By: Scour the internet for “wedding ceremony photos” and you’re bound to come across a photo or two–or a dozen–of an officiant either holding a microphone or speaking into a microphone on a stand that’s placed prominently in front of the couple and officiant at the altar. You’ll also find pictures of ceremonies in which you can see a speaker in the background.
In this photograph, you can’t tell where the microphone is located. This photograph was taken from the second row.
Do you really want a microphone in the photos of your first moments as husband and wife? Do you want a big black box in the background of you and your new husband or wife walking up the aisle together?
These were problems that we noticed at several weddings we’d attended. Finally, one day, the light went on. Why not use a lavaliere microphone?! Problem solved, or was it? Where do we put the lavaliere? Should the officiant wear it, should the groom wear it, should the…gulp…bride wear a black microphone on her white dress?
A little closer and you can see the head of the lavaliere microphone if you look closely.
The solution came, not at a wedding, but while watching a meeting in which participants were speaking into a speaker phone. Now, the problem was solved and several of our couples have enjoyed an amplified wedding ceremony, without the intrusive microphone somewhere in the picture.
Working with your officiant is important. We’ll clip the lavaliere the officiant’s book which gives him/her the ability to project their voice that’s picked up by the microphone, along with the happy couple while they recite their vows and say those all important “I do’s”!
You have to zoom in to see the microphone on the officiant’s binder. It’s well hidden on the black of the binder and is able to get Grady (the groom) speaking.
Now, how do we go about hiding speakers? Simple, foliage. On several occasions, we’ve used existing trees and landscaping to hide the speaker to keep it out of sight. Bushes make for a great effect as the sound appears to be coming from “somewhere over there”, but can’t quite be pinpointed unless you know it is there.
But what about those times you can’t keep it out of sight, you may ask?
Well, it’s simple. We work with you, your venue, your photographer and your videographer to set-up a game plan to allow for proper set-up of the speaker(s) to remain out of the the way as much as possible. While there may be the occasional sight, proper placement will allow for your photographer to alter the photograph so it appears as part of the natural background.
A table was set-up behind these trees. You can see the speaker is facing through the trees with the ceremony about 100 feet in front of this location.
In most cases, we’re able to design a set-up that has the photographer backing up toward the speakers which are placed at the rear of your ceremony. This is to allow the guests in the back to hear the presidings, while the guests in front can hear from the officiant there. This set-up also helps to eliminate feedback while allowing all guests to be able to hear what you and your future spouse, along with the officiant are saying.
What is also important is the placement of wires running to and from the sound system. In this case, you can see a yellow extension cord coming from the table. This cord was carefully placed on the end of the flower bed furthest from guest view so even in areas in which the guests could possibly see the cord, they couldn’t.
Of course, with all of the services offered to you, your desires and wishes are always the most important. If you have an idea or want to do something different, we’re happy to work with you to create a wonderful wedding day and help make your wedding day dreams come true.
Behind this tree, a powerful sound system stands, but guests can’t see it, and we like it that way.
