Last year we provided full production for a small wedding at Casa Cody in Palm Springs. The venue is a mid-century boutique hotel that has been lovingly maintained and updated, but still captures a nice old-school Palm Springs vibe. The staff at the hotel was supportive and easy to work with, which made for an enjoyable and hassle-free event.
For this event, we were requested to provide sound for three physically separate areas, a garden ceremony, a cocktail hour area, and the dinner and reception area. We selected a variety of gear from our inventory to get the job done in three separate settings with an eye toward minimal visual impact.
For the ceremony we elected to use a pair of RCF TT52a loudspeakers with a Midas MR12 digital mixer and a Lectrosonics Venue2 wireless microphone system with a variety of transmitters. The RCF TT52 speakers were mounted on low stands out at the corners of the front row and covered the audience nicely without being visible in photos. This is a prime concern when working in a setting this beautiful. We really can’t say enough good things about the RCF TT+ lineup, and these tiny speakers are a real powerhouse of sound. An arched tree behind the ceremony was perfect for concealing the condenser mics with Lectrosonics HMa transmitters and the officiant/best man wore an LT belt pack with a Countryman earset. Additional HHa handheld wireless transmitters provided input for other speakers in the non-traditional ceremony.
Immediately following the ceremony, the couple hosted a cocktail hour in a separate area. In this location, we did not have easy access to electrical power, so we elected to provide a JBL EON ONE Pro loudspeaker system for background music. We provided a tablet with a mix of Jazz and R&B to entertain guests while the wedding party took photos and dinner was set up in the reception area. The JBL system provided great coverage. Visibility wasn’t an issue, as the frontal profile of the speaker is only 4 inches wide at the top. This ensures everyone can enjoy the natural surroundings while being entertained.
Eventually, everyone moved over to the dinner and reception area for the remainder of the evening. The couple elected to have their friend provide DJ services, so we provided a DJ equipment package and sound system. On the DJ rig we used Pioneer CDJ900NXS media players and an Allen & Heath Xone:96 mixer. We added two chanels of Lectrosonics Digital Hybrid wireless microphones for toasts and announcements.
To cover the reception and dinner area, we chose to use a Turbosound Siena system, with two 12″ tops and two 18″ subwoofers, along with Turbosound Milan M12’s for outfills and DJ monitors. This provided smooth, even coverage to all the guests without having blast the closer audience members. The florist for the wedding came along and dressed up our mains with a really nice spray of dried flowers that kept people from putting their drinks on our gear and really made the system blend in with the rest of the decor.
After all was said and done, the bride and groom were very pleased with the audio at their event. The guests had a great time dancing and drinking until close to midnight. It was a perfect fall wedding in Palm Springs.