Planning a wedding is no small task! Trust me I know, I got married last year. Although, I did realise that I had an advantage when it came to planning the entertainment. As a professional wedding singer I attend up to 100 weddings a year, of all different sizes and locations, so I know how the day generally runs.

Most couples don’t have this experience when it comes to planning their day, so I thought I’d write a little article about what I know as a singer, and a bride, about planning the live music for your special day.

So, when can you have live music on your wedding day? The honest answer is whenever you like! It’s your day, but there are some moments during a wedding when live music is traditional. These traditions haven’t come from nowhere, they exist because they really work.

Ceremony

Guest Arrival

It is such a nice touch at a wedding to have some live music while your guests arrive. It is such an exciting time and it really adds to the atmosphere. My advice would be to go for something instrumental, rather than sung, as people will be chatting.

Entrance Music

This is a big one! Having live musicians play your entrance as a bride or groom is something that you will never forget. The first two notes of mine still brings back all the feelings of anticipation and excitement. Choose something that you think is beautiful and sums you up as a person. You’ll know it when you hear it, you’re looking for that goosebumps effect!

Signing the Register

This is something that quite often gets forgotten! You need a couple of songs for this part of the ceremony, otherwise it can turn into a bit of an awkward silence and seat shuffling while you and your partner sign the documents. Prevent the drop in energy and pick two songs or pieces which you both love.

Exit Music

Congratulations! You did it! You’re married. What better way to celebrate than have some uplifting music to start off your married life together. This can be anything, it just adds to the energy and ambience of the day and is a good way to link the end of the ceremony with the beginning of the reception.

 

TIP: Ideally you want all of the ceremony music to be played by the same musicians, that way you will keep your costs down. You can also keep within your budget by using the same musicians for the whole day. For example, my band Funcnation, offer acoustic ceremony music as well as an electric party band for the reception. Having only one group of musicians for the whole day keeps the costs down by only having to pay one lot of travel expenses and only one band to feed!

Reception

Wedding Breakfast

Whether you’re having a formal sit down meal, buffet or casual canapés, some live music would add to the ambience. Like with the guest arrival, I would advise instrumental music at this point as people will be chatting but that is personal preference. If you wanted a singer then maybe go for something acoustic like a singer and acoustic guitar.

First Dance

If you book a band for your reception, most bands will play your first dance for you, if that’s something you’d like. This is totally personal preference. Some couples prefer to dance to the actual version that means so much to them, whereas others love having their own personal version played by the band they have hired. It’s definitely something to think about.

Party

If you can only afford one part of your wedding music to be live I would go for a party band. There’s nothing quite like having a live band to get your guests up on their feet dancing. It ends the day on a high like no other. It’s something you and your guests will always remember.

 

And that’s it! I hope this has broken the options for live music on your wedding day down into more manageable chunks. Now you can plan and budget for the live music aspect of your wedding. If you have any questions then please do get in contact with me directly here or leave a comment below.