Wedding Ceremony Sound System Rental

When you are choosing the location for your wedding ceremony, one of the first questions to ask is “Do you offer a sound system for use during my ceremony?”. I’m sure that you’ve been to a few weddings where you haven’t been able to hear anything that is going on between the bride, groom and even the officiant. Most weddings are pretty boring if you can’t hear what is going on. If you want to prevent that from happening at your wedding, Pittsburgh Sound Rental has all of the Wedding Ceremony Sound System Rental equipment and expertise that you need.

Need More Information or Ready To Rent? Call us at 412-315-8133 or contact us via email here!

Wedding Ceremony Microphones

If you are going to have a great sounding wedding, the microphones are where the sound begins. Here are some tips for microphone placement and usage during your wedding ceremony.

Who Needs A Microphone?

The Officiant – Most ministers, priests, and other wedding officiants have quite a bit of experience with microphones. Ask them what type of microphone they prefer. Most will ask for a wireless lapel clip on type of microphone.
The Bride – We offer low profile wireless microphones that are easily hidden in the brides dress. If the bride prefers not to have anything on the dress (this is not uncommon), we can utilize the grooms microphone to pick up her voice. Handheld microphones that can be passed to the bride are an excellent alternative if you want the best possible audio from the bride.
The Groom – The good news about wearing a tux is that they have plenty of space for hiding a wireless microphone. If the bride doesn’t want to be mic’d up, you can position the grooms microphone at approximately her height and by standing closely, you will pick up enough of her voice to hear on the PA system.
Singers and Musicians – Standard wired microphones are perfect for these types of performers. Just let us know how many musicians you will be having and we will include enough microphones to cover the performance.
Readers – If someone is going to be speaking in front of the guests, make sure that they have a microphone. Normally there is a podium and we can place a microphone on a stand at the podium.

Pre-Recorded Ceremony Music

If you aren’t having live musicians, or want to supplement their performance with pre-recorded music, it is simple to accomplish with one of our sound systems. We always include the necessary adapter cables for an iPod, cd player or laptop computer. Just make sure that you have the recordings ready to go and they will play perfectly over your wedding ceremony sound system.

Wedding Ceremony Sound System Rental Best Practices

Practice Makes Perfect – The rehearsal is there for a reason. We can’t recommend strongly enough for you to have the sound system for the rehearsal. This lets you make sure that you know how everything works and it ensures that none of the equipment was damaged during transport. We have backup equipment available in case of failures and if you test things out, we can have it there before the ceremony starts!
Speakers and Microphones Don’t Mix – If you put a microphone in front of a speaker, it will form an amplification loop where the sound coming out is going right back in and getting louder and louder until the amplifier begins to squeal. You’ve probably heard this before – it is commonly called feedback. If you are close to the speakers, it can be painful and even cause hearing damage. Keep your microphones behind the speakers and this problem will be minimized.
Hold The Microphone Close – Most of the microphones that we include with rentals are designed to pickup sound in close proximity to the microphone. This allows the mic to ignore ambient noises that you don’t really want amplified. A problem arises when the person speaking doesn’t hold the microphone close to their mouth. During the rehearsal, let everyone know that they need to be close to the mic. If you can’t hear them well, don’t just turn up the volume on the amplifier – tell them to hold it closer and you’ll get the best possible sound.
Beware of Wireless Interference – Wireless microphones are great when they are working properly. If you are experiencing intermittent performance or other odd noises, the cause is usually interference from other electronics. Some cell phones will interact with wireless systems. Don’t have the transmitter in your pocket next to your cell phone. If you have to have your cell phone with you, either have it turned off (are you really expecting a call during your wedding ceremony?) or have it as far away from the transmitter as possible. The same goes for the person at the mixer where the wireless receiver is located.
Turn Off Microphones – If a microphone isn’t being used, don’t have it turned on. At best you’ll just pick up some unwanted noise from the background. Worst case is that you broadcast something embarrassing from a person who didn’t think that the microphone was on. Don’t let that happen to you!
Use New Batteries – If any of your equipment uses batteries, make sure that they are fresh. Wireless microphones generally use either a 9V or two AA batteries in the transmitter belt pack. Acoustic guitars with a pickup almost always have a 9V battery installed under the volume control. Don’t take a chance on an old battery when for a few dollars you can have peace of mind.