If you’re reading this post, you’ve probably already made lots of wedding plans. You’ve most likely picked your venue and hired a photographer, florist, DJ or band; maybe you’ve even picked your dresses and suits and ordered invitations. But we’re so glad you’ve stopped by because we think (although we might be slightly biased) that live music for your wedding ceremony is a crucial part of your wedding day and deserves some planning.
Where To Start
If you don’t know where to start, your ceremony musicians should be there to help. If you have lots of ideas, they should be there to discuss them and figure out the best plan of action. We think it’s important for you to find a group that can be as involved in the music selection process as you like, and that is happy to discuss ideas with you or carry out your own vision for the day.
When selecting your musicians and songs, take into consideration your venue and the overall atmosphere of the wedding. Is it more traditional, religious, modern? These types of things will help influence the type of music you’ll want to have during your ceremony and other parts of your wedding day.
Selecting the Group
The first step of this process is deciding what kind of instrumentation you want. You could have a string quartet, a harpist, a singer, a pianist/keyboardist...there are just so many options. And most groups even with classical instruments are able to play convincing arrangements of your favorite pop or rock songs. Our group is specifically flute and guitar, which we think is a perfect combination for providing wedding background music. Here are some reasons why:
The flute can provide a cheerful and bright sound or a more delicate and sweet sound depending on the moment and mood of the song. It is a very versatile instrument that works quite well for background music of varying styles.
The flute blends beautifully with the guitar, an instrument that can play both melodies and harmonies simultaneously, and can play with the flute in the foreground or provide a steady accompaniment while the flute soars on top.
The flute and guitar combo sounds equally lovely playing any genre of music. The flute can evoke the sentiment of the voice in pop songs while the guitar imitates the band, and together the flute and guitar can create the melodies and harmonies of an orchestra or any other type of group for classical pieces and folk or religious songs.
We’re portable; we can play in any type of venue, inside or outside; and we can play with or without amplification. We can easily transport ourselves from one room to another for transitions from ceremony to cocktail hour, cocktail hour to dinner, etc.
Whatever type of group you decide on, choosing an ensemble that you feel comfortable with and that you know has experience playing weddings is key. That way, you will trust that your musicians know when and what to play, which is one less thing you have to worry about leading up to and on your wedding day.
Watch for our next post that has tips for deciding when you want the live ceremony musicians to play!