AUDIO FAQ–

Absolutely not! Depending on your comfortability with wearing a mic, your priority level around audio/sound of the more candid & “in-between” moments, and your attire (namely for the bride), we love to assess if this is right for each of our couples.

We have several ways of capturing audio and the lapel mics are just one. We’re happy to speak into what we’d gain with the lapel mics & lose without them (more on this below) to see if they’re a fit for you or not!

Some couples really connect with the more raw informal film style that includes a lot of raw audio of all the small in-between moments and conversations of the day (in this case we’d encourage both the bride and groom to wear a mic if they are able & willing), whereas some couples prefer something a little more refined and focused on telling a story more exclusively through vows & toasts (in this case we wouldn’t necessarily need to mic the bride). It is really easy (and less invasive) for grooms to wear mics because of their attire, so even if the bride doesn’t need or opt for a mic we can get a lot of great stuff from the groom!

For all of the candid moments throughout your wedding day, we capture audio via lapels and our cameras (and their mounted on-camera mics). While these are great at capturing the overall vibe of a space or moment, it is important to note that by nature they capture sound from our camera’s POV rather than yours (i.e. from a relative distance). Even with great on-camera mics, they will inevitably pick up everything in their perimeter (including what can be unwanted or distracting background noise), and do not isolate the chosen subject’s voices like our lapel mics do.

The power of the lapel is to pull us into focus (from an auditory perspective) into the moment you are feeling & experiencing. Here are a few scenarios to consider their impact:

• Scenario 1: Bride has a heartfelt moment while getting ready with mom

  Your mom is helping you put on your dress and inevitably begins to tear up and choke on her words as she shares what she sees in you in this moment. You’re starting to feel it all too and it’s a tender exchange you know you will treasure for a long time!

  While the footage of this moment will undoubtedly be captured and cherished forever, a lapel mic allows us to capture each of your words, tears and deep breaths without the distracting background noise of your girls having fun getting ready in the other room, music playing from a nearby speaker, or the faucet running in the bathroom. While we could manage these sounds in the moment (and sometimes will), the lapel allows everybody to have their moment without interference (trusting that yours will be recorded well!).

• Scenario 2: You share a few sweet & unplanned side conversations together throughout the day, like the one walking out of your ceremony or reflecting on the day during sunset

  We believe your truest selves come out best in the moments between– the “oh my gosh I can’t believe we just did that” after becoming officially married (!) or your quiet reflections while taking it all in on top of the hill at sunset– both of you in agreement that the only thing better than the view is seeing your loved ones share laughs & martinis.

  We strive to capture your authenticity– and these moments allow us to do that while giving you space. While you enjoy your quiet exchanges together, we can be filming from a respectful distance while our mics pick up any exchanges worth holding onto.

• Scenario 3: You share vows together outside of the actual ceremony OR your ceremony is outdoors and the weather is windy or rainy

  The last thing we want is for the vows in your film to compete with distracting wind and airplane noise or the loud chatter of vendors setting up your reception nearby. When couples opt to share vows at the ceremony, there is a communal expectation for respect & silence that cannot be guaranteed at other moments in the day when vendors are hard at work and family & friends are gathering for photos. We love that you have chosen this quiet and significant moment together to exchange promises, and lapel mics allow us to isolate the sounds of this special moment at hand regardless of what is happening around us– just like you two will be lost in the moment and each other regardless of background noise. Similarly, while weather conditions are uncontrollable the lapels allow us to control what we can– the sound quality of your voices for your film!

• Scenario 4: It’s cocktail hour & grandma and a few close friends pull you aside to share their take on this perfect day

  Your best friends just handed you your first cocktails and you are finally in the moments you dreamed about– the sun is shining & everyone you love is in this space, glowing and eager to celebrate. As you waltz around the room you are approached by everyone who traveled far and wide to see you and support your growing love– each sharing their take on the day, on what they witnessed at the ceremony, at what they see in you.

  Lapel mics allow us to borrow these exchanges through your POV, and (paired with the one we see from our cameras) allow us to recreate them & give them back to you.

Ideally, we put them on when you get ready (this is especially important for the bride as it works best to place the mic before the dress is fully on) and remove them at the end of cocktail hour or sunset photos. Taking them off is quick and easy!

We typically record straight through once the mic is placed, unless there is a break in the day where we are not filming you (like when you are tucked away the ~half hour before the ceremony begins) or if you ask us to.

The key here is that even though we may record most or all of it, we do NOT listen to or use all of it. See below!

No! We use a system called timecode to easily synchronize the audio from our mics and the video from our cameras. This technology matches up all of our footage with the corresponding place in the mic audio file and pairs it to the clip. Once everything is paired, we trash all the excess (all the parts we don’t have footage for). So, you can think of it like this– if our cameras are recording you, we will hear the mic audio. If they aren’t, we won’t!

We love to mic the bride when we are able & she is willing, but it’s 100% your choice. We will never push it on you, and it really depends on the couple and their style & film preferences!

When we mic brides, we typically place it as she’s getting in her dress. Once it’s on but not buttoned up yet, we place a thin adjustable (velcro) beige thigh strap (like we would a garter) on her which holds the recorder part of the mic. The wire (white) then runs up the inside of her dress (along a seam or her side for obscurity & comfort), and we place the teeny mic somewhere around her chest area with a sticky.

Your partner may see it (since they’ll be up close and personal checking you out all day!) but no one else should– we spent years searching for the most inconspicuous setup here to make sure there are no eyesores on your gorgeous wedding look!

In cases where this does not work with your dress (it can happen sometimes, particularly with drapey little silky numbers) we can find an alternative for any moments of importance (i.e. first looks, letter readings, intimate pre-ceremony moments with family) but would likely forgo it outside of these moments since we will likely have one on the groom as well as alternative sources for the big moments (ceremony & toasts).

Since we are a husband and wife team, it makes sense for us to each place the mics on the respective people we are with in the morning– Dave with the groom (he’ll also mic your officiant at ceremony) & Caitlin with the bride.

This also assures an extra level of comfort for the girls knowing it’s a fellow gal pal placing the mic under the dress, however if you’d prefer a close friend to do it we are happy to stand back, provide instruction & inspect for proper placement once it’s on!

Yes! We will mic your officiant for the ceremony, and often times anyone else you plan to share an intentional moment with on your day (i.e. a first look with a parent– in which case we’d just mic them for this moment & remove it). For side “interviews” with loved ones, we don’t usually mic for these (as they are often filmed organically throughout the motion of your day) unless it’s a more intentional, set aside moment that is critical to the storyline of your film.

If there are any additional speakers at the ceremony, we may want to place a mic on them too depending on your DJ’s mic setup & weather conditions.

1. We will partner with your DJ to access his soundboard, where we will connect our audio recorder to get clean audio straight from the mic at the altar. Anyone who speaks into this mic (your officiant, you two, anyone else coming up to do readings, etc) will be recorded here for us! We will ask your officiant to kindly adjust the mic when it comes time for you two to speak for your vows (i.e. redirect it outward towards you vs towards him), but feel free to share this with him too if you wish.

2. We will have lapels on your officiant & the groom (and the bride when we’re able or when necessary) to capture an additional source of your voices. If the bride is not mic’ed, the groom & officiant’s mics shouldn’t have an issue picking up her voice too as long as the weather isn’t too crazy!

3. Lastly, our main camera has an excellent “shotgun” mic mounted to it that will capture our final backup source!

DJ’s provide an important service to wedding days when it comes to capturing and projecting sound for your guests.

As filmmakers, we do not have the power or equipment to project sound for your guests (without renting gear and in some cases personnel), but we do have solutions as it pertains to capturing and recording voices even if a DJ & speaker system are not present.

If this pertains to you & your event, please let us know!