How to get the most out of your wedding music…

Opus One Monthly Music Notes 

5 Tips for Picking the Best Wedding Ceremony Music 

by Brian McDonie on January 5, 2021

Picking music can be one of the most difficult steps of the wedding planning process, but it doesn’t have to be! Below are five tips to help you get the most out of your wedding music. If you like this article and want more like it, be sure to subscribe to our monthly music notes.

Tip Number 1: Venue Acoustics

Each space has its own unique acoustic properties that will significantly affect a musical performance in a variety of ways.

If your wedding is outdoors, consider the size and location of your ceremony and/or reception venue and the instruments you would like to be played there. Soft surfaces dampen sound, hard surfaces reflect sound, and other elements such as wind and guests will also deflect or absorb sound. For example, if you have a large outdoor wedding on grass with a light breeze and two-hundred guests, a solo instrument might not be the best choice. The lone instrument’s sound will get lost in the open-space of the venue, will be muffled by the large number of guests (bodies and clothes absorb quite a bit of sound), and will very likely be blown by the wind in the wrong direction, making it difficult or impossible to hear. You could solve this by amplifying the soloist or having a larger ensemble perform. Another element to consider if you’re having an outdoor wedding is the weather. Playing an instrument in heat and cold is difficult, but most importantly, temperature extremes and fluctuations greatly affect tuning. Simply put, an ensemble that is not in tune will not sound good. In summary, if you choose an outdoor venue, carefully consider the ground or flooring surfaces of the space, weather conditions, the number of wedding guests versus the number of musicians, and the volume and projection capabilities of the instruments you’d like to perform. 

If your wedding is indoors, it is much easier for guests to hear instruments perform without extra amplification. Because indoor venues are closed in, sound reflects off the walls and stays in that space instead of literally being whisked away by the wind in an outdoor venue. Additionally, most indoor venues have lots of hard, sound-reflecting surfaces, so your guests will have no problem hearing whatever instruments you choose to play your music. When selecting music for an indoor ceremony or reception, consider the number of guests and the material of the surfaces in the venue such as carpets, rugs, soft wall hangings, etc. These will all dampen sound; keep in mind that your venue will sound different when it is full of people than when it is empty. Conversely, spaces with open ceilings, exposed structures, and extensive hard surfaces will not absorb much sound at all, causing the music to feel louder than it otherwise would be. 

Tip Number 2: Live or Recorded Music? 

Many couples struggle with the dilemma of whether to have live music or amplified recordings at their ceremonies and especially at their receptions.  

If you choose to use recorded music for your wedding, double and triple check that it will work as needed when you want it to. Download your music instead of streaming it to avoid possible connection issues. In regards to your speakers, make sure that you have enough speaker power for your music to be heard over your guests, and make sure that you have enough amperage power to run the speakers. Recordings don’t react to in-the-moment changes, so you will need a plan set in advance for how recordings will end during your ceremony (someone should be in charge of ceremony audio to make sure this runs smoothly). Have a plan in case you need the music to play longer, and make sure whatever device you’re using won’t automatically play the next song when finished. Lastly, be sure to listen to your downloaded music the entire way through to make sure it is exactly what you want. The goal is for your sound technology to work when you need it to and to play only what you want and nothing more. 

If you choose live music for your wedding, hire us and you don’t have to read the rest of this paragraph. But here’s what the process of having live music at a wedding generally looks like. Be sure to book your musicians early, clearly communicate what music you would like to hear, and give them your sequence of events as soon as you can. Live music at your wedding adds a level of personalization and flexibility that recorded music cannot offer. Live music and performance makes an event feel like an event. One significant advantage to having musicians perform instead of a recording is that they adapt to the ceremony in real time. They can quickly and imperceptibly make changes to fit whatever is going on, such as playing longer or shorter to match how long it takes your bridesmaids and grandparents to walk down the aisle. They are also able to interact with your guests and family, and can play requests. Yes,  adding the human element to music performance means there could be mistakes by the musicians, but you are more likely to get the atmosphere and sound quality you really want to make your day truly set apart from everyday experiences. Lastly, while speaker technology is very, very good, it still cannot ever fully match live sound. 

It may feel like we are pushing live music over recorded, because we are. It’s just something we feel so passionately about. 

Tip Number 3: Timing

Music that is perfectly timed for specific moments in your ceremony is a great way to make the event polished and organized. Here are some things to consider: How long will it take to walk down the aisle? Will you use the same music for the entire wedding party and bride, or will the bride have her own music separate from the bridal party? If the music you pick for the processional is longer than the time it takes to walk down the aisle,  how will you end the music? What happens if the music is not long enough? One way to plan for these uncertainties is to select music that can be extended or cut short as needed. This means that the musicians can watch the events of the ceremony and quickly respond to timing cues by repeating some of the music or jumping to the end of a piece. When picking your music, think not only what music you would like to hear but how it will fit the logistics of your ceremony. 

Tip Number 4: Finding Musicians and Ensembles

Where should you look when you are ready to hire musicians, ensembles, or DJs? If you are using a wedding planner, they should have some ensembles on their lists that you can pick from. Sites such as  www.gigsalad.com can help you find talent nationwide. Resources like the knot or wedding wire can also be useful to search for bands and performers. When you have a few groups picked out, continue to narrow your list by listening and watching several recordings and videos of the group before you decide to book anyone. You don’t want to learn on your wedding day that the band you hired because they looked good on paper actually sounds worse than an army of caffeinated screeching cats. Common ensembles for wedding ceremonies usually consist of anywhere from a solo performer to a sextet. There is ultimately no limit on what type of ensemble you can have, just remember that the more uncommon the instrumentation, the harder it can be to find music and musicians to play it.

Tip Number 5: Price

You’ll find a wide variety of prices on the web for wedding music, and usually what you pay for is what you get. If you decide to go with live music, expect to pay about $250 or more per musician. For this price they will perform at your wedding ceremony without rehearsals or any extra playing. If you want to have them at your ceremony rehearsal or play more for more than just the ceremony, expect to pay more. Wedding bands can range in price anywhere from $1,000-$3,000 (or more depending on who you hire and the size of the group). If you decide to book a DJ, you should also expect to pay anywhere from $1,000-$3,000. While not required, tipping the musicians is a nice gesture especially if they do a great job. 

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