Deciding what entertainment is right for you.
To make the wedding day special for the Bride and Groom it’s important to choose the right entertainment that’s suited for you, your guests and the venue.
Some wedding venues may want to incorporate their own live music, while others will be happy to recommend a number of musicians or DJ’s for you to browse. If you plan to book your own musicians or DJ’s it’s best to check with the wedding venue first.
What type of musicians are there available?
Thoughts on choosing the right musicians for your day …
- Will they be too loud or quiet?
- Will the playing area be enough room for them?
- Will they charge by the hour or on a fixed rate?
- Will they be able to move their instruments outside to play during the wedding photographs?
The more musicians you book, for example a trio or quartet, the more expensive it can be.
What instruments would create the right atmosphere for your guests as they wait for the Bride to make her entrance?
Will the musicians be flexible to arrange to play your requests (with advance notice) if they haven’t got your particular pieces in their repertoire?
Will the musicians be clock watching as they have another wedding at another venue to play for? (This can be nerve racking if things over run on your wedding day)
As a general guideline, if you are booking musicians to play for most of the day -
- The guests arrival
- The Bride’s entranceSigning the register
- The Bride and Groom’s exit
- Drinks Receptions (as the photographs are taken)
- Wedding Breakfast
It is only polite to provide a meal or sandwiches and light refreshments for musicians/entertainers. If you are booking a band or DJ, these musicians and artists may have travelled some distance to play at your wedding. If you only want the musicians to play for part of the day, for example the Ceremony, then you wouldn’t be expected to provide any extra refreshments.
What type of instruments would you like to hear for your wedding music?
People like to hear certain instruments and enjoy seeing them played well. There are a wide variety of experienced musicians from which to choose. You can go through an agency to discuss all your needs or you may wish to search the internet or get a recommendation from someone, then you can speak to the musicians on a one to one basis.
They will be able to guide you through the formalities of the day’s events concerning the music. Some musicians might even be prepared to arrange and learn new pieces with advance notice if they know a few of your requests have a significant meaning for both the bride and groom.
Some ideas for different instruments to be played at your wedding ceremony:
- A cellist
- A flute and guitar duo
- A guitarist
- A harpist
- A piper
- A pianist/keyboard player
- A singer
- A string trio or quartet
- A trumpet player