Choosing music for your wedding ceremony

Happy New Year everyone!

What better time to start planning your event than now - new year, new plans!
If you're planning your wedding this year you will be thinking about what music you would like at your ceremony.

You may want something traditional like a string quartet, an accompanied singer or, if you are on a tighter budget, why not consider a solo classical guitarist, or a harpist. If you are getting married in a church think about hiring in an organist if they don't have a regular one, or a pianist is a very versatile musician who will be able to cover many musical genres.


Perhaps you need some inspiration if you are not sure what music you want during your ceremony, especially if you would like some classical pieces.

If you're not sure what you would like, it is definitely advisable to talk to your chosen musicians as they will have played at many weddings and will have a great repertoire to suit the occasion. You can then listen in your own time and decide if there is something you like from their recommendations.


Some couples prefer more contemporary music during their ceremony. Recently we played at a lovely outdoor wedding ceremony as a duo with 2 voices and 2 acoustic guitars. Their choices were:



Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars - (as the bride walked down the aisle)
All I Want is You - U2 - (during the register signing)
Sweet Disposition - Temper Trap - (as the bride and groom walked back up the aisle together)

It was a beautiful ceremony, natural and very personal.

Even if you have hired classical musicians it's very possible they will be able to learn and arrange almost anything you request for your ceremony music. If you want a string quartet arrangement of a meaningful pop song it can work very well, so always worth asking!

Often the band you have hired for your reception may offer music suitable for your ceremony. This might be the keyboard player and vocalist for example. Because they are playing later at your party they may offer ceremony music at a very reasonable cost.

If you do want something more traditional and ceremonial you can always consider a Scottish piper, or some fanfare trumpeters to make a real statement!

Whatever you choose, try and make it personal to you. In my experience, the more personal the wedding, the more memorable and meaningful it is. Especially in the ceremony, the music provides a beautiful soundtrack to the proceedings. Have fun choosing, and if you need help, please feel free to visit our website or get in touch, we'll be happy to find musicians for you or advise regarding any of the above!

www.bandsrus.co.uk

As not all of our musicians are currently featured on the site, it's worth giving us a ring if there is something specific you want but don't see it on there!

Musicians and Food!

Hello!

Today I'm going to share a simple insider tip on how to get the most from your hired band!
It's so simple and yet can be so frequently overlooked, but it's true that if you want your band to be all it can be on stage, all you really have to do is...yes, you guessed it....feed them!

Now, when I say feed them, obviously this can be interpreted in many different ways. If you ask a typical band what their least favourite titbit is, most of them will say 'stale sandwiches and chips'!
And I'm sure you would agree that it doesn't sound very appetising! Yet this is fayre that crops up alarmingly often in the world of the gigging musician!

Ok, I hear you saying..."We're paying them, why should we feed them too??"

Good point, and it does need expanding upon.

Let's take this scenario. It's your wedding and the band have arrived. It's about 5pm. At this point they will have probably had a spot of lunch earlier followed by loading up vehicles etc and driving to the venue. Perhaps the drive was a couple of hours so they would have had to leave about 2 30ish. After arriving the band unloads the equipment and sets it up. All strenuous work you will undoubtedly agree.

At this point there will probably be a little wait for the band between setting up and starting the first set. After the first set it's pretty much all go, carrying on with the evening's entertainment, finishing somewhere around midnight. Then they will be packing up and loading their equipment away before doing the drive home and unloading again (no one leaves equipment in a vehicle overnight), so perhaps they get back to their home about 2.30 - 3am.

So about 12 hours straight and importantly, lots of energy required because thats 4 loads and unloads plus the performance itself - which one would hope would be energetic - and then let's say your venue is a beautiful stately home in the middle of the english countryside with your caterers providing the only food source for 20 miles around.....oh and not to mention the delicious aroma of your wedding breakfast constantly wafting around under their noses! Those guys are HUNGRY!

So there we have a typical scenario. Most catering companies are used to providing the band with a hearty meal. Between setting up and the first set is absolutely the best time to feed the band, plus it will give them the energy required to give you a great performance!

Let me tell you from personal experience that there is no single more important thing for a band than feeling you have been looked after in the food department!

So do this small thing for your wedding band and they will repay you tenfold on stage - it's a promise!!

Check out our lovely wedding bands at www.bandsrus.co.uk

Welcome!

Yes, welcome to the first Bands R Us Blog!

If you're planning the music for your upcoming wedding, we wanted to share a few ideas with you for first dances! Not every couple have a particular song that jumps out as the obvious choice, so what to choose!

For those of you who are tired of the 'old classics' like 'Can't Take My Eyes off You' what about some of these...

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars
All I Want is You - U2
If I Aint Got You - Alicia Keys
Love Story - Taylor Swift
Rule the World - Take That
Greatest Day - Take That
Your Song - Ellie Goulding
Better Together - Jack Johnson
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Everything - Michael Buble

and a particular favourite we were asked to play this year was

You and Me - The Wannadies

Of course if you want something more traditional, why not go down the jazz route. There are a lot of great songs like

Fly Me To the Moon
My Baby Just Cares for Me
Let There be Love
The Look of Love
We Have All the Time in the World - Louis Armstrong
Come Away With Me - Norah Jones
I've Got You Under My Skin - Sinatra
Let's Face the Music and Dance
At Last - Etta James

You should also decide whether or not you want your band to play the song for you or perhaps you would prefer the original version. If you have a choreographed routine worked out you should let your band know exactly what version you need to be played. Most bands do offer to play the first dance as part of their service as long as it's possible, but it's worth bearing in mind that if you pick a song that is heavily orchestrated, say a Frank Sinatra classic like Fly Me To the Moon, your band wont be able to reproduce the original sound so if that is important to you perhaps you might consider using the recording.

However, if you can have the band play your first dance it is a fantastic way to kick off the evenings entertainment, going straight into the first live music set at this point is a good time as everyone will be gathered around the dancefloor.

So have fun choosing and we'd love to hear your comments on the subject!