Wedding Music

You will need to determine the type of music you will want for both your ceremony and reception. For the ceremony, some brides choose to have ceremony musicians while others prefer to use music on a CD or Ipod, which will be played by a sound technician.

For the reception, you will also need to determine whether you want a dj or a band. For either, budget will probably be your determining factor. If you decide to use musicians for your ceremony or reception, be sure you have already heard them either at another location or have listened to a sampler made by the musicians. Never hire someone you haven’t seen or heard.

Ceremony

Your church may have musicians that can be hired for your ceremony at a reasonable fee. If you are hiring an ensemble, be sure the instruments you choose blend…like a harp and flute; or violin, viola and cello. Also, when choosing music for your ceremony, be sure the piece you want played is appropriate for the instruments. The most economical musician could be a single harpist or a pianist. Either instrument can be played solo for a lovely ceremony.

Musicians base their fees per musician per hour, as do vocalists. Your first hour of service is usually at a premium rate and the following hour would be at a lesser rate. An example would be a flute and string trio charging $700 for the ceremony (one hour) and then the additional second hour would be $150. A harpist may charge $400 for your ceremony and then an additional $100 for the following hour.

You should have a contact person who will assist you in choosing the pieces for your ceremony. Most will provide a repertoire of their music.

If you decide to provide music for the sound technician, perhaps a CD, always have a back-up CD available in case one is defective. If you are providing the music, you will want to practice the timing for the processional during the rehearsal whereas live ceremony musicians will watch the processional and continue to play as long as necessary.

For your ceremony you will need to choose music ~

1. One song to seat the grandparents and parents; mothers to light unity tapers if done prior to the start of the ceremony and entrance of officiant and groom (groomsmen also if not escorting bridesmaids). If there are a number grandparents being formally seated, you may want to choose an additional song to be played when the mothers light the unity tapers and the officiant and groom (and best man) can walk down to that piece.

2. One song for the entrance of the bridesmaids (and groomsmen if they are escorting the bridesmaids), flower girl and ring bearer.

3. One song for the entrance of the bride with her escort.

4. One song for communion for the bride and groom, lighting of unity candle, and rose presentation to mothers (usually these three are done in sequence).

5. One song for the recessional (choose something upbeat with a feeling of celebration).

If you have a very small family and bridal party, you may choose to have one song played up until the entrance of the bride and choose to have the music change for her entrance.

You will also need a medley of music for the prelude as guests are arriving (usually starts about 20 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony) and the postlude when the ushers are dismissing your guests.

Reception

The question here is…dj…band…orchestra???

There are factors to consider ~
• Budget – What can you afford; a band is hundreds more than a dj, an orchestra is thousands more
• Size of the wedding – You wouldn’t have a 12 piece orchestra for 75 guests or a 2 piece band for 375 guests.
• Size of the room – A dj will only take up about a 4’ x 8’ space; 8-piece band needs a 12’ X 24’ space.
• Personal preference – What do you want and why?

Most brides in the suburbs choose disc jockeys for their wedding receptions and many city brides seem to prefer bands or orchestras. Cost is a determinism with the dj costing less and brides wanting to have music played by the original artist.

There are 2 types of disc jockeys – one will emcee the wedding and have a few words to say and play music the entire evening and the other is called an “interactive” dj. The interactive dj usually talks throughout the evening in between songs, may bring props and interacts with the guests. He/she really wants to get the party started and can be a lot of fun. If you are considering an interactive dj, be sure to see a demo if you haven’t seen him/her before to make sure this dj is what you are wanting at your wedding.   A good dj or bandleader will always “work” the crowd to keep the dance floor filled and people dancing.

Prior to your wedding, you will meet with your hired professional to go over many details of your reception. You will receive a worksheet which should include information about:

Bridal Party Introductions (names and order)
• Speeches
• Toasts
• Cake Cutting
• Dinner Prayer
• First Dance
• Special Dances and the order of the evening

You will also be choosing all the songs you want played during these special moments, the last song of the evening and don’t forget the ’must play’ list and the ‘do not play’ list. The emcee (whether it be a dj or band leader) will also want to know what type of music you prefer played. Do keep in mind there will probably be people from all age groups. Try to play something for everyone with the big band sound music early in the evening because the older guests usually leave earlier in the evening, long before the younger guests.

Your emcee can make or break the evening…be sure to do your homework and research your options. When interviewing the dj or band, ask them / discuss ~

• Is there a travel fee?

• Is there an extra charge if the location has stairs?

• Have they played at your reception location?

• How did they handle any sound problems such as high ceilings
      and sound echoes? (Just because they have been to the location
       before doesn’t mean they know how to solve a sound problem.)

• What do you wear? Sounds silly….but you don’t want the dj
      or musicians showing up in jeans for your formal wedding.

• Play music during dinner at a reasonable volume so guests
      don’t need to shout to be heard.

• Do they have liability insurance?
     (If a guest gets hurt by their equipment - they’re covered.)

• What’s their back-up plan in case of equipment failure or sickness?

• Dinner requirements – especially for bands. Be aware of the contract
     as many contracts for bands and orchestras include a requirement
     to supply dinner for the band members who have been on site over
     a designated number of hours.

• Always ask if there are any up charges for the special lighting and effects.

In regard to the ipod…it’s great for small parties at home but it doesn’t have eyes to see what’s happening on the dance floor. Make your reception personal…not technical.

Article submitted by Holly Stasiak. Holly is a professional wedding planner. You can contact her at holly@apassionforweddings and view her website at www.apassionforweddings.com