Wedding Sound Adelaide
Audio Hire

Wedding sound has to do much more than simply play music. During the ceremony, guests need to hear the celebrant, vows, readings and music clearly. At the reception, the same wedding may require background music, entrances, announcements, an MC and speeches before the focus shifts again to a DJ, live entertainment and dancing.

Audio Hire provides professional wedding sound equipment across Adelaide, including Electro-Voice speakers, PA systems, microphones, subwoofers, mixers and the cables and accessories needed to bring the system together. Equipment can be collected from our Walkerville location, or delivery and collection can be arranged. Professional sound technician support is also available for weddings where you would prefer someone to take responsibility for the technical side.

You do not need to know what equipment to book before contacting us. Tell us where you're getting married, approximately how many guests you're expecting and what needs to happen during the ceremony and reception, and we can help you work out an appropriate sound system.

Start With Your Wedding, Not the Equipment

There is no single sound system that is right for every wedding. A garden ceremony for 50 guests has very different requirements from a reception for 150 people with speeches, a DJ and dancing. A wedding held entirely in one function room may also be simpler from an audio perspective than a wedding where the ceremony, drinks and reception take place in different parts of a venue or property.

Start by considering what actually needs to be heard. Will you need music before and during the ceremony? Does the celebrant need amplification? Will vows or readings need to go through the PA system? Who will be making speeches at the reception? Will you have a DJ, live musicians or your own music? Will guests be dancing later in the evening?

Thinking about the whole wedding first makes it much easier to choose the right speakers, microphones and supporting equipment. Our Wedding Audio Hire & Private Party Sound Systems in Adelaide guide provides a broader introduction to planning the complete system.

Wedding Ceremony Sound

Good ceremony sound is primarily about clear speech and even coverage across the guest area. Guests should be able to hear the celebrant, vows and readings without the sound becoming intrusive, while music for the processional, signing and recessional should be reproduced clearly throughout the ceremony space.

Outdoor ceremonies require particular care because there are no walls or ceilings to contain and reflect the sound. Guest seating may extend across a relatively wide area, while wind, surrounding noise and speaker placement can all influence how clearly people can hear.

For smaller ceremonies, a professional two-speaker system can provide clear and even coverage across the seating area. Microphones can then be added where the celebrant, readings or other spoken parts of the ceremony require amplification. If you're unsure how much coverage you need, see How Many Speakers Do You Need for an Event?.

Wedding Reception Sound

The requirements often change once the reception begins. Early in the evening, the sound system may primarily provide background music. Later it may need to handle entrances, announcements, the MC and speeches. Once the formalities finish, music and dancing can become the priority.

This is why it is better to plan the sound system around the whole reception rather than choosing equipment solely for speeches.

Audio Hire provides professional speaker hire in Adelaide for wedding receptions ranging from smaller functions focused on music and speeches through to larger systems incorporating dedicated subwoofers for DJs and dance floors.

For more detail about the equipment itself, see our guide to Electro-Voice Speakers for Weddings in Adelaide.

Wedding Speeches and Microphones

Clear speeches are one of the most important jobs your wedding sound system will perform.

The MC may use a microphone throughout the reception, while speeches can involve several members of the wedding party, family and friends. Wireless microphones can be particularly useful when the microphone needs to move between different speakers or different areas of the room.

The number and type of microphones you need will depend on the structure of your wedding, who is speaking and whether microphones are also required for the ceremony, musicians or performers. Our guide to How Many Microphones Do You Need for an Event? explains how to work this out.

Audio Hire provides professional wired and wireless microphone hire for weddings, including Shure systems, along with microphone stands, mixers and the cables required to integrate them with your PA system.

Sound Systems for Wedding DJs

Your DJ and your sound system do not have to come from the same supplier.

If you have already chosen a DJ who does not provide the PA system you need, or you would prefer to organise the sound system independently, Audio Hire can provide professional speakers, subwoofers and supporting audio equipment while your DJ concentrates on the music and performance.

This can also be useful when a venue or wedding requires a larger or different sound system from the equipment normally supplied by the DJ.

Before the wedding, we can help make sure the PA system is suitable for the venue and confirm what connections your DJ will need. DJs and couples can also see our dedicated Audio Hire for DJs in Adelaide page for more information about having Audio Hire supply, set up and pack down the PA independently of the DJ.

Music and Dancing

A sound system that works well for ceremony music and speeches is not automatically the right system for a busy wedding dance floor.

When dancing becomes an important part of the reception, the size of the room, guest numbers, dance-floor area, required output and low-frequency performance all become more significant.

Audio Hire uses professional Electro-Voice speaker systems for wedding receptions and dancing. Where substantial low-frequency reinforcement is required, our larger systems use at least two dedicated subwoofers to provide stronger and more even coverage across the dance floor.

The aim is not simply to make the system louder. It is to match the system to the space, audience and way the music will actually be used.

You can browse our Speaker Hire Adelaide options or read How Many Electro-Voice Speakers Do I Need? for more guidance.

Outdoor and Backyard Weddings

Outdoor weddings have different audio requirements from indoor receptions.

Without walls to contain the sound, speaker placement and coverage become particularly important. Wind, surrounding noise, the shape of the guest area and the distance between the speakers and audience can also influence the result.

A smaller backyard ceremony and reception may need a relatively straightforward system, while a larger outdoor wedding can require substantially more coverage and output.

If your wedding is outside, tell us the approximate guest numbers, the shape of the space and what the sound system needs to do. We can help you work through the requirements rather than simply recommending equipment based on guest numbers alone.

For practical examples, see How to Choose a Sound System for a 50-Person Backyard Wedding in Adelaide and How to Plan an Outdoor Wedding Sound System for 150 Guests.

Winery, Estate and Regional Weddings

South Australia has an exceptional range of wedding venues, including wineries, estates, gardens, farms, historic buildings, hotels and private properties.

The Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale are particularly important wedding regions, and Audio Hire services weddings and functions across these areas where the location and requirements make the trip practical.

Wedding venues can have very different audio arrangements. Some have useful installed systems, while others require most or all of the sound equipment to be brought in. The ceremony may also take place in one part of the property while the reception is held somewhere completely different.

If your ceremony and reception are in separate locations, we can help you consider whether moving equipment during the wedding is practical or whether the different parts of the day are better treated as separate audio requirements.

You can also explore the wider Areas We Service network when planning a wedding outside metropolitan Adelaide.

Do You Need a Sound Technician?

Not every wedding requires a sound technician.

A straightforward system being used for music and a small number of speeches may be manageable without one. But as the wedding becomes more technically involved, having someone responsible for the audio can become increasingly valuable.

A professional sound technician can take care of setup, soundcheck and operation of the Audio Hire equipment so the couple, wedding party, venue staff or wedding coordinator do not also have to manage the sound.

Technical support is particularly worth considering when the wedding involves several microphones, live performers, multiple audio sources or important transitions between different parts of the program.

Delivery, Setup and Collection

Audio Hire is based in Walkerville on Adelaide's city fringe.

Equipment can be collected by appointment, or delivery and collection can be arranged for your wedding venue across Adelaide.

If you would prefer not to set up the system yourself, Audio Hire can also provide setup and technical support. This allows the service to be matched to your wedding rather than assuming every customer wants dry hire.

Planning Your Wedding Sound

When contacting Audio Hire about a wedding, the most useful information is your wedding date, venue and location, approximate number of guests, whether the ceremony is indoors or outdoors, whether the ceremony and reception are in the same location, what needs amplification during the ceremony, how many people are likely to speak, whether you have a DJ or live musicians, whether guests will be dancing and whether you require delivery, setup or technical support.

You do not need to work out which speakers, microphones or PA system you need before contacting us.

Tell us what is happening during your wedding and we can help you determine what the sound system needs to do.

If your wedding is still some time away, How Far in Advance Should You Book Audio Equipment for an Event? provides a useful planning timeline.

More Wedding Sound Guides

The Audio Hire Knowledge Base contains detailed information covering different parts of wedding audio planning.

Start with Wedding Audio Hire & Private Party Sound Systems in Adelaide for a broad introduction, then see Electro-Voice Speakers for Weddings in Adelaide for speaker selection.

For outdoor celebrations, see our guides to sound for a 50-person backyard wedding and planning outdoor wedding sound for 150 guests.

You can also explore How Many Microphones Do You Need for an Event?, How Much Does Event Sound Equipment Hire Cost in Adelaide? and How Far in Advance Should You Book Audio Equipment for an Event?.

Together, these resources can help you work through the ceremony, speeches, reception and dancing rather than treating wedding sound as a single equipment decision.

Need Help Planning Your Wedding Sound?

Tell us your venue, wedding date, approximate guest numbers and what you have planned for the ceremony and reception. We’ll help you choose an appropriate sound system, speakers and microphones from the Audio Hire range, with delivery and collection, setup and professional sound technician support available where required.

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