Technical Setup For Weddings
When planning a wedding and reception as a bridal couple there are many small details that can be overwhelming. This is an informational package that explains a bit of what we do and need to know when planning the technical side of a wedding and reception. From the information we receive going through these steps we are able to build a package specific to a wedding event.
Most wedding ceremonies are quite often held in a venue such as a church or country club, and the venue likely will provide their own techs and gear to facilitate the wedding ceremony. The reception is normally much more complicated as there tends to be many more variables and people involved, and so here we will concentrate on the reception, though many of the areas we will cover often pertain to both events and many of the questions may be prudent to ask at both venues.
When planning the technical aspects of your occasion, we break your event into three subgroups they are: the program or itinerary of the event, the venue (or venues), and power. The information we gain by addressing these areas allow us to better estimate potential costs and help us gain an understanding of what you want your dream day to look like.
Most wedding ceremonies are quite often held in a venue such as a church or country club, and the venue likely will provide their own techs and gear to facilitate the wedding ceremony. The reception is normally much more complicated as there tends to be many more variables and people involved, and so here we will concentrate on the reception, though many of the areas we will cover often pertain to both events and many of the questions may be prudent to ask at both venues.
When planning the technical aspects of your occasion, we break your event into three subgroups they are: the program or itinerary of the event, the venue (or venues), and power. The information we gain by addressing these areas allow us to better estimate potential costs and help us gain an understanding of what you want your dream day to look like.
The Program
The program or itinerary gives our tech crew a moment-by-moment description of what is going to happen at your event. The goal at any event is to have all parts of the program transition smoothly and without mishap. Often the bride and groom are not sure which individual events to involve in their reception, or even what they are. Below we have included a short list of those "scheduled moments" that occur at most weddings, in no particular order:
- Bride & Groom entrance
- Quirky MC table games
- Meal Prayer/Announcement
- Toasts (Best man, Maid of honour, Grooms parents, Brides parents, etc.)
- Bride and Groom thank you speech
- Wedding video
- Dances (Bride & Groom first dance, Father of the Bride & Bride first dance, Mother of the Groom and Groom first dance)
- Garter removal and toss
- Wedding bouquet toss
- Open Mic
- Dance
- Exit of the Bride and Groom
Lighting
When we approach a reception from a lighting perspective, we look at each "scheduled moment" as a new lighting scene. This means that technical elements need to change and flow to compliment that scene. A great example of that would be the bride's dance with her father. The steps to create this scene include dimming the house lights, and adding a subtle glow of colour in the surrounding areas of the venue by LED spotlights. We then add warm focused spots on the dance floor to create a warm ambience and draw attention to the dancers. On the other hand, the lighting scene for the bride and groom entrance tends to be more flashy, bright, and energetic. We consult with the bride and groom weeks prior to the wedding to discuss specifically what they would like each scene to look like (this also allows us time to plan for those specifics), then we design those scenes as requested, and with current LED technology we have the ability to even match the lighting to the chosen colours of the wedding. We place lighting where it is most effective and least obtrusive, because it is important for the guests to be able to see the bride and groom clearly, without feeling like they are at a rock concert.
Sound
Depending on the size and shape of the venue, and the material of the walls, floor and ceiling, creating clear sound can be tricky. Many venues offer their own microphones, speakers, and projectors, but these items tend to be low grade equipment that is not very well maintained, and often causes more problems than solutions. We use electronic processing equipment to give the clearest sound possible no matter where a guest is located. Sometimes techs require more speakers for a setup, and this isn't always to give more volume but usually to give better sound dispersion, allowing for clear sound everywhere. When doing an outdoor wedding, larger sound systems are necessary to compensate for quicker dissipation of sound. The itinerary will give us a clear idea of what we need to provide for; video, mics, and the DJ, among other things. It is not uncommon for us to provide our services and work with a DJ selected by the bride and groom. If there will be a live band, count on a significant increase in cost as a band requires a a much more complicated sound set up.
Projection
When it comes to projection, most couples choose to play a video or a slideshow. At Artech Audio, we always prefer to use a rear-mounted projector on a screen, which is the least obtrusive option. Picture in your mind someone wheeling a projector out part way through the reception, aiming and focusing it on the screen, followed by a test run to make sure it works, involving showing part of the video. It can be pretty distracting! Almost inevitably, half way through the video, Uncle Bob gets up for a bathroom break and walks in front of the projector, creating a huge shadow and possibly even tripping over the cords. When we rear project, the computer is always hooked up and on and can be ready to go at a moment's notice, it is virtually impossible for someone to block the light from the projector, and the cords are all safely out of the way. The most important factor for a projected event is to find out when sunset is! If the venue has windows, the natural light will wash out the screen very easily and will make it difficult to see the projected image. A simple check of sunset time helps plan your itinerary accordingly.
Staging
Staging is an additional element that is very much based on the setup of the venue. Generally staging is added when the bride and groom are difficult to see, the podium for the mc and speeches needs to be raised, or there is a live band. Staging just helps to focus attention by elevating specific areas like the head table so everyone in attendance can see you, not just the people in the front row.
Entertainment
Whether a live band, a DJ, or uncle Joe on his accordion, the entertainment side of a reception will affect the technical side of the reception greatly. The same quality of sound and lighting should be present throughout the reception and so the needs of the entertainers should be taken into account.
The program or itinerary gives our tech crew a moment-by-moment description of what is going to happen at your event. The goal at any event is to have all parts of the program transition smoothly and without mishap. Often the bride and groom are not sure which individual events to involve in their reception, or even what they are. Below we have included a short list of those "scheduled moments" that occur at most weddings, in no particular order:
- Bride & Groom entrance
- Quirky MC table games
- Meal Prayer/Announcement
- Toasts (Best man, Maid of honour, Grooms parents, Brides parents, etc.)
- Bride and Groom thank you speech
- Wedding video
- Dances (Bride & Groom first dance, Father of the Bride & Bride first dance, Mother of the Groom and Groom first dance)
- Garter removal and toss
- Wedding bouquet toss
- Open Mic
- Dance
- Exit of the Bride and Groom
Lighting
When we approach a reception from a lighting perspective, we look at each "scheduled moment" as a new lighting scene. This means that technical elements need to change and flow to compliment that scene. A great example of that would be the bride's dance with her father. The steps to create this scene include dimming the house lights, and adding a subtle glow of colour in the surrounding areas of the venue by LED spotlights. We then add warm focused spots on the dance floor to create a warm ambience and draw attention to the dancers. On the other hand, the lighting scene for the bride and groom entrance tends to be more flashy, bright, and energetic. We consult with the bride and groom weeks prior to the wedding to discuss specifically what they would like each scene to look like (this also allows us time to plan for those specifics), then we design those scenes as requested, and with current LED technology we have the ability to even match the lighting to the chosen colours of the wedding. We place lighting where it is most effective and least obtrusive, because it is important for the guests to be able to see the bride and groom clearly, without feeling like they are at a rock concert.
Sound
Depending on the size and shape of the venue, and the material of the walls, floor and ceiling, creating clear sound can be tricky. Many venues offer their own microphones, speakers, and projectors, but these items tend to be low grade equipment that is not very well maintained, and often causes more problems than solutions. We use electronic processing equipment to give the clearest sound possible no matter where a guest is located. Sometimes techs require more speakers for a setup, and this isn't always to give more volume but usually to give better sound dispersion, allowing for clear sound everywhere. When doing an outdoor wedding, larger sound systems are necessary to compensate for quicker dissipation of sound. The itinerary will give us a clear idea of what we need to provide for; video, mics, and the DJ, among other things. It is not uncommon for us to provide our services and work with a DJ selected by the bride and groom. If there will be a live band, count on a significant increase in cost as a band requires a a much more complicated sound set up.
Projection
When it comes to projection, most couples choose to play a video or a slideshow. At Artech Audio, we always prefer to use a rear-mounted projector on a screen, which is the least obtrusive option. Picture in your mind someone wheeling a projector out part way through the reception, aiming and focusing it on the screen, followed by a test run to make sure it works, involving showing part of the video. It can be pretty distracting! Almost inevitably, half way through the video, Uncle Bob gets up for a bathroom break and walks in front of the projector, creating a huge shadow and possibly even tripping over the cords. When we rear project, the computer is always hooked up and on and can be ready to go at a moment's notice, it is virtually impossible for someone to block the light from the projector, and the cords are all safely out of the way. The most important factor for a projected event is to find out when sunset is! If the venue has windows, the natural light will wash out the screen very easily and will make it difficult to see the projected image. A simple check of sunset time helps plan your itinerary accordingly.
Staging
Staging is an additional element that is very much based on the setup of the venue. Generally staging is added when the bride and groom are difficult to see, the podium for the mc and speeches needs to be raised, or there is a live band. Staging just helps to focus attention by elevating specific areas like the head table so everyone in attendance can see you, not just the people in the front row.
Entertainment
Whether a live band, a DJ, or uncle Joe on his accordion, the entertainment side of a reception will affect the technical side of the reception greatly. The same quality of sound and lighting should be present throughout the reception and so the needs of the entertainers should be taken into account.
The Venue
Venues differ considerably from one to the next and will often come with their own set of challenges. If you are going to have an outdoor wedding below is a small checklist to consider.
- Average temperature that day of the year (comfort of your guests)
- Safety (as a tech company when we run gear outside in particular cabling it can be unsafe if the ground is to wet, even if your wedding day is sunny if there has been a weeks worth of rain prior, power cables laying in mud can be dangerous.
- Wind, often is not problematic from a safety or comfort standpoint but can cause issues with microphones as they will create considerable background noise.
- If it is likely that a storm could occur lightning can also become a hazard, speaker poles, tent poles, any metal device can again be a safety hazard and attract lightning strikes.
Outdoor weddings can be a beautiful experience, but here in British Colombia it rains an average of 185 days a year, that means that 50% of the year it is raining. If you are planning a fall or spring wedding the possibility of rain increases, while in the summer it decreases slightly. Either way a solid plan B is a good idea. What does that mean, well you essentially need to plan two weddings, one for your outdoor event and one for the indoor event. As the technical team I can tell you a last minute venue change into an unknown facility can lead to a catastrophe so pre planning is key. It is recommended that the decision of which of the two venue locations to be used is made a couple of days prior to the wedding. If a few days out, the weather and state of the outdoor location is in question it may be wise to go indoors, in other words if the phrase "I hope the rain is going to ease up for a little bit" is used the outdoor location is a poor choice.
In an indoor venue to properly facilitate your event these are some details that are pertinent to our setup.
- Size of room (dimensions)
- Room shape (a floor plan provided by the venue often will help)
- Ceiling height
- Material of walls, floor, and ceiling
- Floor plan (location of tables, buffet, head table, speeches, projection screen, windows, etc)
- Capacity (how many people you expect to attend)
These questions will help us determine speaker and lighting placement, as well as projection specifications as addressed in the section previously on projection. It also gives us an idea of the size of the sound system required. A technical control booth will also need to be setup to control and monitor the event. We suggest that that booth be close to the rear of the event space as it is difficult to monitor what is going on if we cannot see or hear what is happening. Rear centre is the optimal location but that of course is not always possible depending on the desired layout, and we are always happy to work on alternatives. An additional recommendation would be to put the vendors table (where the photographers, videographers, techs, basically the crew who will work the wedding will be seated) close to our technical booth. This allows for easy access for our operational techs, this means that when they are seated it is very easy for them to make adjustments without running across the room as someone goes to speak into a mic that is not turned on.
Venues differ considerably from one to the next and will often come with their own set of challenges. If you are going to have an outdoor wedding below is a small checklist to consider.
- Average temperature that day of the year (comfort of your guests)
- Safety (as a tech company when we run gear outside in particular cabling it can be unsafe if the ground is to wet, even if your wedding day is sunny if there has been a weeks worth of rain prior, power cables laying in mud can be dangerous.
- Wind, often is not problematic from a safety or comfort standpoint but can cause issues with microphones as they will create considerable background noise.
- If it is likely that a storm could occur lightning can also become a hazard, speaker poles, tent poles, any metal device can again be a safety hazard and attract lightning strikes.
Outdoor weddings can be a beautiful experience, but here in British Colombia it rains an average of 185 days a year, that means that 50% of the year it is raining. If you are planning a fall or spring wedding the possibility of rain increases, while in the summer it decreases slightly. Either way a solid plan B is a good idea. What does that mean, well you essentially need to plan two weddings, one for your outdoor event and one for the indoor event. As the technical team I can tell you a last minute venue change into an unknown facility can lead to a catastrophe so pre planning is key. It is recommended that the decision of which of the two venue locations to be used is made a couple of days prior to the wedding. If a few days out, the weather and state of the outdoor location is in question it may be wise to go indoors, in other words if the phrase "I hope the rain is going to ease up for a little bit" is used the outdoor location is a poor choice.
In an indoor venue to properly facilitate your event these are some details that are pertinent to our setup.
- Size of room (dimensions)
- Room shape (a floor plan provided by the venue often will help)
- Ceiling height
- Material of walls, floor, and ceiling
- Floor plan (location of tables, buffet, head table, speeches, projection screen, windows, etc)
- Capacity (how many people you expect to attend)
These questions will help us determine speaker and lighting placement, as well as projection specifications as addressed in the section previously on projection. It also gives us an idea of the size of the sound system required. A technical control booth will also need to be setup to control and monitor the event. We suggest that that booth be close to the rear of the event space as it is difficult to monitor what is going on if we cannot see or hear what is happening. Rear centre is the optimal location but that of course is not always possible depending on the desired layout, and we are always happy to work on alternatives. An additional recommendation would be to put the vendors table (where the photographers, videographers, techs, basically the crew who will work the wedding will be seated) close to our technical booth. This allows for easy access for our operational techs, this means that when they are seated it is very easy for them to make adjustments without running across the room as someone goes to speak into a mic that is not turned on.
Power
Power is the third and final section for us here. Power is one of those items that is rarely thought about, it is always assumed that there is a plug on a wall so there is enough power to do the event. On average for us to run a wedding reception we use three to four clean circuits. What I mean by a clean circuit is that there is nothing else plugged in or wired to those circuits and drawing power. There are usually around ten plugs on an electrical circuit as allowed by the Canadian Electrical Code. If there is a spare plug on the wall in the venue that means there are nine other plugs where items may be taking power, unless it is specifically labelled as a designated circuit. For this reason a power assessment needs to be made, it is not uncommon for us to run a distribution panel so that we know we have those clean circuits. Nothing can be as catastrophic as losing power part way through a significant moment. Imagine all the lighting going down during the bridal parties first dance because a breaker tripped. Even with a distribution panel power can be problematic, as a tech crew it will appear as though we have an abundance of power sitting for our use. However we can speak from experience when we say that power from the distribution is not for any other use except that of supplying technical equipment . On one occasion someone snuck past our crew and plugged in a large coffee machine into a receptacle in our distribution panel. The circuit they plugged into was already accounted for and full. They started the machine during the father of the brides speech. We lost power on part of the sound system as soon as the coffee pot was turned on and dad was left standing in front of a group of 300 with no working mic. For people who are already nervous about public speaking snags such as this one can be quite infuriating.
All of this is easy to work through as long as a power assessment is completed and we have the ability to account for where power needs to be distributed and where it is coming from. This is also important to note for last minute venue changes, as last minute often does not allow for a proper accounting of power.
Power is the third and final section for us here. Power is one of those items that is rarely thought about, it is always assumed that there is a plug on a wall so there is enough power to do the event. On average for us to run a wedding reception we use three to four clean circuits. What I mean by a clean circuit is that there is nothing else plugged in or wired to those circuits and drawing power. There are usually around ten plugs on an electrical circuit as allowed by the Canadian Electrical Code. If there is a spare plug on the wall in the venue that means there are nine other plugs where items may be taking power, unless it is specifically labelled as a designated circuit. For this reason a power assessment needs to be made, it is not uncommon for us to run a distribution panel so that we know we have those clean circuits. Nothing can be as catastrophic as losing power part way through a significant moment. Imagine all the lighting going down during the bridal parties first dance because a breaker tripped. Even with a distribution panel power can be problematic, as a tech crew it will appear as though we have an abundance of power sitting for our use. However we can speak from experience when we say that power from the distribution is not for any other use except that of supplying technical equipment . On one occasion someone snuck past our crew and plugged in a large coffee machine into a receptacle in our distribution panel. The circuit they plugged into was already accounted for and full. They started the machine during the father of the brides speech. We lost power on part of the sound system as soon as the coffee pot was turned on and dad was left standing in front of a group of 300 with no working mic. For people who are already nervous about public speaking snags such as this one can be quite infuriating.
All of this is easy to work through as long as a power assessment is completed and we have the ability to account for where power needs to be distributed and where it is coming from. This is also important to note for last minute venue changes, as last minute often does not allow for a proper accounting of power.
Summary
There are many significant details in planning an event, here we have touched on some details that will help plan your event. One final additional suggestion is to have the bride and groom select a liaison person. Inevitably people approach the tech booth with comments about sound being to loud or two quiet, lights being to bright or to dim, etc. When techs receive direction from one person representing the bride and groom we know that changes are only made as the bridal couple desires them and not because a guest is unhappy with their choices. If you have any further questions feel free to send us an email at the link below.
There are many significant details in planning an event, here we have touched on some details that will help plan your event. One final additional suggestion is to have the bride and groom select a liaison person. Inevitably people approach the tech booth with comments about sound being to loud or two quiet, lights being to bright or to dim, etc. When techs receive direction from one person representing the bride and groom we know that changes are only made as the bridal couple desires them and not because a guest is unhappy with their choices. If you have any further questions feel free to send us an email at the link below.
