Think back to the last wedding you attended as a guest. Almost certainly, one of your strongest memories will be of the evening party. If the wedding band was hammy and cheesy it will have coloured your view of the whole event. Do bear in mind that when push comes to shove, you usually get what you pay for. The music is a key feature in the potential success of your special day and, as such, is probably not the best area in which to try to cut corners.

That said – if lack of cash is a real issue, here are some suggestions for surmounting the problem without incurring a huge monetary outlay.

Do you have a friend who is a member of a local band, or a relative with children who are up-and-coming pop musicians in the making? Maybe it is possible for that person to organise the music evening party as their ‘wedding gift’ to you.

A good local pub band (or a young band ‘on the way up’) often has plenty of positive energy, and may well be happy to step out in style and create a brilliant atmosphere for you at a fraction of the cost of a professional function band. The involvement of friends and relatives in the performance also gives the wedding music a truly personal touch.

Close involvement in the process is imperative for a successful outcome. Be sure to watch a full performance by the band in front of an audience, and make certain that the repertoire that the band plays is suitable for a mixed family party. Check that the band has access to all the PA equipment required to carry out the performance in the venue of your choice. Arrange for the guys to arrive well in advance to be certain that they will be fully set up when their first set is due to start.

Do also be aware that reliability may well be an issue. A phone-call from the bass player a week before the event saying, ‘We’ve broken up’, can throw your wedding plans somewhat out of kilter!

Do you have a university or college nearby with a music department – even a sixth-form college – that has a good reputation for training pop musicians? If so, contact the director. Keen musical instrument teachers are always looking for opportunities that enable their pupils to try out their skills in ‘real’ performance situations. You may be able to persuade a developing pop band or soul/funk band to perform for you for travelling expenses and plenty of food and drink.

If you take this path, be aware that the level of performance and reliability will probably not be quite up to professional standards. A hands-on approach on your part is essential to the success of this strategy. Make a point of listening at length to the group in rehearsal before deciding to proceed. Make sure that you arrange for the group to arrive early enough to be set up well in time, and that they have adequate repertoire prepared to fill the time-slots allocated.

You may prefer to use recorded music for your evening wedding party. If so, the intelligent use of an ipod can keep costs down. Do you have a friend who is heavily into computer-generated music? Maybe he can provide the music for you as his ‘wedding gift’ to you. With the necessary skills it's not a hard task to carry out.

A good-quality PA of specification suitable for the venue is essential. If this cannot be sourced through friends it can be hired locally for a modest sum, along with a small set of sequenced dancefloor lights.

Create a compilation of your favourite dance-tracks on your ipod, dovetailed to play consecutively for the period you require your home-made ‘disco’ to run. Finally, make sure you provide the correct lead to operate an ipod through the PA system on the day and you're ready for business. You now have all the necessary prerequisites in place to fill the dancefloor at your evening wedding reception, while keeping most of your money safely in your pocket.

Jennie Evans manages Hop Till You Drop, a company that provides music of all styles and types for weddings, birthday parties and corporate events in the UK. To find out more about all aspects of wedding music planning and to get up-to-date info on live music for weddings in the UK, why don't you check out Hop Till You Drop Wedding Music Services? Hop Till You Drop is a company run by musicians, so you can be sure that all the important aspects of your live wedding music will be attended to by knowledgeable, experienced professionals.