I think most of the disappointment that people encounter with their reception entertainment, is to do with lack of planning and asking the right questions to begin with. Music often is left as an after thought when planning a wedding, which means that you occasionally get left with second rate bands.

Planning ahead, booking ahead and thinking about how the reception party will flow, ensures that it’s a very happy event rather than one remembered for such a terrible band.

1. The Type of Music

When searching for wedding music bands the first thing to consider is what type of cover band you want. Most good bands play a wide range of music but they can ‘specialise‘ in one form of music or another.

For example, think about whether you want an 80’s cover band or one that does mainly rock or even 60’s and 70’s music.

Here’s a short list of the types of cover band music out there!

• rock bands
• tribute bands
• 80’s cover band
• 50’s, 60’s, 70’s
• beatles cover band
• pink floyd, led zepplin, rolling stones
• abba tribute band
• eagles, doors, hendrix
• u2 cover band
• you get the idea!

So it’s important when asking what type of music they play, to find out what type of music they tend to favour.

2. A Plan for Your Reception Music

It’s a good idea to plan out the music for the evening so that you know what to expect from your cover band on the night. Just this one little foresight can make an OK evening into a fantastic evening. Plus, you can do it over a coffee in no time at all.

Divide the evening into 2 halves with a 20 minute break in the middle. Then decide what type of songs you want to start off with. Your guests will have just finished dinner so start off gentle and build up so that they don’t get indigestion!

Plan where you want your first dance (usually a waltz) and what songs you want to finish off the night. A good well organised band will help you plan this out.

3. Song List

Ask your band for a song list, a complete one if possible. This will help you to plan the evening. Plus, you may want to choose specific songs that are meaningful to you or your guests. Or perhaps, choose a few songs that you’re sure everyone will know and sing along to.

It’s also a good idea to let your wedding band know what NOT to play, especially if there’s music from an era or band that you really don’t like.

When choosing your wedding music bands, choose ones that play a good range of music. This will be your best best but remember, if you want the best cover bands, book early!

… Dee

What To Look For When Hiring A Cover Band is a post from: Wedding Music by Dee

Different Types of Harps

There are two main categories of harp, the Concert or Peddle Harp can change key while it’s being played like a piano. It’s large, complex and heavy, usually looks magnificent and can cost more than a family car! Peddle Harps are perfect for classical music and can be used to play almost anything but they are big and cumbersome to transport and a hassle to move about within a venue (say from ceremony to the suite where the cocktails are served).

All other harps can be called Folk Harps and the diversity of design and size is extraordinary because harps have been played for many centuries in countries all over the world and each culture has come up with a design to suit its music. The most widely played in the U.K. is the Celtic Harp, also known and a Clarsach (Clar-shuch), Irish or Scottish Small Harp. This the harp you’re most likely to hear at a wedding other than the Peddle Harp. It’s still a sizable and impressive instrument and can project its often softer, warmer voice nearly as well as its classical cousin. It’s perfectly suited to to Celtic and folk music and, in skilled hands, can also take on less complex classical pieces, hymns, show tunes and pop music.

Quite often you’ll find a harpist who owns both types and they’ll ask a higher fee for playing the classical harp due to the expense and trouble of transporting it, not to mention the greater risk of damaging their very valuable instrument.

Harp music

The harp is ideal for welcoming your guests into the church or venue for 20 minutes or so before the ceremony begins and perfect for music during the ceremony. See my article on wedding ceremony music for what you need to know and ideas to think about. A classical harp and many folk harps will be loud enough to be heard by everyone for the processional and recessional and both can accompany any hymns unless you have more than 80 to 100 guests.

As a background to your champagne reception harp music is unobtrusive yet brings a glow of sophistication and warmth that few other instruments can offer and obviously takes up less room than a string quartet or trio in venues where space is at a premium.

The harp also combines beautifully with melody instruments like flute or violin to offer a range of duo options which can give a brighter and more varied overall sound. You should expect to pay about the same for one of these harp duos as for a string quartet which are extraordinarily good value these days due to the appallingly low fees paid by orchestras to classical musicians.

Solo harp will cost anything from £150 – £300 Clarsach or £260 – £350 Peddle Harp for an hour (pre-ceremony and ceremony) whereas you could pay as little as little as £200 or as much as £450 for a full three hours to take in champagne reception as well.

There is harp music to suit almost every taste and harpists available in almost very part of the country. Be soothed, be enchanted, listen to more harp music!

How to hire a Wedding Harpist is a post from: Wedding Music by Dee

You can increasingly find wedding singers who are classically trained but very versatile in their technique so they can also sing very good jazz and contemporary pieces as well as Opera and Church music. Additionally, classical singers in Scotland often know and sing a fine range of Scottish song.

Whether you feel drawn to classical songs, Celtic songs, a Jazz vocalist or someone who sings modern classics like “Songbird”, “Fields Of Gold” or “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, most will need to work with an accompanist unless they play an instrument as well. That works very well as you’ll need music to welcome your guests to your ceremony venue and the accompanist will often be happy to play for about 20 minutes while everyone takes their seats. That gives a brilliant contrast when the bride is ready to come in and the singer launches in to your choice of entrance songs.

Processional songs

When choosing processional songs you’ll want something that is not only emotive, beautiful and probably romantic but a piece that reflects your character. If you’re a bright happy person you might feel more in tune with “There She Goes Again” whereas if you’re more reserved and more mystically alluring your song might be something quite different.

For a religious ceremony you’ll be thinking of hymns and most experienced wedding singers will be happy to lead the singing for two or three but do let them know your choice in plenty of time since their voice will be very much out front and they’ll want to be clearly heard singing the same tune and words as everyone else!

Remember when you’re selecting a song for signing of the register and that this segment of the wedding can last for as little as two and as long as fifteen minutes, depending on your photographer and how many camera wielding guests want a special shot of their own. It’s also best to hold back the tempo on this one, you want to keep your guests calm and give contrast to the maximum impact of you, the newlyweds, leaving as Mr and Mrs for the first time.

Recessional songs

Recessional songs are a chance to show how happy you are whether “Fly Me To The Moon”, Take That “Greatest Day”, Beatles “All You Need Is Love” or Mendelsohn “Bridal March”. Yet they also share with the processional the problem of needing to fit into a very short time frame since, unless you’re getting married in a large church, hall or cathedral, it’s almost impossible to take longer than 30 seconds to enter or leave unless you stop on the way!

When you’ve found a singer who has the flexible repertoire and a fantastic voice that you enjoy why not consider keeping them and their accompanist on to smooth the way as all the guests get to know one another over champagne at your drinks reception? This provides a warm continuity and fit’s in very well with keeping everyone relaxed and happy as they mingle with new friends.

A good singer is a great asset to your wedding and can bring a uniquely personal and emotional touch to of every part of it.

musically yours,

…. Dee

Choosing Your Wedding Singer is a post from: Wedding Music by Dee

A balancing act

Your top priority should be to ensure that, on the day, you and your guests will be able to relax and enjoy yourselves, knowing all the work and preparation is over and that you can trust the band to look after their audience, their performance and your evening without any more supervision.

You’ll want to have music that you and your spouse enjoy, of course, but there are also your guests to consider. As often as not there will be of a wide span of ages with different tastes, energy levels and attention spans, yet you’ll want them all to have a spectacular and enjoyable evening.

Most of the people you invite will be from the bride’s and groom’s families as well as colleagues, friends and acquaintances, most of whom wont know one another, so you’ll have to find ways to get them to mix as soon as possible. So how do you achieve that?

When you hire a band you’ll want to know that they’ll be able cover all these requirements as well as being professionals who can entertain everyone while organising themselves and their audience without even seeming to do so.

Hopefully you’ll already have a wedding budget to keep track of what you can spend and, since booking bands can be expensive, it’s best to be clear approximately what you can get for your money so I’ve put in some price indicators for each type of act.

Ceilidh or Barndance

The best value you’ll get, which will also please a wide range of ages, will almost certainly be a ceilidh band (sometimes called caley, ceili, celidh or even a barndance band). A Ceilidh is great for including all age groups and there’s nothing like it as an ice-breaker to bring together people who’ve never met before. Playing traditional Ceilidh and Celtic music properly is very technical and musicians have to specialise to achieve and maintain a good professional standard so don’t ask them to play pop covers as well, the instruments and techniques don’t translate well.

If you feel you have to have pop music as well as ceilidh a popular solution is to find a ceilidh band that offer an integrated disco in the price. If you find a band who says they play both ceilidh and covers well, be very sure you agree with them! Very few can pull off the transition without being disappointing on one or both sides of the coin.

You should be able to get a good local Ceilidh trio from as little as £500 though for a professional outfit who can guarantee you a quality, fun wedding ceilidh you should expect to pay at least £600 for trio and around £800 for a four-piece. A trio is fine for up to 70 guests but for more than that I usually recommend a four-piece

Covers Band

If you love your pop music there’s nothing like a fully live band to can give you every song you love and that’s quite accessible for between £850 and £1350 or to really push the boat out you can go for a big ten or more piece outfit for £3,000 or so. If these prices would stretch your budget too much you can still get a sound that’s almost as big from a high-tech or pop duo where you have two musicians singing and playing live but with the rest of the backing pre-recorded and they’ll be available from about £500 to £750.

Scottish Band

In Scotland most people will ask their covers band for at least a few traditional dances and many these function bands will be happy to provide 30 – 45 minutes of called ceilidh dancing. Another thing to note about a Scottish band is that they will usually give you continuous music from about 8pm until midnight playing two live music sets of about 90 to 100 minutes each with a break between during which they put on CDs. In England, by contrast, many bands will only play two 40 – 45 minute sets during the evening. Maybe Scottish partygoers have a greater appetite for dancing than their cousins across the border!

Tribute Band

If your tastes are very specific and you’re really set on one artist or band’s music you will find that there is probably a tribute band that specialises in covering that music as accurately as they can; so it’s quite possible to get Abba, the Beatles, the Eagles, Eric Clapton or even AC/DC to play for your reception but, if they’re any good, a tribute band will tend to cost considerably more than an equivalent general covers band.

Jazz Band

Another option would be a Jazz band. There are great jazz duos, two guitars for example, who give you a very full sound, plenty of dynamism and at a very attractive price. The “classic” Jazz combination of vocalist and pianist is superb for cocktail music which could be just right for a laid back, intimate evening but, if you want dancing and more “drive” you’ll need to add drums and upright bass, even better get sax or trumpet to give that strong melody line and you’ve got a powerful combo. That’s now 5 highly skilled musicians and they can cost you up to £5,000 if you go for the best around. However, there are plenty of jazz combos available relatively locally so you can sometimes find a five-piece for as little as £650. Shop around and use your ears!

One point about jazz bands is that many of them expect to play just two 45 minute sets in an evening rather give you continuous music from the end of your wedding breakfast till you drop. Be sure to ask how long they play and exactly what music they offer since most jazz bands just don’t play pop covers and, if they do, it certainly won’t be the way you’re used to hearing them!

See more about selecting and booking your band

It’s your party music

It’s your party and there are plenty of choices out there. Decide the type of music you want and find the band that seems to offer the best version of that within your budget and don’t be afraid to ask them if they sing the songs you like. Better to find out and go for anther band before anything is signed than feel trapped when it’s too late to decide again.

Have fun, research well and book early, the better bands of all persuasions are often snapped up more than a year in advance.

musically yours,

…. Dee

Choosing Your Wedding Reception Music is a post from: Wedding Music by Dee

In Scotland there’s always been a tradition of hiring a wedding bagpiper where they have several well defined roles. The first is to welcome your guests by piping them into the ceremony as they arrive. This works equally well whether you’ve chosen a church or a civil venue and sometimes even helps guests to find it if they’re new to the area since a set of pipes can be heard up to a mile away with the wind in the right direction, they’re designed to be played outside! Even so, well-played pipes are not too loud for most people unless you stand right beside them for several minutes at a time and are a pleasure to listen to even if the music is not that familiar to you.

Piping Processional Music

The most popular task for a wedding piper is to pipe in the bride and there are literally hundreds of tunes that are perfect for processional music. Unfortunately many people know only a very few pipe tunes so pipers get more requests for Highland Cathedral, Amazing Grace and even Mull of Kintyre than any other tune. They’re fine melodies but much the same as the last and the next wedding so ask your piper and he’ll be happy to suggest a range of pieces to suit the different parts of your ceremony.

The piper can play a piece during your signing of the register and in some cases it’s possible to have them stand outside the venue or in the hallway if it’s not a large room or suite but the next big moment is when the newlyweds are piped out, the recessional. Again thee are a wealth of joyful, triumphant, stirring pipe tunes so go to your piper for suggestions, most have repertoires in excess of 200 separate melodies.

Your Personal Piper

That comes in useful when you decide to have your piper stay on and play as requested through your champagne or cocktail reception and there’s no better way to underline key moments such as announcement, cutting the cake, even just getting your guests attention so you can marshall them for photographs and a properly dressed piper is always a favourite subject for photos, whether alone or posing with the couple and individual guests. This echoes times past when the laird or chieftain would call upon his personal piper to underscore the special day with his unique dignity, style and drama.

Often the pipers last task is to pipe the bridal party into the dining hall and up to the top table and this can be topped by proposing a toast to the bride. This longer option will last for about three hours whereas the pre-ceremony and ceremony will take about one hour.

Cost of a wedding piper

The price of you piper will depend upon where you’re getting married, how long you want them to be in attendance and which uniform the wear. Within Scotland you should be able to find a piper fairly local to almost any location whereas, in the rest of the UK, availability will depend very much on how close you’ll find a quality piper. We’ve supplied pipers from Newcastle and Cumbria to London, Cornwall and Wales and the price depends upon who’s free on your date and how far they have to travel. Remember that the main work for a piper is traveling to you, dressing properly and preparing his equipment, the length of playing time is less important since they’ve already given you their day. A fair price in Scotland would be £135 for one hour and £185 for three hours if no extra travel is incurred.

Piper’s uniform

When it comes to uniforms most pipers prefer to play in No.2s which is Kilt, Sporran, kilt hose, shirt, tie, Glengarry cap and often a black jacket. This is smart, practical, easy to play well in and wont upstage the bride for visual wow factor. No.1s on the other hand are sometimes call “Full Highland Regalia”, it what you see at the Edinburgh Tatoo and very formal events. This uniform costs thousands, is fairly stiff and uncomfortable to play in, far too hot for even a reasonable summers day and visually spectacular with feather Bonnet, plaid, full tunic, cross belt, half-hose and white spats. Expect to always pay more if your piper is to wear No.1s.

musically yours,

…. Dee

Choosing a Wedding Bagpiper is a post from: Wedding Music by Dee

When all the formalities are over, the meal is complete and everyone is relaxed, then comes the reception party. The original meaning of the wedding reception was where the bride and groom ‘receives’ guests at their wedding but the only formal wedding entertainment was the speeches and the bride and groom’s first dance.

The definition of reception is, ‘the process of receiving something sent or given’. So in the truest sense of the word, you are receiving your guests while at the same time, you are giving to your guests by sharing your day with them.

Today, reception parties are usually very informal, often including a buffet as wedding parties can go on all night! Now, I should point out here that when I say reception party, I mean that part of the evening, after the meal has ended and your guests are expecting to be entertained. It’s that one big party that you really want to get right.

Considerations for Wedding Reception Music?

There are many choices for wedding reception music and entertainment. You can hire bands that play covers of all the favourites throughout the decades, i.e. 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, right up to the latest pop hits. Or perhaps a jazz band, ceilidh band or even a comedian. Often people on a tight budget will opt for a disco which can cover pretty much everything.

The reception or ‘party’ is the main part of the day in terms of choosing music as it will be the longest time you need music. Plus, it’s what many will be focusing on. That part of the day that everyone, including yourself, is really looking forward to. It’s also the longest part of your wedding. A good party can go for a minimum of 4 hours but usually, it’s much longer. It all depends on how long you have hired your reception venue.

So, to plan effectively, you’ll need to know the following before you start looking around at wedding music options.

Find out how long you and your guests will be able to use your venue. When will they want everyone out by and when do they need to start clearing up. Make the clearing up time the finish time for your party. That way you’re not causing problems for staff who need to get home and so that the venue is not breaking any licensing laws.

Determine the total time that you’ll need entertainment for in the evening. For example, if your meal ends at 8.00pm and your venue allows you to stay until 11.30pm before they need to start clearing for closing at midnight, then you have a window of 3 and a half hours for your party.

Decide how many guests, approximately, you will be having at your reception party. If you’re inviting more than were at your ceremony, then you’ll need to check with your venue the maximum number of guests allowed. Often, historical venues are used for weddings and these can be particularly fussy on the numbers of guests to safeguard their properties and ensure that ‘old structures’ are not compromised.

With your ‘party time’ worked out you can now start looking at wedding music and wedding entertainment options. Bands tend to play from 2-4 hours. Comedians and entertainers usually perform 2 X 45 minute sets. Other types of entertainment varies.

Note: Remember to inform your guests what time your party is expected to end. If your party is to go on for much longer than 4 hours, then your guests should be given an approximate finish time. It’s often considered rude to leave the party before the bride and groom, so make sure elderly guests and parents of young children know they can leave when they wish without causing offence.

When to hire bands?

The most important point, that I cannot stress enough, is to BOOK EARLY to avoid disappointment. Really good bands tend to get booked up 12-24 months in advance and I’ve heard so many times about couples that leave booking their band until just a few months before and not being able to find any band at all that’s available. If you’re wanting to hire bands, it’s not unreasonable to booking well in advance. If you book through an agent then you’ll always have someone there should something go wrong. Most good wedding bands are familiar with the requirements and will be available to chat to every step of the way.

So, the best time to hire bands is at the same time you’re booking your wedding venue. Once you’ve booked your venue, you can gather the necessary information, that I’ve mentioned above, then move onto finding the best music.

The band can make or break your evening entertainment because everyone is focusing on it. If they’re a terrible band and they don’t fit with the whole feel of your wedding, it’s going to make people feel awkward and your guests will soon disappear. You won’t be happy and the day won’t be the perfect wedding day that you want.

musically yours,

…. Dee

Wedding Reception Music and Entertainment is a post from: Wedding Music by Dee

It will be easier if you’re getting married in the Central Belt which, for those of you from outside Scotland, means the area of highest population from Glasgow and Ayrshire in the West to Edinburgh Dundee and Perth in the East. That’s where the majority of professional wedding bands are based and you’ll notice the difference as soon as you hear them, but it goes much deeper than that!

If you’re local to your wedding venue near you might find it easy enough to get a good local band at a knock down price to play for you but even so, are they going to be reliable, sober and organised enough to ensure you and your guests have a brilliant, stress free evening. Will they have a quality PA system that sounds good, is powerful enough to be heard when everyone’s dancing and electrically safe with a PAT certificate to prove it, and will they have public liability insurance in case anything goes badly wrong?

There’s a lot of organisiation involved in getting any wedding band properly rehearsed and equipped and years of experience in not only playing and singing the songs also being able to truly entertaining you and knowing what you and your guests will enjoy.

To make sure you get the best music you’ll need to search out a real professional quality band. There are plenty about but not all of them will be easy to find, available on your date and willing to travel to you venue, particularly if you’ve picked a romantic venue way off the beaten track.

Booking your band direct or through a music agent?

With the internet now in everyone’s home it’s fairly easy, if a bit time-consuming, to search for ceilidh bands in the general area of your venue yourself and come up with a good selection to choose from. When you find the band that suits you, your venue and your wedding budget, be sure you get a proper written contract stating date, time, location, fee and whatever conditions you’ve agreed with them. We’ve seen so many cases of couples let down by a band who they thought they had booked a year or so before only to find that the musicians had taken another booking and there was no written agreement in place to prove who came first. Most bands are honest, hard working musicians who love to share their culture, skills and time yet may not be as organised as you would wish and this is where finding an efficient (and ethical) booking agent makes sense.

There are plenty of music booking agencies who can help you find a ceilidh band quickly and provide you with a legally binding contract as well as a certain level of back up if things go wrong for any reason, they can also offer you insider advice by phone or email but remember, it’s seldom impartial advice, agents can sometimes have particular bands that they favour for a variety of reasons, not always the same reasons for which you would choose your band. Hopefully the majority of agents do what they do because they love music and make their living by matching clients with suitable acts so that everyone is happy and saving you a lot of time and possibly a few heartaches on the way.

Start your band hunt early

Either way start your band hunt early and make a firm booking as soon as you’ve made your mind up, remember, the better bands of all genres almost always get booked up more than 12 months ahead. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for so look out for reviews such as “…very professional, accomplished musicians who brought variety and fun and called the dances very kindly and patiently for those who were new to the dances or had just forgotten!” And “… everyone commented on how great the band was! A great variety of music catering for all ages, anyone looking to hire a band would be lucky to have you. Thanks to all of you for a fantastic night.”

Plan, research, decide and act, you’ll be so happy and relieved when you have this key element of your wedding planning settled.

musically yours,

…. Dee

How to choose and book a great wedding band that’ll be a hit! is a post from: Wedding Music by Dee

This task of your many ‘to do’ wedding tasks can be a bit of a challenge. Mainly because there are so many different styles and types of music, and therefore, different types and styles of bands to choose from. Do you go for a tribute band for a particular era or style of music? Or a cover band that plays a bit of everything?

Then there’s your budget to consider! A big band can cost a fortune but the end result is well worth it. Or you can stick within your budget and go for something smaller but just as impressive.

The perfect live wedding music band is going to be one that fits your budget and one that will play the music you really want. So unless you want a particular tribute band that plays Abba, Led Zepplin or such like, stick to a covers band that will play a good range of music.

Now, with that in mind, the next thing to consider is whether you go for a live cover band or a semi-live cover band. What’s the difference? Well, that’s what I hope to help you with here.

Live Cover Bands

First up are live cover bands. These are usually from a 4 piece band upwards. Big showbands are often around 6 to 10 piece groups, have lights, lots of stage equipment and various costumes. If you have the budget for this, then your wedding will be quite spectacular.

But, if you’re wanting something more modest for your wedding reception music, then hire a covers band of around 4 to 6 in number.

A good covers band will play all the music you love but if you have a special song, say for your first dance, then make sure early on, that they play it or are willing to learn.

The band will play all music live and usually have one or two lead singers and other members of the band providing backing vocals. So you’ll get a great sound knowing that it’s all live! This also means the music can be alot more interactive and they’ll be able to adapt and change quickly to suit the mood of your guests.

Semi Live Cover Bands

These types of bands use backing tracks to help product the end result. You get a full and rich sound but only half of the number of musicians, usually only 2 to 3. So that means a big cost saving as long as you’re happy with the way the sound is produced.

The backing music is always of good quality and often from the original recordings. So the music will be much more like what you’re used to hearing. Semi-live bands will usually play lead and bass guitar plus vocals.

It’s a great option to save money and still get a big band sound. Also, it’s very useful for smaller wedding venues.

Either size of band will bring all their own PA and sound equipment so you don’t need to worry about hiring anything. Live bands often have lights and other effects, so ask what they provide.

So there you go! That’s the difference between a live cover band and a semi live band and I hope your decision on what to choose will be easier.

musicially yours,

…. Dee

What’s the difference between a live cover band and a semi live band? is a post from: Wedding Music by Dee

For your wedding ceremony music, string quartets represent amazing value. Compared to most other groups of musicians they are relatively inexpensive yet each of them is almost certainly highly skilled and classically trained. But that doesn’t mean their music is stuck in the past, many quartets these days incorporate modern popular songs into their repertoire as well as jazz, great show tunes and classic pop such as Beatles songs.

Just take a look and listen to ‘Love Actually’ the movie to see just how string quartet hire can, make your ceremony a fabulously sublime experience for everyone.

Long established on the top of the wish list for wedding ceremony music, string ensembles (whether trios, quartets or larger) deserve, for the most part, their place as the cream of wedding instrumental music. The flexibility of four instruments playing different parts can evoke a wide range of emotions and create an atmosphere of polished sophistication through to cheeky cheerfulness depending on how you want to remember your wedding.

How to Start Off Your Ceremony in Style with Music

It’s usual to ask your string quartet to play a calming selection of tunes to welcome your guests to the ceremony, into the church if you’re having a religious ceremony. We’ve noticed that most guests don’t go in and sit down until the last ten minutes if they can help it, so having your wedding musicians playing longer than 20 minutes before the ceremony time is a waste of your time and theirs. Obviously brides will sometimes be late but there’s nothing better than fine classical music to keep the guests in a happy mood while she gets ready.

Wedding March Music – Your Grand Entrance!

The processional or bridal march is one of the key moments of the whole wedding so the music you chose should reflect very much who you are and how you feel about one another. To keep with tradition you might want “The Bridal March” (remember there are at least two quite different tunes of the same name by Wagner and Mendelssohn) though there are wealth of suitable classical tunes from “Canon in D” to “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” and Handel’s “Water Music”. There are also many current ‘classics’ such as “Songbird” that a string ensemble can play to such an effect. Don’t go for anything very long or that takes more than a few bars to get going since, unless you’re getting married at a large venue, it only takes the bride a matter of seconds to get from the door and into position beside the groom though it might seem long minutes to you!

Hymns – No Problem!

A quartet worth its salt should be able to accompany any hymns you’ve chosen but remember that no religious music is allowed during a civil or humanist ceremony.

Signing the Register

The next important event is the signing of the register, this can be quite short or very long depending on how much your photographer and guests take it as a photo opportunity. I’ve seen the signing take as long as 15 minutes so your musicians need to have a long as well as a short strategy for this key musical interlude during which it’s best to choose fairly calming or light background wedding music to contrast with the next segment.

Your Joyful Recessional

The recessional, when the bride and groom first step out as newlyweds is a time of celebration, triumph, dignity and fun depending upon your characters. This is when tunes like the Delibes “Flower Duet” come into their own, or “Fly Me To The Moon”, or even “Flying Without Wings”.

Continue the Mood Through Your Champagne Reception

Cocktail Music - If you think about it you’ll see how important it can be to have good background music for your champagne or cocktail reception. This is the first time that many of your guests will have met each other and calming live music will set them at ease and help new friendships to be formed. Again a string quartet suits the purpose beautifully whether you’re lucky with the weather and can have your music and drinks outside or play it safe and hold your reception indoors. This is when the wide variety of possible music styles comes in to their own, there should be something to please almost everyone while maintaining that elegance and sophistication that a quality quartet can bring to your wedding day.

To sum it all up ….

String quartets are a versatile and effortless option for your wedding ceremony music. Most will play a good range of styles from the hard core classics right through to chart hits (but always ask them first). They’ll set the mood for a fabulous day and can take you from pre-ceremony right through to the end of your photo session.

Enjoy …. Dee

Sublime String Quartet Hire for Your Wedding Ceremony Music is a post from: Wedding Music by Dee

A ceilidh is where the band introduce the dance, the music starts and you step out onto the floor for an unforgettable experience of twirling lightness, fun and laughter. You can’t help enjoying ceilidh dancing no matter where you come from and whether you call it caley, ceili or celidh or even a barndance, it means “getting together” i.e having a party! With just a few basic steps to master, and a “caller” who will keep you on track and remind you of the moves, you’ll soon get in the swing of ceilidh dancing which, with a good ceilidh band, quickly becomes a room full of togetherness, laughter and happiness.

First Wedding Dance

For a wedding reception it’s usual to start with something simple as the the first wedding dance. Here’s a video of newlyweds starting the evening with the “Gay Gordons”.

First on the floor by themselves and then joined by all their guests. If you can walk you already know how to do the first half of this dance; then the lady takes a quick twirl under the gentleman’s right hand before the couple finish in waltz hold with a couple of turns of a Polka, or just spinning together.

Scottish dance music is essentially the same as Scottish folk music but more organised to fit the structure of the dances and in Scottish Country Dancing, the more polished and serious cousin of ceilidh dancing, every tune is carefully prescribed for each dance so as to perfectly match the very complex moves involved in this more challenging and precise form of Scottish dancing. Remember that, at a wedding ceilidh, the emphasis will be much more on having fun than getting the steps right and there will almost always be a member of the band who will call the dances, teach beginners and remind rusty memories what to do.

Ceilidh Band Line-Up

The most common lineup for ceilidh bands playing scottish dance music is fiddle, accordion and drums though there are plenty of scottish bands using other instruments. Try the exciting and powerful combination of bagpipes and scottish fiddle, often backed by guitar and bodhran for a more Celtic music feel or piano and upright bass that can verge on Ragtime.

Don’t worry if it all seems too energetic, often the band will sing well known Scottish ballads after a few dances or play some Scottish instrumental music to give you a well-earned breather, and there are always plenty of slower dances. Even if it’s your first time the caller will soon show you how to waltz and you will never know how good that feels until you try it.

How much and how long?

Most ceilidhs in Scotland will start around 8pm and go on until midnight so that’s a good “standard time” to expect your ceilidh band to play. Prices vary a great deal from a local band at perhaps as little as £450 for a trio but, for an exciting, experienced, reliable, professional trio expect to pay about £650 and around £800 for a four-piece.

Find out more about selecting and booking your ceilidh band

To get a feel for the atmosphere and a glimpse of some of the more popular ceilidh dances just follow these YouTube links:

Dashing White Sergeant
Strip The Willow
Military Two Step
Virginia Reel

Never be afraid to “try your hand” because you might make a mistake or get something “wrong.” Success in anything comes from being willing to move into unchartered territory and have fun as you go!

…. Dee

Try a Ceilidh Band for a Real Hoolie of a Wedding Party is a post from: Wedding Music by Dee