The ceremony. The official bit (usually). It’s the second most important bit of the wedding, yeah? So where better to pop in some lovely live music that perfectly reflects you?
Wedding ceremony music is often top of the list for couples when it comes to choosing a specific and meaningful song (along with the first dance) but how this is performed can make all the difference to the vibe of your wedding day. You have two choices - pre recorded music or live music. As you’d expect, during our time as professional musicians, we have seen a real mix of wedding ceremony music, live and recorded; recordings blasting out of a cassette player, underqualified organists, opera singers and even full on ‘Love Actually’ style surprise brass bands.
You’re probably here at the beginning of your planning journey and are not sure how a standard ceremony works in terms of music and musicians. You might also be here because you’ve focussed so much on music for the wedding party that you forgot it’s also a huge part of the actual ceremony and you want to find a way to work special songs in there. As usual, we’ve got you.
THE STRUCTURE OF WEDDING CEREMONY MUSIC
Whilst bearing in mind that all wedding ceremonies are unique and can be as traditional or non-traditional as you make them, here is a little insight into a standard/traditional wedding ceremony music requirement for a civil ceremony in England:
Music for guests to be seated (15 mins)
Set the vibe with music whist your guests are choosing or finding their seats
Aisle entry music
This often allows time for any bridesmaids, bridesmen plus one or both of the couple to walk down the aisle
Signing of the register
Sometimes the legal bit. Normally 1-2 pieces of music work here to stop any awkward silences or guest rumblings.
Exit music
Music for leaving the ceremony room back up the aisle. Often a fun moment full of joy.
Now that you have the very basic info, hopefully you’re starting to think about music choice and what might work best at your ceremony. Again, we’re here to help with this and if you’re having doubts about any of your choices we can advise on what might work well. Sometimes just tweaking the live instrument or arrangement can bring it all together and make it feel a bit more lovely. With all that in mind, here are some of the burning questions we get asked most when we’re in talks with couples about their wedding ceremony music.
FAQS
If you’re looking to book with us or already have, this section should prove most helpful.
Can we choose the music for the aisle entry?
Yes please do! We love to see couples personalise their wedding ceremony music. We can make a bespoke arrangement for you when you book one of our acts.
2. Can you play as our guests arrive too?
Yes. When you book your ceremony music with us, you also get 15 mins of guest arrival music. It’s usually chilled as your guests will be chatting and excited to see you.
3. What’s included when we book ceremony music?
When you book your wedding ceremony music live with us you’ll receive:
15 mins of guest arrival music
A requested or bespoke aisle piece
Music for behind the signing of the register
A requested or bespoke exit song
You can ask for our help and advice too if you’re not sure on anything RE music choice.
4. What is meant by ‘bespoke arrangement and how do you make one for our ceremony?
It’s basically your choice of song for your chosen instrument. We take your song request, listen to it, suggest the instrument/voice that would sound great on it, get to work rewriting it for that chosen instrument, send it over to our musicians to perfect and hey presto.
5. How do we choose who we’d like to play us down the aisle?
If we’ve suggested a few ideas and you want some more pointers, start with these questions
Do you want an instrumental or vocal version?
Do you want high impact or heavy romance?
Take a look at all of our amazing acts in the ‘Daytime Music’ highlights on instagram or over on our youtube playlist to help you decide
6. How do we choose aisle music?
Choose music you love
Choose something that reflects you as a couple
If the lyrics don’t work or aren’t appropriate but you love the melody, we can create a bespoke instrumental arrangement that has the music without the words.
Now, how to make it a bit different and more YOU
MAKING THE CEREMONY EVEN MORE BESPOKE
Aside from the music, there are ways you can really make it your own including hiring a celebrant to perform the ceremony. Our pal & wedding colleague, Helen Jubb is a Sheffield based celebrant. She says “My ceremonies are personal and inclusive; they can be intimate, reflective, hilarious, moving and special occasions, which are based on your story and your ideas about love and commitment.” She also loves it when couples have elements of live music included in their ceremonies, which we will come back to later.
Song choice
Your song choice for aisle entry is pretty important for the very simple reason you’re unlikely to ever forget that moment. It’s a really special few minutes and traditionally can serve as a bit of an outfit reveal too, so you want to make a great choice that will match the tone of your wedding. Remember, there are no rules…except this one.
No religious music is permitted for a civil ceremony. Get that ‘Shine Jesus Shine’ song off your list immediately.
Moving on to the part some might call the ‘pre ceremony’. Some venues are forbidden from serving alcohol prior to the ceremony (worth checking if you’re planning for this) but some allow the guests to congregate and enjoy a little pick-me-up before the wedding ceremony actually begins. We have provided live musicians for 4 of these pre-ceremony sets this year already. Maybe it’s a new trend? Watch this space.
Start point of the music
Something to consider when planning your entry and exit music is that the starting point of the song may not be the most appropriate place to start. Particularly for the newly married couple’s exit, this may need to be a more sudden or impactful part of the song you’ve chosen, like, say a chorus. Worth thinking about, especially as the exit music only needs to be quite short normally. We’ll also help to advise with this so no panic if you’re just not sure!
Now, a curveball thrown in by our friend and colleague, Helen the Celebrant. Not only is she an advocate for bespoke and interesting ceremonies that reflect you completely, she also loves a bit of music.
“Live music, like a celebrant ceremony, is a game changer. It gives you the freedom to create something unique and personal to you. For example, you could get your guests involved in a sing-a-long as part of your ceremony. It's fun, inclusive and I can guarantee it will get everyone smiling. Booking musicians means you can choose how many verses without that awkward abrupt ending!”
YOUR TURN
Hopefully you’re feeling a little more informed on wedding ceremony music now and can start making some decisions towards having the most bespoke and YOU wedding ceremony possible, whatever that includes. If you’re ready to book one of our acts as an add on to your band or DJ or a new booking is heading our way, please drop us an email or fill in the form on our website to enquire. There are l o silly questions and no rules. Also give us a follow on the gram for more info, real weddings and amazing musical acts. We’d also urge you to check our Helen Jubb’s website and instagram..
Thanks for reading! Here's some more if you fancy it
If you’re new to us: Yeah, but who are you really?
Blog on The First Dance
Blog on The All Day Wedding Package
Last but not least, why not sign up to our mailing list and get a free handy wedding music planning tool to get you started
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