Shh! It’s Noisy Out Here
Shh! It’s noisy out here. Not what you want guests saying to each other as they try to hear the words of your wedding ceremony. But it can be an all too common experience at outdoor weddings. There are some things you can do to both avoid and to minimize the effect of external noises at your ceremony venue. They take attention to detail and some planning, though, to ensure that you get the idyllic experience you envision.
Noises can be natural or man-made. For example, if you’re standing in the beautiful lower gardens at the Plummer House, you might be fooled into thinking it’s a serene and quiet place. But if you close your eyes and listen, you’ll hear plenty of road noise from Hwy 52. If it’s a breezy day the sound of wind in the trees can be quite loud. And if the waterfall and/or fountains are turned on, it’s even louder. None of these can be controlled, so you’ll want to ensure that you have a sound system so speakers during your ceremony can be heard.
I once had the interesting experience of discovering, mid-ceremony, that there were train tracks immediately adjacent to the ceremony space at The Round Barn near Winona. There is no way to compete with the sound of a rumbling, whistling train only 20 yards away. In these kind of situations, knowing it’s possible that a train will be sharing your ceremony is all you can do. We stopped, waved to the train, and waited for it to pass before continuing.
With indoor ceremony venues, make sure to inquire about the location of the kitchen, the pool or other activity venues, and any major hallways or lobbies that could get loud. Enlist the site manager’s assistance in limiting noise during the ceremony when possible.
It’s important when visiting potential venues to stop, close your eyes and listen to see if noise is going to be an issue. You’ll also want to ask the site manager about any currently unheard noise that could be a factor on the day of the week and time of day that your wedding will occur. Even with all of your efforts, the unexpected may happen, as the bride in this article discovered when she learned of an impending cicada hatching.
To prevent your guests from saying, “Shh! It’s noisy out here”, you’ll want to prevent, minimize, account for, or acknowledge and respond to noises you can predict. But when the unexpected happens, it’s best to just smile, wave, and remember that the most important thing happening is your love and marriage, and all the rest can become background noise.