I'm having an outdoor ceremony and reception. I'll need to either rent speakers and microphones, or I'll need to hire a sound technician who will bring the equipment, set it up, and keep it running smoothly. It's an extra cost on a tight budget, so I don't want to do it if it's not necessary. I just know that a sound technician could make sure everyone, including the musician, is audible, and we would have the added bonus of having someone to play background music during the musician's breaks. Would renting a couple simple speakers and microphones be enough, or should I spring for the sound technician?
Also, one of the sound technicians I talked to wants to be able to set up several hours before the ceremony, and we're not allowed to be at the venue until a couple hours before the ceremony. So that could be a problem.
