Don't Overlook The Importance Of Your Wedding Music
There are two aspects of wedding music that need to be addressed
when planning your big day. First, you may wish to select
certain music or arrange for professional soloists or musicians
to play during the actual wedding ceremony. But at the wedding
reception, it's pretty much anything goes when it comes to
selecting wedding music, provided it's tasteful.
Right away is the time to plan your wedding music. Good talent
gets booked fast and you don't want to end up having to select
the brand new DJ with only a few weddings under his belt or
something even worse. Booking your music a full year in advance
is advisable but at a minimum, you should know who will be
showing up and what he or she will be playing at least six
months prior to the wedding date.
For most weddings, selecting the music for the wedding ceremony
isn't that complicated because most often, it's controlled by
the person in charge at the location where the ceremony will
take place. When you're researching your wedding ceremony
options, be sure to inquire about any guidelines with respect to
wedding ceremony music as these could possibly impact your
decision. If the ceremony is being held outdoors, check for
electrical hook-ups or book live musicians.
Wedding music during the ceremony is basically secondary to the
ceremony itself so the music is really meant to sort of 'fill in
the gaps' during the non-speaking periods such as while guests
are being seated, during the procession, and while lighting the
unity candles. Of course, it's your wedding and it can be
custom-designed.
The music that's played at the reception, however, is going to
mean the difference between a successful reception and one
that's ho-hum. And this is where things can start to get
complicated. When you begin searching for wedding reception
music, you'll realize rather quickly that you have a lot of
options. You can book a live band, or a DJ that'll play
pre-recorded music, or you can buy that CD full of top wedding
songs and have someone act as the DJ.
It's important that you both agree on the type of wedding music
you want played at your reception. There are 'traditional' songs
that almost always are played at certain points during the
reception such as the father/daughter dance, the cake cutting,
the dollar dance and so on. And then there is all the music in
between. Do you want jazz, country, R&B, new age, Italian,
Latin, Jewish-inspired, or a little bit of everything? That's an
important decision to make because the musicians you select have
to be able to deliver what you want or you won't be happy.
Try to book experienced professionals for your wedding music.
Always ask for and check references. Even contact the Better
Business Bureau. If booking live talent, arrange to hear a live
performance before booking. Scrutinize the contract before
signing to make sure all parties agree on the number of hours
music will be provided and that everything that has been agreed
to is in writing. Find out the cancellation and refund policy,
too.