Choosing music for a wedding

The music you choose for your wedding is a key ingredient in crafting atmosphere. By shaping the desired atmosphere during the events of your wedding day you can greatly enhance the emotional impact of entering/exiting the ceremony venue, greeting guests at the reception, cutting the cake, the first dance and the evening's entertainment.

The perfect music for entering the church will not be at all right for the reception in the evening. Similarly, you should not assume that the same method of playing the music would be appropriate in each instance. At it's most obvious, this can be seen in the fact that you wouldn't choose an organ for the evenings entertainment, but for entering your church it might be ideal.

For entering and exiting your ceremony venue, harpists or string quartets are both popular and classy. For those getting married in a church, an organ is the traditional choice. At receptions DJs are common, as are all kinds of bands. Remember that, for maximum enjoyment, you are looking to appeal to as broad a spectrum of your reception guests as possible. If you love opera and your guest don't, an opera singer probably wouldn't be the wisest of choices for the evenings entertainment. However, if your family and friends are all keen operagoers too, it could be perfect. It is for reasons of broad-spectrum appeal that many couples choose jazz bands with repertoires that also incorporate swing, pop and Latin music. Having a live band play popular classics, but with a twist, all but guarantees to get your guests out of their chairs, whilst remaining highly memorable.

Since sound is an audible medium, it would be all too easy to forget the impact that your choice of music will have on the wedding photography. Most importantly, when you and your guests are having fun, this cannot fail to show in the photographs. It is also worth noting that while music played through a CD player is not visually noteworthy, a harpist or jazz band in matching outfits is, and will make for some fantastic photographs.

Booking a band or musician without hearing samples of their work would be madness. You may find some examples of their music on their websites, however this will most likely be a small selection, so it is worth asking for them to send you a demo CD. Some wedding bands also play regular gigs in bars, pubs and clubs, and this can be an excellent opportunity for you to check out your options before booking. Popular wedding bands will be taking bookings six months to a year in advance, so it is important to book early.