Why is live music a good idea?
Live music has always been a popular form of entertainment at weddings. During the pandemic lots of us turned to music as a form of therapy and live music was sadly missed. Live music adds atmosphere, sets the mood and tone of the day and of course can get your guests up and dancing the night away on the disco floor until the early hours. Weddings provide a fantastic opportunity for feasting, singing and dancing for all generations and choosing the right live music is vital as a backdrop, and at times a focal point, of your day.
Our top tips will help you to choose the right live music for your wedding, saving you time, money and hassle at the planning stages.
What are my options for live music?
Once you have decided that live music is going to be a feature on your special day you will undoubtedly start hitting the search engines and get very confused! There are just so many live music options available from harpists, soloist singers and guitarists, to 12 piece bands, right up to choirs with 150 people! It can be a daunting and time consuming task to start narrowing down your choices, not to mention watching all the demo videos, so we have simplified it for you here. Follow our 5 top tips to see how you can make live music a wonderful addition to your wedding.
Tip #1: Match your live music to the theme/ style of your wedding
If your wedding style is traditional, elegant and sophisticated you may want to opt for classical music. String quartets are very popular, as are harpists and choral singers which could be a soloist, duet or trio. Choral singers usually provide their own pa system and backing tracks but this is something to check beforehand. Maybe your wedding is Harry Potter themed, James Bond themed or something completely quirky, whatever your theme or style there will be music that matches!
Tip #2: Consider what role you want your live music to play
This may sound like a strange point! What we mean here is that music will serve a specific purpose at your wedding so think about what you want it to do / what you want to achieve from it. For example, do you want your musicians to welcome your guests and settle them down? Or maybe you want to create a lively and fun atmosphere? Understanding what you want from your live music will help you choose the right entertainment and the right points in your day when you will need it.
Tip #3: Be guided by recommendations
Once you have found a live music option that appeals to you ask around for people who have seen and heard them in action. Most musicians will have a website with links to their YouTube video clips but there is nothing like hearing a recommendation from someone who was actually there at the event and who saw them play live.
Tip #4: Keep a good balance
Live music is priced in different ways – some musicians will charge a day rate, others an hourly rate and some (eg choirs) will have a tariff for the number of songs they sing. Think carefully about how many songs you can realistically fit into your wedding day. It is very tempting to shoehorn the songs into the ceremony just because you’ve paid for them, but this is not a concert – it is your wedding day so be mindful of the balance of events. You need to make sure you are centrestage rather than the musicians, so chat with them beforehand and work out your timings.
Tip #5: Include your guests
There are plenty of inclusive live music acts that are really popular for weddings, eg singing waiters, flashmobs. Involving your guests in the music is a great way to raise the roof and get everyone in the right mood. I have officiated quite a few ceremonies which included a guest singalong – it always goes down well.
I would love to chat with you about your wedding ceremony, just get in touch