Sounds Good

The right audio system ensures the guests at your event don't miss a sound

You’ve been to celebrations that open with wonderfully familiar lines such as, “Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate this union!” or “Raise your glasses to a future just as enduring!”

But what happens if you attend an occasion where you can’t hear a thing from the officiant or attendants? You’re relegated to ask the person next to you, “What just happened?”

It’s as if you’ve been left out of the party.

We’ve all been guests at events where we miss, or nearly miss, the ceremony because of the lack of a proper audio system. Have you ever made a quick cocktail run or dashed out to the car, not knowing the event has begun? Not being informed can really break the perfect event experience.

Beyond has found that audio is one of the most commonly left out items in the event budget. There are many reasons for this oversight, but one of the biggest complaints they hear is that clients don’t want “ugly speakers on stands obstructing guests' views” or that “take away from the amazing floral and décor backdrop.” Clients also worry that an audio system, which may only be used for 30 minutes, will eat up budget that could be used for décor or more.

We’re here to explain that audio doesn’t break the bank. Should we place anything in here about white speakers?

The right sound for the event
It’s a common mistake to book the wrong audio system for the event. For example, have you ever been to a wedding where you can clearly hear the officiant but not the bride and groom? This is because the officiant has a microphone, but the others don’t, so you miss those meaningful vows. Or, even if everyone does have a microphone, often there is not enough amplification or speakers to share the sentiment with the audience.

With the right consulting, all of the scenarios we’ve mentioned are easy to correct — and they aren’t expensive fixes. Beyond recommends that you take time in your event planning process to talk with an audio provider.

Share your set-up, the schedule of events, and, most important, the location of your event (indoors versus outdoors). A professional and experienced company can provide recommendations that will guarantee that your celebration will be heard by all, and that your vision and design will still take center stage.

---

Learn more about Beyond’s audio solutions on the company website.

Speakers don't have to be ugly or intrusive but ensure your guests hear every word.

Beyond Party Perfect outdoor wedding sound

Photo courtesy of Beyond

Speakers don't have to be ugly or intrusive but ensure your guests hear every word.

unspecified promoted

Your Expert Guide

Oak Cliff: The underestimated historic and culturally rich 'hood

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman

Kay Wood

There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

---

Bishop Arts is a huge attraction, but Realtor Kay Wood wants people to know that Oak Cliff is a lot more than just Bishop Arts.

"Oak Cliff has a really rich and complex history," the Briggs Freeman agent says. "I think it's one of the most underestimated neighborhoods in Dallas."

Wood has lived in Oak Cliff with her high school sweetheart-husband since 2008, but she's been helping people buy and sell homes there for the past 15 years, currently with her business partner Brian Davis.

"The neighborhoods here are close to everything but still relatively affordable compared to other areas of DFW," she says. "I love all the historic homes with their architectural interest and variety, the strong sense of community engagement, and how there's so much to explore. Whether you're looking for the best new restaurant, the most authentic taco, film festivals, the zoo, the best public high school in Texas, parks, nature preserves — I could go on all day!"

Wood offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in "the Cliff." Here's her guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
The list is long: Nova ("you have to get the hummus," Wood says), Encina (pro tip: don't skip the blue cornbread), Cibo Divino for pizza and wine on the patio, coffee from Peaberry ("my husband swears their Vietnamese coffee is the best in town"), oysters at Boulevardier, the Perfect Picnic at Eno's Pizza Tavern, tio's elotes next to El Si Hay, the pistachio ice cream at Joy Macarons, and the spicy lobster ramen at Ten Ramen.

Wood advises picking up a great bottle of wine from Neighborhood Cellars and some steaks from Cooper's Meat Market. And, of course, there are tons of taco options in the neighborhood: "We can't get enough of Maskaras, Trompo, and Taco y Vino," she says.

Where to play
Marvel at the best skyline views in town while playing a round at Stevens Park Golf Course, take a walk through Twelve Hills Nature Preserve, bike along the Trinity River, or play disc golf at Founders Park.

The Kessler Theater is "such a great and intimate venue" for concerts, while the Texas Theater adds a touch of history to movie-watching. Escape to The Wild Detectives for books, music, and poetry, or head to the Dallas Zoo for a wild day out — "our whole family loves to feed the giraffes," Wood says.

What to see
Oak Cliff is home to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial at Kiest Park and the La Reunion Monument at Stevens Park Golf Course that honors some of Dallas' earliest settlers.

On Jefferson Boulevard, you can pop into the Oak Cliff Cultural Center for regular art shows, and "my daughters love to walk down the street and look at all the quinceañera dresses in the shop windows," she says.

Where to live
A few years ago, Wood helped her buyers purchase 626 Rainbow Dr., a rare, two-acre midcentury modern estate that's wrapped on three sides by a babbling creek.

"When you're there, it's really hard to believe you're less than four miles from downtown Dallas," she says. The buyers hired local architect Eddie Maestri to update some aspects of the house while carefully preserving its midcentury style. There was an original barn that had been previously converted to a studio, but the buyers reinvented it as a guest house and added a pool and outdoor kitchen.

"It's hard to say what a 'typical' Oak Cliff house would be, because we have some of the very best examples of almost every architectural style in town," Wood says.

"In Winnetka Heights, you'll find Craftsman architecture (four squares, bungalows, Sears catalog, etc). Kessler Park has Tudors and Colonials and Texas eclectics from notable local architects like Charles Dilbeck and David R Williams. Stevens Park has all of these, as well as Spanish Revival and Dutch colonials. Wynnewood, North Kiestwood, and Wynnewood Hills have some of the best midcentury moderns in Dallas, as well as wonderful ranches. East Kessler has cutting-edge contemporaries that take advantage of the rare-to-DFW hilly terrain. You could teach a pretty comprehensive architectural history of Dallas without ever leaving Oak Cliff."

---

Kay Wood lives, works, and plays in Oak Cliff. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email kwood@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-908-5442.