Top Tips for Planning Perfect Wedding Music

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We all know how emotive music can be, which is why it’s such an important part of a wedding day, whether it’s creating the right atmosphere at the right time, entertaining guests or reflecting the unique relationship between every bride and groom.

As a wedding string quartet with years of experience, here are our top tips to guarantee that the music you choose will create an amazing, unforgettable wedding day.

Plan Your Musical Milestones

Your wedding day will have a series of moments where music will be integral to setting the tone as well as signaling to guests what’s happening. For example, it can be a common mistake to forget about having music before the ceremony to create the ambiance from the outset. Similarly, in addition to selecting your perfect entrance and exit music, think about the waiting periods throughout the day such as during the signing of the register, before the reception and while photography is happening. It’s popular to hire a string quartet for these parts of the day as well as other live musicians as they have the versatility to switch between being a feature to entertain guests or to be discreet in the background. In the evening, you could consider having a couple of styles of music, be they a band or DJ, to cater for different age groups or to signal a shift from formalities to party time!

Strike the Right Chord with Your Selection

Consider whether the music fits with your venue and the tastes of your guests. This might be making sure the style enhances the location’s atmosphere or is a more specific requirement, such as ensuring that your selection is suitable for a place of religion. However, over the course of the day, don’t be afraid to mix up different genres. Guests love to be surprised and often enjoy hearing a combination of classical, pop, jazz and even TV and movie soundtracks.

Don’t be fazed by adding a personal twist to your wedding music. It’s easier than you think. For example, Status Cymbal is often commissioned by brides and grooms to arrange their favorite songs, even if they’re not listed in our repertoire or are particularly well-known tunes.

Another factor to bear in mind if you book a wedding string quartet, a band or a DJ, you might also want to flag any ‘do not play’ songs if you know that any pieces of music or songs can be particularly problematic for yourselves or any guests.

Narrow Down Your Research from the Outset

There are so many wedding music options available that’s it’s hard to know where to start picking the right provider. These questions will help you to sharpen up your research before you spend too many hours on Google – especially if you’re looking to hire a string quartet!

• How many different styles of music do you need for the day within your budget?
• Do you want the musicians to be a focus or background?
• Does their repertoire cover the breadth of music that you need, and most importantly can you see and hear them play?
• What’s their experience? For example, have they played at similar ceremonies and venues to yours?

 Balance Sound and Space

Ask your venue manager about what type of music usually works best in the space you’re hiring and whether there are any restrictions such as regulations and limits to sound amplification. They can help you to identify where any performance should be positioned for the best effect and ambient acoustics. For example, a string quartet may be fine being in an enclosed space close to guests, but a singer with a microphone or DJ may need a much larger area to work in so that the sound doesn’t overwhelm guests.