This morning I saw a Facebook post from one of my favorite local wedding officiants who was thankful that the wind isn’t as bad today as it was yesterday.
She had to hold a handheld mic during the ceremony, while trying to hold and control all her papers in the wind for the ceremony service. To make matters worse, the wind was making a lot of noise when it was amplified through through DJ’s sound system.
I placed a lighthearted, joking comment, but it really got me thinking.
See, what she really needed yesterday wasn’t necessarily less wind, although that might have been awesome as well!
What would have really helped her experience was working with a DJ that provided better tools for the job, and who had the experience to use them.
As her post suggested, wedding officiants often do more with their hands than juggle papers. Hand binding ceremonies, holding and handing out rings… These are just a couple.
Their hands shouldn’t have to do these things while juggling a microphone.
A stand isn’t a solution either, because that places a physical barrier and obstruction between her and the couple, who are standing in fairly close proximity. A stand make interaction more difficult and cumbersome. And a microphone on a stand between the two of you in all your wedding photos…? Well, you get the idea!
A much better solution for wedding ceremonies would be wireless clip on mics, called lavaliere mics. They are small, discrete, and hands free. The kind you see on TV on the news, or reality shows. They’re very discrete, and very easy to hide and obscure in clothing.
Also, the DJ should always use at least two of these mics during your ceremony. One on the officiant, and one on the groom.
Two mics allows your guests to hear the couple as they read or repeat their vows. Two mics also serves as built in backup if something were to happen to the officiant’s mic. In addition, having multiple microphones just provides better sound, because it allows your DJ to adjust the levels and EQ on the different microphones at different times to get a more balanced sound, and to help reduce amplification of any ambient noise that might be present.
Now, in all fairness, some might even say that the DJ in question CHOSE to use the handheld instead of a lav mic because they are more resistant to ambient wind noise.
While this is true generally speaking, the difference isn’t anything that can’t be accounted for by using adequate windscreens, mic placement, and EQ on lavaliere mics.
High quality lavaliere mics can be more expensive to invest in, are more sensitive, and do have a steeper learning curve to use effectively. But doesn’t your wedding ceremony deserve that extra investment, time, and effort?
To learn more about how I go above and beyond for my clients, and how I put my experience to use for you on your wedding day, please contact me today!