10-03-2026
Don’t forget to organise the PA for speeches!
One thing many couples don’t think to consider is the sound reinforcement for their speeches at the reception.
Does the venue have an in house PA? When you’re looking at reception venues, it’s worth asking if they have a PA that they can use for speeches. Ask if it can be demonstrated to ascertain whether it’s sounds any good. It’s worth asking if they’ve had any issues with the PA or microphone recently and have those issues been fixed.
It may be the case that you will need to use your entertainments PA for speeches. Will you be able to use your band or Dj’s PA? Will that PA have enough coverage to fill the whole room if you’re in a larger venue. Make sure that you ask if it’s ok for you to use their PA for speeches, they may charge an additional fee because they’ll need to bring or hire extra equipment such as a wireless mic set up. It is also worth asking if they have used the PA for speeches in the past, some suppliers may not have the expertise to EQ a mic for speeches (nothing worse than that dreaded feedback during speeches)
If you don’t have either options of an in-house PA or the use of your entertainments PA then you’ll need to hire one. In that case, it maybe worth seeing a professional music hire store to gain the expertise of getting the right equipment that is up to the task and easy to run. If you want to use a wireless microphone, I would highly recommend an UHF set up, not a Bluetooth PA and mic setup as they can suffer from drop outs, especially when the line of sight is blocked between the transmitter and receiver.
One thing many couples don’t always think about is the audio for their wedding speeches.
When you’re checking out reception venues, always ask if they have an in-house PA system and if possible, get them to demonstrate it. You want to know it actually sounds good and doesn’t have any issues.
You might be using your band or DJ’s PA. Just make sure it has enough coverage for the room and that they’re experienced with speeches—feedback can quickly ruin the moment.
And if neither option are available, you’ll need to hire a PA. In that case, go with a professional audio hire company and use a UHF wireless mic, not Bluetooth, to avoid dropouts.
Clear sound means everyone hears the words that matter