Why sound matters: recording vows and speeches you’ll want to hear again
Clear vows and speeches are what make a wedding film worth watching again. How we record them, and the small things you can do to help.
In this note
When people talk about wedding films, they talk about how they look. When they watch them again years later, what gets them is how they sound: a voice catching halfway through the vows, a best friend’s terrible joke, the room laughing, a grandparent saying a few words they’ll never say again.
A slightly soft shot is easy to forgive. Muddy, windy or distant sound is hard to fix and impossible to redo. So sound is something we plan as carefully as light. Here’s how we record it, and how you can help.
Why sound is half the film
In a highlights film, the words carry the story. Music sets the pace, but the vows and speeches are what make it your film rather than a nice montage. In a full-length film, it’s even more obvious: the full ceremony and the speeches are often the parts people return to.
And unlike almost everything else on the day, these moments happen once. Nobody is going to read their vows twice because the wind picked up.
Recording the ceremony
For the ceremony, we use small clip-on microphones connected to tiny recorders. Usually one goes on each of you and one on your celebrant, so every voice is close to a mic. They’re discreet: clipped inside a lapel or onto clothing, with the recorder in a pocket or waistband.
- No pockets? Plenty of outfits don’t have them. We’ll find a secure spot, or rely more on the celebrant’s mic and a small recorder near the front. Tell us what you’re wearing and we’ll plan it.
- Outdoors, wind and waves are the main enemies. We use wind protection on every mic and can suggest a slightly more sheltered spot for the vows.
- Venue sound system? If there is one, we also record a feed straight from it, as a backup.
- Live music is beautiful, but it can drown out quiet words. Ask the musicians to stop or play very softly during the vows.
We always run more than one recording at the same time. If one track has a problem, another usually doesn’t.
Speeches
Speeches are often the most-loved part of a wedding film, and the easiest to lose to background noise.
- With a microphone and speakers, we connect our recorder to the DJ’s or venue’s mixer. That gives us the cleanest sound, so we’ll get in touch with them before the day.
- Without a sound system, we put a small mic on each speaker or hand them one. It takes ten seconds and doesn’t interrupt anything.
- Where the speeches happen matters. Away from the kitchen door, the espresso machine and the bar is better. Ask the staff to pause clearing plates while people speak.
- When they happen matters too. Between courses works well: guests are seated, attention is high, and there’s no clatter of a full service.
For your speakersHold the microphone close to your chin, not at your chest. Look up at the room between lines. And speak a little slower than feels natural: it never sounds as slow as it feels.
Small things you can do
- Send us the running order: who’s speaking, roughly when and where.
- Put us in touch with your DJ, band or venue coordinator.
- Tell us about your outfits, so we know where a mic and recorder can go.
- If you read vows from a phone, switch it to flight mode first. A buzz in the middle of your vows is very audible.
- Consider an unplugged ceremony. Asking guests to put phones away removes clicks and beeps, and the people in your photos will be looking at you.
Music and the edit
In the edit, music is chosen to fit your pace: quiet where the words need room, fuller when the party starts. We mix in the sound of the day underneath, so the film doesn’t feel like a music video with pictures. Laughter, glasses, your guests talking, the sea if it was there.
Our hourly film coverage includes a full ceremony video alongside the highlights film. With The Full Story you get a full wedding movie of 20 to 40 minutes, where the speeches and vows have room to play out properly. You can see what that looks like on our films page.
Some words are just for you
Vows can be very personal. If there are things you’d rather keep out of the highlights or off social media, tell us. We’ll keep them in your full film and leave them out of anything you might share.
If you’d like a film that sounds as good as it looks, tell us about your day.
