hold their script or binder so holding a mic isn’t an option. With the ear worn mic the entire crowd will hear every word of the ceremony, and if the bride and groom are within a foot of the officiant their vows will also be picked up through the ear worn mic of the officiant. These mics are coupled with a mixer and two powered speakers (JBL, QSC or similar brand) on tall speaker stands. They are set up on the side so they don’t interfere with photos. The sound technician or DJ will run the sound so everything is mixed perfectly. This type of sound system should be used whether the ceremony music is live or recorded.

Many times when duos or trios are hired there is no amplification but the music is only one part of the ceremony. We have done many ceremonies where fantastic trios and duos have performed, and we provide the sound system for the officiant and readers or singers because quality sound is a priority for those particular brides and grooms.

Lastly, make sure that all guests turn off (not just put on vibrate) cell phones and pagers. It is even more important that all bridesmaids and ushers (bride and groom too) have their cell phones and pagers turned off as they are close to the officiant who is wearing the wireless ear worn mic. Cell phones and pagers can cause interference with wireless mics and it is appropriate for the officiant to make an announcement before the start of the ceremony about turning them off. Take some time to plan out the sound aspects of your ceremony and your ceremony will win a Grammy on your big day!

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SuperSounds Entertainment

SuperSounds Entertainment

Grant Allendorf is the owner of Supersounds Entertainment (www.supersounds.com), Video Memory and Green Mt. Photobooth (www.greenmtphotobooth.com).
Supersounds has been voted Vermont’s #1 DJ Service. Please contact Grant at
supersounds.entertainment [at] gmail.com

 

 

 

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