My decision to add a second sound system to my arsenal of equipment last winter helped me push the envelope at Sara and Bill's wedding ceremony and reception at Traditions at the Links in East Syracuse.  Although I've already had some ceremony/reception combos where I used both systems to provide sound in two places, this was the first time I needed to provide sound in three different areas at the same venue.  In this post, I'll explain how it all worked, and of course, you'll see plenty of photos of the bride, the groom and their guests having fun on the dance floor!

So, your first question may be, "how do you manage to provide sound in three places with two sound systems?"  Well, thankfully, we didn't need to have sound in all three places at the same time.

Click for a larger view: Planning the equipment moves for Sara and Bill's wedding day

The diagram at right gives a general idea of how it all worked.  When I first arrived, I brought my primary sound system (#1) to the porch, where I would be able to overlook the outdoor ceremony area.  A speaker at ground level covered the guest seating area.

Click for larger view: How the sound system and speaker were close, but out of sight during the ceremony.

A wireless lapel mic worn by the officiant would also pick up the bride and groom's responses and vows.

Immediately after the ceremony, sound would be needed in the Arbor-style bar room for the cocktail hour.  My secondary sound system (#2) was set-up there, so it would be ready to go as soon as the ceremony ended.

After cocktail hour, guests would move into the main ballroom for the wedding party introductions, dinner and the remainder of the reception.  So, I set-up my dance floor lighting in the main ballroom before everything started -- leaving room for sound system #1 to move in later.

Click for larger: Ready to go in the main ballroom!

Everything worked exactly as planned.  After the ceremony recessional song, a couple of instrumental songs played outside as guests made their way into the building for cocktail hour.  System #2 provided music while guests enjoyed snacks and beverages.  Once all the guests were inside, I shut down Sound System 1, packed it up, wheeled it into the ballroom, and set it up again, this time adding the connections to the lighting system (which was set-up earlier).  "Location #3" for the evening was ready to go with plenty of time to spare before the ballroom doors opened to guests!

And the big songs of the night.

• Ceremony Processional: Christina Perri / A Thousand Years, followed by The Piano Guys' instrumental version to allow enough time for the procession to finish.
• Ceremony Bridal Entrance: John Legend / All of Me
• Ceremony Recessional: Bruno Mars / Marry You
• Wedding Party Intros: Chris Brown / Forever
• Bride and Groom Entrance: Pitbull / Give Me Everything
• First Dance: Zac Brown / Whatever It Is
• Bride / Father Dance: Darius Rucker / It Won't Be Like This for Long
• Groom / Mother Dance: Rascal Flatts / My Wish
• Cake Cutting: Brett Eldredge / Mean to Me

One of my favorite aspects of Traditions at the Links is the vaulted ceiling.  My dance floor lights reflect nicely off the ceiling, and the design also allows the sound to carry very nicely through the entire room.  You'll see that more in the photos below.

Click any photo below for a larger version and captions.

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Even though I had a lot of photos, I just take quick shots here and there, mostly from behind the DJ table.  Look for more photos from the entire wedding day (and of much better quality, I'll add) soon on the blog of Janelle Rodriguez Photography.  This is the third wedding I've worked alongside Janelle and she always comes through with excellent work like this preview from her Facebook page:

Thanks again to Sara and Bill for choosing me as your DJ!  It was an honor and a pleasure to be a part of the big day, and I'm always glad to see guests packing the dance floor right up to the end of the night.  Thanks also to the great staff at Traditions at the Links; it was my first time there since 2013, but I'll be back much sooner, with one more wedding there later this season.  Can't wait!