Weddings and celebrations
Wedding sound hire in Seville: three moments, one set-up
A wedding isn't one event – it's three in a row. The ceremony, the drinks reception and the dancing each need different equipment, in different spots and at different times. We set everything up in the morning and leave it sorted right through to the end of the night.
- Moments
- Ceremony, drinks reception, wedding breakfast and dancing
- Set-up
- In the morning, before any guests arrive
- Technician
- Quoted separately. Recommended if the ceremony has live music
- Area
- Seville, Aljarafe and province
What a wedding should really sound like
The day needs three different sound set-ups
Almost every sound problem at a wedding comes from treating the day as a single event. The ceremony needs clear speech; the drinks reception needs background music that still lets people talk; the dancing needs punch. That's three different settings and, nearly always, three different locations.
Ceremony: make sure the “I do” is heard from the back row
This is the most delicate moment and the one that most often goes wrong. Outdoors there are no walls to carry the voice, so everything depends on the microphones and where the speakers are placed. What works: two speakers on stands either side of the altar, aimed at the seats rather than down the aisle, plus a lavalier mic for the officiant and a discreet pair of microphones for the couple and the readers. If family members are doing readings, a wireless handheld mic is better than having everyone step up one by one to a fixed stand.
The processional music runs from the same desk: the bride's entrance, the signing, the exit. It's all prepared in advance, with cuts and levels set, so nobody has to hunt for a song on their phone with two hundred people watching. If there's a string quartet, violinist or singer, they're miked up and mixed with the officiant's voice – which is exactly where you need a sound technician.
Drinks reception: music that accompanies, not drowns out
At the drinks reception people talk. If the sound is badly distributed, some guests end up shouting while others hear nothing. The answer isn't one big speaker in a corner, but two or three small points spread around the area at low volume. That way you get the same feel across the whole garden without turning it up. If the drinks are far from the main hall, we bring a battery-powered portable system and avoid running cables across half the venue.
Speeches and wedding breakfast: the roving-mic moment
During the meal you need at least one wireless microphone that can be passed around: best man, siblings, surprises. A hall with high ceilings and lots of hard surfaces is prone to feedback, so the mic is handed over already EQ'd with its level set. It's worth having two, because there's always a double-act speech.
Dancing: now it's time for power
The party is a different event altogether. The location changes, the equipment changes and the volume changes. This is where the subwoofers, the DJ booth and the lighting come in. The key thing is that this set-up is already in place from the morning: nobody wants to see a technician running cables while the cake is being cut.
Morning: full set-up
We arrive with hours to spare and set up all three areas: altar, drinks reception and dance floor. Everything is cabled, tested and covered. After that, nothing gets touched.
Sound check with the officiant
We test the lavalier mic with the person who'll actually be speaking, not with ourselves. Every voice needs different settings, and you can hear the difference from the very first sentence.
Ceremony
Entrance music, amplified speech, readings and exit. With a technician on hand, every cue comes in exactly where it should.
Drinks reception and wedding breakfast
Background music spread evenly and a microphone ready for the speeches. A volume that still lets guests chat at the table.
First dance and party
We switch over to the dance-floor set-up: sound with bass, lighting and DJ. The changeover takes minutes because it was already in place.
Close and pack-down
We stick to the finishing time set by the venue and take everything down quietly. If take-down is the following morning, we agree that in advance.
What usually goes wrong
The five mistakes we see again and again at weddings
They're not equipment failures. They're questions nobody asked in time.
The altar is 40 metres from the nearest power socket
It happens all the time in gardens and country estates (haciendas). Either you bring enough cable or you solve it with battery-powered equipment. You find out with a site visit or a photo – not on the day.
The venue has a closing time and nobody mentioned it
Many venues in the Aljarafe and across the province have a licensed cut-off time for music. It's worth knowing when you book, so you can plan the open bar and the end of the party properly.
There's a sound limiter and nobody planned for it
If the venue has an acoustic limiter, the system is configured to run below the threshold instead of cutting out all night. We explain it in this guide to sound limiters.
The DJ turns up and has nowhere to plug in
Every DJ has their own way of working: USB, laptop, their own controller. We agree beforehand what they bring and what we supply, so nobody is improvising at eleven at night.
Nobody has tested the ceremony music
Playlists full of adverts or the wrong versions get picked up at the sound check – not during the bride's entrance.
What goes in each area
Three set-ups, one quote
These are the configurations we use most often at weddings in Seville. They're adjusted to the number of guests and the space, but the split is almost always like this.
Area 1
Ceremony
Two speakers on stands, a lavalier mic, a handheld mic for readings and playback for the processional music.
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Area 2
Drinks reception and wedding breakfast
Several sound points at low volume to cover the garden, plus a wireless mic kept aside for the speeches.
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Area 3
Dancing
A system with subwoofers, DJ booth, booth monitor and dance-floor lighting, with volume control.
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Related equipment
What's usually added to a wedding
Hardly any wedding stops at sound. These are the extras most often booked alongside the equipment, and the ones worth deciding on before you finalise your quote.
Which venue, and what time does it close?
Give us the date, the venue and the number of guests, and we'll tell you which set-up you need and what the full day costs.
Frequently asked questions
Questions couples ask us
Do we need a technician for the whole wedding, or just the ceremony?
If the ceremony has live music, several readings and back-to-back music cues, it's worth having a technician at least for that part. For the rest of the day the system can be left configured, with everything explained. If there's a band or live group for the dancing, then yes, it's best to have a technician right to the end.
Can you provide sound for a ceremony with no power socket nearby?
Yes. We solve it with battery-powered equipment, which easily covers a one-hour ceremony with speech and music. You can see it under portable sound systems. We just need to know in advance so we bring charged batteries and a spare.
Will the microphones show up in the photos?
Lavalier mics barely show. For the couple we use discreet microphones clipped to the lapel or near the collar, so they stay out of sight. The mic stands at the altar can be removed as soon as each reading is over.
Our DJ is bringing their own kit. Do you need to coordinate?
Yes, and it's a five-minute phone call. We need to know whether they're bringing players, a controller or just a USB stick, and whether they need a booth monitor. We provide the main room system; they provide the music.
What happens if it rains on the wedding day?
A plan B is agreed before the date, not on the morning itself. Almost every venue has an indoor alternative. Electrical equipment is never set up exposed to rain: if there's a risk, it gets covered or moved.
How late can we have music?
That depends on the venue's licence, not on us. Many venues have a cut-off time for outdoor music and carry on indoors. Ask when you book the venue and we'll plan the end of the party around it.
Quote
Tell us about your day
Date, venue, number of guests and whether the ceremony is at the same place. With that, we can already propose a set-up.
How it looks
Set-ups for this type of event
Examples of the equipment and set-up an event like yours usually needs.
