Your Wedding Needs a Musician!
We all know that weddings can be expensive. Between the food, the dresses, the photography… it all adds up. Music can seem like a good place to cut out costs, but let me tell you why I think everyone should have a live musician at their wedding!
Technology can let you down.
Yes YouTube is free, or you might even pay for Spotify Premium or you can buy digital music on iTunes or Amazon. But unless you have the full paid versions, ads can appear at any time during the song! Imagine walking down the aisle, and an add starts playing! Even the paid version of Spotify can run ads, so be aware!
You also then need to think about who is going to press play for your music, and that means having to ask a guest to be on duty for that, putting them under pressure.
How well do you trust this person?
What if they’re not paying attention, or crying at how beautiful you look?
How well do they know how to use the equipment?
Do they know exactly when music needs to be played?
And for how long it should go?
I’ve been to a wedding (as a guest) when the brides entrance music started playing way too early! She had only just arrived outside, but the music started to play and everyone stood up and turned to look, and eventually they had to turn the music off and restart it again. Kind of spoils the moment of the entrance!!
These might seem like little things, but you’d be surprised how much there is to think about when it comes to music!
How often do you get to hear live music?
You might go to concerts regularly, or hear music at your local pub, but how often do you actually get to hear a professional concert harpist playing music, just for you?
Or a piper playing celebratory music?
Or a pianist playing a set list of music you specifically have chosen?
Live music creates such a special atmosphere that draws everyone in to listen to it. It completely changes the atmosphere of a room and can really set the mood for the entire day. It gets everyone talking and it’s something everyone, young and old, can enjoy.
Live music can be specifically tailored to you
A professional musician will tailor every song to match the need and mood of the day. They can alter the lyrics of a song to make it more appropriate for you as a couple (for example, changing a ‘he’ to a ‘she’) and they can arrange the music so that it is perfectly timed for each part of the day.
If you use a recorded song, you’ll have to wait through long intros, which isn’t ideal for entrance or exit music, and it can really drag out certain moments of the day. You also then have to turn the song off half way through the song, maybe even before you get the hear the chorus, or any singing at all! It can be awkward and sound really weird.
But a live musician will cut out long intros, watch the procession and make sure the song will end at an appropriate time, while still singing the verses and lyrics so the song still sounds complete.
Some musicians will even write music for you, so you will have a brand new never-been-heard-before piece of music that is unique to your wedding day!
Less stress for you!
It might seem simple enough to ask someone to press play on a playlist for your wedding, but there’s so much more to think about!
Trust me on this - I didn’t have a band or DJ at my reception and I organised a playlist, and it would be the one thing I would change about my wedding!!
First you need to think about what equipment you’ll need.
Does your venue have a PA system that you can use?
Does your elected person know how to use that equipment?
Have you tested to make sure your device that you have your playlist on is compatible with that PA system?
For the ceremony, you have to know exactly what music you need: entrance music, signing of the register, exit music, hymns… and you have to know exactly when these songs appear and what songs are appropriate. You’ll then have to create a playlist and make sure it’s all in order. You’ll also have to think about the times of each of these songs.
For the reception you’ll need music for the drinks reception, you don’t want awkward silence when your guests are supposed to be mingling. You might think your venue will have that covered, but have you checked? Not all venues will organise that for you, especially if it’s a venue like a barn, or marquee or something like that. If you’re bringing your own PA system, does the venue have electricity for that?
Then you’ll need to think about dinner music, and you’ll need to think about how long the playlist should be for that. You don’t want to run out of music and have silence! And you’ll be surprised at how many songs it takes to fill two hours!
And then there’s the party music! You’ll have to organise a playlist for that, your speaker will definitely have to be loud enough! A regular Bluetooth speaker just won’t cut it! You need to think about what songs will get people dancing, how long they will dance for, and how will you keep the atmosphere going? Even after all that, you’ll still have awkward silences between each song. A DJ however, will choose music based on the vibe of the crowd and will know exactly which songs will fill the dance floor! And they will transition between songs seamlessly so people will stay on their feet all night!
I could go on for a while about this… but the main point is, a musician will take care of everything for you so all you have to do is pick what songs would mean the most to you. And that’s it! Less stress for you, more entertainment for your guests!
It’s definitely one expense you will not regret.
Happy planning!
Lisa
