A Guide to Planning Wedding Music

No-one wants to spend money unnecessarily in any situation, however, do bear in mind that at a special celebration it is the the music sets the scene and creates the atmosphere. These are the aspects of the event that remain in everyone’s memory long afterwards. The music is a key feature in the potential success of your special day and, as such, is not the best area in which to try to cut corners.

However, if inpecunity is a defining issue, here are some ways to include music in your wedding without breaking the bank.

Do you have a friend who is a keen amateur musician or a relative who has children who are up-and-coming musicians in the making? Maybe it is possible for that person to organise the music for your wedding ceremony or drinks reception as their ‘wedding gift’ to you. Aspiring musicians are often keen to find opportunities to try out their fledgling skills in real performance situations and the involvement of friends and relatives in the performance gives the wedding music a truly personal touch.

Easy arrangements of popular tunes will fit the bill perfectly in this situation. A simple, heart-felt performance by a friend will help make your special day really memorable.

Do you have a university or college nearby will a music department – even a sixth-form college – that has a good reputation for training great musicians? If so, contact the director. Keen music instrument teachers are always looking for oppourtunities that enable their pupils to try out their skills in ‘real’ performance situations. You may be able to persuade a budding string quartet or wind group to come and play for you for travelling expenses.

If you take this route, remember that you cannot expect the same level of performance and reliability as that furnished by professional musicians. A hands-on approach on your part is essential to the success of this strategy. Go and listen at length to the group in rehearsal before making an affirmative decision. 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 slot allocated.

Maybe you have friends or relatives who know of an aspiring group of youngsters who have formed a pop band and would be delighted to try out their skills on a real audience. Possibly you know of a good pub band that might fit the bill. Either way, these guys are likely to have the PA equipment required for the performance and will cost considerably less than a professional wedding band.

Again, hands-on involvement in the process is essential for success. Make sure you watch a full performance by the band in front of an audience and that the repertoire that the band plays is suitable for a mixed family party. Check that the band owns all the PA equipment required to carry out the performance in the venue of you choice. Arrange of the guys to arrive well in advance to be certain that they will be fully set up when the 1st set is due to start. Do also be aware that reliability way well be an issue. A phone-call from such a band a week before the event saying, ‘We’ve broken up’, can throw your wedding plans somewhat awry!

It may be possible to find friends to perform for short periods at key points in your special day, but backgroud music will also be required for the rest of the event. Intelligent use of an ipod can solve this problem. Do you have a friend who is heavily into computer generated music? Maybe he can provide the background music for your wedding as his ‘wedding gift’ to you. With the necessary skills it's not a hard task to carry out.

Well-known classical tunes or easy-listening jazz create excellent backgound ambience for the drinks reception and wedding breakfast. These styles of music are easy to source over the internet and tracks can be segued one into another to provide continuous music for the period required. For the evening party a good-quality PA of a size suitable for the venue is essential. If this cannot be sourced through friends it can be hired locally for a small sum, along with a small set of sequenced dancefloor lights.

Create a compillation of your favourite dance tracks on your ipod, segued to run one into the other for the period you require your home-made ‘disco’ to run. Finally, make sure you provide the correct lead to run an ipod through the PA system on the day and you're up and running. You now have all the necessary requisites in place to fill the dancefloor at your evening wedding reception, while keeping your money safely in your pocket.