It is one of the first questions every couple asks: how much do the sound and lighting for a wedding cost? And the honest answer is: it depends, but it depends on very specific things that can be explained. In this article we tell you which factors move the price of the audiovisual side of a wedding, what ranges are typically quoted as a guide in Spain and —most importantly— where investing well really shows. At Zenor we produce weddings and celebrations with our own equipment and technicians, so we are talking about what we set up every weekend.
What the price of the audiovisual side of a wedding depends on
No two weddings are the same, and that is why there is no single rate. These are the factors that weigh most on the budget:
- The number of spaces to cover with sound and lighting: ceremony, cocktail hour, banquet and party can be four separate set-ups
- Indoors or outdoors: outdoors calls for more equipment, windshields, ballast and sometimes power generation
- Number of guests: a wedding for 60 does not sound the same as one for 300
- Hours of service and timings: an open bar until dawn means more technician hours
- Decorative lighting: festoon lights, warm ambient light, façade or garden lighting
- Extras: screens for videos or photos, streaming of the ceremony for those who cannot travel, effects such as cold sparks or low fog
- Travel and set-up: the distance to the venue and how difficult access is also count
Indicative ranges in Spain (no small print)
To give you a sense of scale: in the Spanish market, a DJ service with a sound system and basic party lighting usually falls within a wide range that runs from a few hundred euros to over a thousand, and a full production —ceremony, cocktail hour, banquet and party with decorative lighting— can multiply that figure several times over. These are market references, not closed prices: every wedding is a bespoke job and publishing a fixed rate would be misleading you. Bear in mind the size of the sector too: more than 170,000 marriages are celebrated in Spain every year according to the INE, and at peak times (May-June and September-October) demand is tight, so booking months in advance also protects your budget.
Where paying for good audiovisual shows
This is the crux of the question in the title. The difference between a bare-bones set-up and a professional one is not visible in the catalogue: it is seen (and heard) on the wedding day.
- The vows are heard clearly right to the back row, with no feedback and no scares; we go into detail in our guide to sound for an outdoor ceremony
- The music sounds clean at any volume: the difference between a speaker pushed to its limit and a properly sized system is obvious after two songs
- Lighting transforms the space: warm light for the banquet, nightclub atmosphere when the dancing starts
- There is a technician present all night: if something fails, it is fixed in minutes and nobody notices
- Backup equipment exists: duplicate microphones, cables and players for the critical moments
Where not to cut back (and where you can)
If the budget is tight, there is room to adjust without taking risks. Do not cut back on the sound for the ceremony —it is the one moment you cannot repeat— or on having a technician present during the party. You can adjust on effects and decorative extras, on the number of lit areas or by choosing a simpler set-up for the cocktail hour. A good sound for events supplier will tell you openly which items give you most per euro in your particular case, instead of selling you the biggest package.
“The best audiovisual production at a wedding is the one nobody mentions the next day: all they remember is that everything could be heard, that the dance floor was full and that the venue looked beautiful.”
Our final piece of advice: ask for quotes itemised section by section (ceremony, banquet, party, lighting, extras) so that you can really compare, and be wary of round figures given without a visit or any questions. If you want to see how our real set-ups look, drop by projects; and if you are planning the party, this guide to preparing the perfect playlist will come in very handy.