Imagine… You’re about to make your grand entrance. Everyone is standing in silent and solemn anticipation, waiting for the doors to open, but then… The sound engineer misses the cue.
You’re left with a delay and dead air before the music finally plays.
Now, try to visualize yourself about to have your first dance as a married couple. Your emotions are at the peak of joy and nostalgia.
You’re all set to dance your waltz… Suddenly, they play the wrong song…
Try to picture that once-in-a-lifetime memory of hearing your parents speak at your wedding, and you are having difficulty hearing their speech because the audio is lousy, or worse, you’re getting mic skips or too much echo.
How would you feel if you experienced this on your wedding day?
We don’t really want such special, can’t-turn-back-time moments to pass this way. That’s why you may want to pay more attention to a major supplier who plays a crucial role at your wedding: The lights and sounds.
Having been a professional host for more than a decade already, Eri Neeman, one of the top wedding emcees in the Philippines, has seen it all – “the good” and “the bad” of wedding programs. For Eri, a wedding is a celebration where loved ones are supposed to be connected and engaged with every special moment happening in front of them, but if your tech fails to highlight these key moments, then you risk losing that connection and precious mood.
“Imagine your loved ones at the peak of emotion expressing their love for you and all of a sudden the mic dies,” says Eri. “Do you really want to risk once in a lifetime moments being remembered this way?”
Eri shares with us a few scenarios and anecdotes where lights and sounds play a valuable role.
On his social media accounts, Eri talks about a recent encounter where the LED panels were not installed correctly. The LED mishap then caused delays in presenting the couple’s first video of the night. All the guests could see was a blank, black screen right on stage!
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“We had to extend dinner to fix the problem, and once it reached the point where they [the lights and sounds team] still couldn’t do it, this is where I decided to go next door because there was another wedding. I reached out to the coordinators from Getting Married if they could help and asked who was the Lights and Sounds supplier there. It was Metrotech who are pretty much veterans in terms of providing LED.” Eri shares. “I asked them if it’s okay, and as long as it doesn’t affect their work, maybe check on what’s happening here so they can diagnose the problem. And they did it.”
It turns out, there were not enough LAN cables plugged in to get the LED screen up and running. “They only had one. You need four. Two for flashing live, and two for backup. It’s a failsafe in case the first two malfunction, there’s three and four to back it up,” Eri informs his viewers.
But even after all LAN cables were already plugged in, there was still another problem. The tech team did not know how to project the video using multiple LAN cables attached to both halves of the LED panels. And so Eri had to send another SOS over to Metrotech to help fix the problem.
Finally, the LED screen was working. “But here’s the thing,” Eri continues “They didn’t have the proper panels of the same model. Some were different models that’s why you have uneven colors, but that’s the best we can do.”
Eri shares this experience to raise awareness about how important tech teams are. “They are the backbone of every event,” he says.
Moral of the story: A reliable lights and sounds team is key to a successful event, especially during significant moments of your program.
Lighting makes a difference in setting the mood of your celebration. It can also enhance the look of your decorations, which helps exude the feel you’re going for. Lighting also helps liven up the atmosphere.
Eri tells us about an experience he had wherein the lighting was too dim and he was having a bit of a hard time engaging with the guests during the reception, “They were a great crowd, paying attention and we had good sound. I realized it was the lighting. It was dim and because of that they were getting sleepy. I could barely see people’s faces. The lighting setup affected our being connected.”
If you focus the lighting solely on stage and dim the crowd, it separates the guests from what’s happening. “This type of lighting usually is ideal for theater as it establishes the audience as only viewers. But it’s not like that in weddings,” says Eri.
This is where established lights and sounds suppliers can provide adequate lighting to ensure the guests are illuminated and connected to all the moments happening in front or onstage.
Music and good sound are crucial for elevating the celebratory mood. If the speakers aren’t working or the spinner plays the wrong song, just think how awkward that would be. And no matter how talented your live band is, lousy sound quality won’t do their performance any justice.
Eri shares how he demonstrates the importance of good sound through his initial meetings with the couples he works with.
“I usually use examples. All my meetings happen online (Google Meet or Zoom), so I simply push my mic away from me to demonstrate to them how sound affects the meeting,” Eri explains. “They hear the difference. They can understand me but because of the mic’s distance, they have to exert effort. Then I say imagine this happening on your wedding day.”
Quality sound equipment is ideal for properly absorbing all the speeches, the music, and the videos as they are meant to be enjoyed and appreciated. As Eri has said, good sound helps you and your guests stay connected and be present in the moment.
An experienced lights and sounds supplier is someone who understands their role, does not miss any cue, and knows how to troubleshoot on the spot.
“A seasoned lights and sounds provider can explain why things need to be done a certain way to create quality sound if you asked them,” says Eri. “They understand the process and the science behind why and how. They also know what to do if problems or issues come about.”
He also shares a list of his recommended lights and sounds suppliers if you’re on the lookout!
Overall, it’s best to properly do research on your lights and sounds supplier. Technical equipment, after all, is an essential tool for your program to run smoothly.
It’s wise to take note of all the insights Wedding Emcee Eri has shared so you don’t waste any of that hard-earned budget, and to ensure your wedding reception gets the special treatment it deserves.
So with all that said, as you’re going over your wedding to-do list, it’s worth considering having quality lights and sounds as one of your priorities.
If you’d like to learn more about running a successful wedding program, follow Eri Neeman on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
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