Arranging Your Wedding Music
Wedding Entertainment Tips & Advice
Quality music is essential if you want to create the right ambience at your wedding. Instrumental music and string
quartet ensemble music, in particular, are ideally suited to lend an real air of romance and elegance to your once in a lifetime occasion.
Such music can provide a truly unforgettable, uplifting atmosphere for you and your guests.
Creating the perfect mood:
During your wedding dinner and drinks reception, it’s important to put your guests at ease and help them relax quickly. Providing your guests
with quality stringed ensemble music at the start of the proceedings will help them to get into the mood of the occasion - and who knows
it’ll probably help you enjoy things better as well. Let's face it, getting the music right for a wedding is all too easily
overlooked in the frantic build up to your big day.
So step back, relax and consider the mood you want to create - both for the ceremony and reception.
When consider instrumental music, don’t forget that you can also hire a string quintet or trio - since the difference is, more or less,
one violin player compared to a standard quartet.
Adding style to your wedding music:
In your ceremony and reception, you may want to involve different styles of music. For instance, if you're having a
Scottish wedding, wouldn't you love to hear the haunting sounds of a piper as you arrive at the church or hotel? What about a
harpist or flautist during the ceremony? Wouldn't that be relaxing and mood enhancing? Alternately, what about a
jazz band to add the 'wow' factor after the meal has ended and to lead your guests onto the dance floor. It's also worth mentioning that most
popular music can be adapted for use by most bands and groups - within reason of course.
To compliment string ensemble music at the start of your evening entertainment, we recommend you choose a function band, tribute band, swing
band or jazz band as an entertainment group to jump start the dancing and to put a real swing into your party.
In deciding on wedding day music, the following factors will be important:
- You budget and what proportion you want to spend on entertainment.
- The number of special requests you need.
- Availability of bands, groups and musicians.
- Size of your wedding party.
- Location and venue of your wedding.
- The presence of a live vocalist, if needed.
- The amount of dancing you plan to have.
While planning live music for your wedding you should consider the following:
- The size of your venue, the acoustics and the logistics associated with the venue.
- The need for any additional sound systems or P.A. equipment.
- The dress code and attire of the band.
- Your need for an Emcee or Announcer.
- Ensuring you have prior contact and easy access to the band leader.
- Who will be responsible for the string quartet or band during the event itself.
- Total costs for each type of entertainment.
- Deposits required and payment due dates.
Although music is essential to creating a great atmosphere for your wedding day, it’s often the last of the wedding services to be planned
and booked. This can frequently result in disappointment as quality bands and quartets are frequently booked up months and sometimes years in
advance.
We recommend that you plan your entertainment at least twelve months in advance and that way you'll almost certainly not have to settle
for second best musicians.
What are the advantages of string quartet wedding music?
String quartet wedding music can provide atmosphere and ambiance. You can provide an all-round 'set the scene' package with string
quartet music. You've also got the option of personalised pieces and varying styles of playing. There is little doubt that
including string quartet music to any function will relax your guests and provide a mood-enhancing experience for all concerned.
During a wedding ceremony, a quartet can easily play alongside a church organist, or other musicians in the proceedings. At any stage of a
wedding or reception, string quartet music will provide a romantic, soothing, backdrop using instrumental music that's special and meaningful
to you.
If guests are staying overnight at your venue, why not surprise them with some ear-stroking instrumentals at breakfast? There's little doubt
that beautiful music will help to relieve the worst effects of a post-wedding hangover!
Organising Entertainment on a Budget:
In trying to find a price that is affordable to you, you can always try and negotiate with a band leader. Keep in mind however that good
wedding function bands and string quartets do cost money and are hard to find. Therefore by negotiating a fee downwards you could be
detracting from the quality of the performance on your special day. Please also ensure that you are getting the musicians that you've booked
and requested - and not just a cheaper band from the end of the road.
If you're working on a very limited budget, we recommend hiring a quality D.J. rather than using a band. This option offers you the
advantage of being able to choose a play list of favourite songs prior to your big day. Moreover, you can select when songs
are played and the order they during your special evening. Make sure that you’ve booked a quality D.J., as there is a world of
difference between mediocrity and memorability in the entertainment world.
When it comes to organising the music for your wedding day my last words of advice are surprisingly simple.
Prepare, prepare, prepare .....then listen and enjoy!
Anthony Coogan
Organiser, String Quartets Live
spider-map
| 