Let It Be Heard

November 8th, 2007 @ 6:06 pm by Mrs. Corn

Reader hwong14 commented on my Ceremony Pro Pics Post:

Mrs. Corn, I know you blogged about the wind before… did you guys use a microphone for the ceremony? If not, could the guests still hear? Was it a big deal? Thanks!

My sister is an ordained Presbyterian minister and she conducted our ceremony. She is a consummate professional, so I had no doubts that she would be able to project in any situation. But my friend, Sarah, whom we asked to read at our wedding, is rather soft spoken, so early on in our planning, I contracted with our band to have a sound-guy come early and set up a microphone for our ceremony.

I am glad we made that decision, especially because of the wind. Whereas we originally were just going to use the microphone for the reader, we ended up using the microphone for everything; the string trio and our friend who did our impromptu videography got tapped into the microphone.

From what I recall, the cost to have the sound guy come about an hour earlier than the band and run this was very reasonable. I am not sure how much it would be if you didn’t have a band, but I am sure it is something that could be worked out with a DJ as well. Or, if you are getting married at a venue that has a site coordinator, this could be something they can arrange for you.

An interesting sidenote: During the crazy-windy rehearsal, someone decisively declared to me, “uh, yeah, we’re gonna have to lose the microphone”.

At that point, I could have had a minor meltdown, but instead, I thought to myself…’hmmmm…I am paying for a sound guy to come and set up a microphone. I am preeeeety darn sure he’ll be able to handle the wind, and you know what? The only person who he will allow to cancel him, would be me, so I’m just going to keep my mouth shut.’

The next day, it was just as windy, and when I got to the fort, sure enough, the sound guy had set up the microphone and everything was peachy keen.

I was lucky that I trusted my instincts, and rest assured knowing that if you have hired professionals, they won’t let anyone change your plans without consulting you first.

Tags: newport, post-wedding |

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3 Responses to “Let It Be Heard”

Guest

Sarah

Our wedding was just a hair smaller, and maybe two-thirds as windy, and although we had no sound reinforcement, a couple sitting in the back row later thanked us because it had been “the first wedding in a long, long time” that they’d been able to hear everything. Both of our readers definitely had the skillz to judge how loud they needed to be, though: one’s a theatre souind guy, and the other’s a former swimming coach.

11/8/07 @ 7:37 pm (reply)

Member

princesskittyHI (message) 412 posts, Helper bee

Our officiant suggested that we use a mic for our outdoor wedding too. He and the DJ we used both suggested the “lavaliere” style (which hangs from the neck — or you can also do the clip on the lapel style) and that both he and my hubs be miked.

It worked out great and everyone could hear the officiant read the vows and both hubs’ and my responses. (The bride doesn’t need one since both officiant and FI are wired up, and everyone stands so close; plus, no WAY do you want to spoil your pretty dress for the pix with a black mic!) Several people commented on how great it was that they could hear everything, even all the way at the back.

11/8/07 @ 8:03 pm (reply)

Guest

hwong14

Thanks for the response! I just looked at a potential venue, the rooftop of a local museum, and it was gorgeous, but pretty windy, which I wasn’t expecting — I could barely hear the site coordinator, and she was right next to me, so that got me thinking about microphones. The lavaliere style sounds pretty cool, too.

11/10/07 @ 9:23 am (reply)