A Guide to Planning Wedding Music

The size of your wedding music budget is dependant on the size of your overall wedding party and the limitations of the sum set aside to fund the whole wedding. It stands to reason that less musicians will be required to entertain a smaller group of guests!

Keeping tight control of the number of guests to be invited to participate in your special day is the key to controlling the size of the budget required in all areas – including the budget required to pay for musical entertainment.

Expect to pay approximately £185.00 - £250.00 for the services of each professional musician you employ. For that princely sum, look forward to two hours of live music, in the form of either 2 x 1 hour sets or 3 x 40 min sets in a three to four hour performance window. Most performers come equipped to play CDs through their PA system, thus providing good quality background music during the breaks.

If overall funding is tight, you can stretch the music budget by using either a soloist or duo that performs with the musical accompaniment of guitar, piano, bass and drums on backing track; thus gaining a ‘two for the price of one’ budgetary advantage. Do be aware, however, that backing tracks take the spontaneity out of the live performance. A better way forward may be to find a versatile and talented trio, each of whom both sing and play their own instrument. Between them, it’s possible to create a great immediate live pop sound without resorting to bland and confining backing tracks.

If it is essential to keep the price down and you have up to 100 guests invited, a talented trio is the way forward. Stretch the budget by paying a little extra for a longer performance window. Use the first 40 min set of live music to provide background atmosphere during the drinks reception before the wedding breakfast. Make sure your musicians are well looked after while the wedding breakfast takes place and they will be back refreshed, once the meal is over and the tables are cleared to provide two more 40 min sets of dance music to complete the party.

You may well be able to negotiate laid-back background music on CD through the band's PA system during the sit-down meal and the use of a microphone for speeches after the meal as part of the deal. How’s that for value?

Here's a very different scenario. You're lucky enough to have the band of your dreams booked for the after-meal party. However, your sit-down meal is taking place in the same room as the evening celebration and you require the band to set up during the afternoon. You are incurring a considerable additional charge for this service.

Do be aware that you can mitigate this cost by making use of the band's PA to provide background music during the sit-down meal and to provide sound facilities during the speeches. Additionally (for a small additional cost) the wedding band will be very happy to provide a duo or trio to play laid-back cocktail jazz that will enhance the atmosphere during the drinks reception and create excellent atmosphere during the sit-down meal.

If the venue package includes a DJ to provide full-on dance music to finish the party, you gain a great deal of flexibility with your wedding music budget.

You can use your live music budget for a variety of purposes. The first set can be used to create atmosphere during the drinks reception, the second set can be performed during the meal itself and the final set (to include the first dance) can put a stamp of class on the proceedings before the disco takes over. Salsa, Samba, Latin Jazz, Carribean Steel Band, Irish , African – there are lots of options. The list is endless and the choice is yours. Get ready to party!