Wedding Entertainment Advice
Choosing Your Wedding Entertainment
Julia Elms has been organising and administrating artistes within the Entertainment business for over 10 years. The majority of her work is wedding related. Julia has provided the following information in the hope that it will be of interest to prospective wedding clients.
The most popular choices for the daytime tend to be Classical Musicians. It is important to book them well in advance ( 6 months to a year on average) especially if it is a summer wedding. Harpists are extremely popular, partially due to the aesthetic value and the music itself. There are 2 types of harp - the Celtic (smaller) and
the classical harp. It is important to specify your preference. I often recommend the harp or classical guitar if the client is limited with space at the venue. String Quartets are popular for weddings - it is worth noting that you will be paying for 4 people to play for you and therefore if the budget is restrictive this will be more expensive than a soloist.
Time and travel are other important factors to consider. Costs can be more reasonable if the artiste is local and there is less likelihood of delays. Most classical musicians charge according to the time period required. Subsequently, it is important to decide upon Ceremony only, Ceremony and Drinks or Wedding Breakfast. The Ceremony can be about 1 hour from guests arriving. Certain clients book all three options and this can be about 5 hours.
Julia Elms has been organising and administrating artistes within the Entertainment business for over 10 years. The majority of her work is wedding related. Julia has provided the following information in the hope that it will be of interest to prospective wedding clients.
The most popular choices for the daytime tend to be Classical Musicians. It is important to book them well in advance ( 6 months to a year on average) especially if it is a summer wedding. Harpists are extremely popular, partially due to the aesthetic value and the music itself. There are 2 types of harp - the Celtic (smaller) and
the classical harp. It is important to specify your preference. I often recommend the harp or classical guitar if the client is limited with space at the venue. String Quartets are popular for weddings - it is worth noting that you will be paying for 4 people to play for you and therefore if the budget is restrictive this will be more expensive than a soloist.
Time and travel are other important factors to consider. Costs can be more reasonable if the artiste is local and there is less likelihood of delays. Most classical musicians charge according to the time period required. Subsequently, it is important to decide upon Ceremony only, Ceremony and Drinks or Wedding Breakfast. The Ceremony can be about 1 hour from guests arriving. Certain clients book all three options and this can be about 5 hours.
I tend to recommend Ceremony and Drinks as being both the most cost effective and the most worth-while. The first hour with musicians is generally the most expensive due to arrival and set up being part of the cost. The second hour tends to be pro-rata at a lower rate. Also, as the day goes on the event becomes more noisy with guests drinking and then chatting and clanging cutlery as they eat. The musicians are more appreciated during the earlier part of the event. Also, if the Ceremony is in a Church and the musician is expected to then go on to the venue, the artiste has to arrive and set up twice and this can be time-consuming and again will add to the costs.
Clients in the past have booked Classical Musicians and then requested a list of 'pop songs'. The musicians are limited within their standard repertoire and with the instrument they play. Some musicians are very versatile and can quite easily move between classical and pop. It is worth making sure what you want before you book it. If there is a particular piece of music and it isn't within the normal repertoire, the musician may offer to rehearse it specifically for your event. There will often be an extra charge for this.
Clients in the past have booked Classical Musicians and then requested a list of 'pop songs'. The musicians are limited within their standard repertoire and with the instrument they play. Some musicians are very versatile and can quite easily move between classical and pop. It is worth making sure what you want before you book it. If there is a particular piece of music and it isn't within the normal repertoire, the musician may offer to rehearse it specifically for your event. There will often be an extra charge for this.
The Screaming Beavers R & B/ Soul Band
The other popular musicians I book are for the evening function. This could be a formal dance band or a jazz / swing band or ceilidh band. The majority of these can cover 3 x 45 minute sets. This is useful to check as most can organise CD's in the breaks and this will save the cost of a disco. I would say this is appropriate only to a midnight finish wedding. Also, the band can't be expected to act as a DJ in this instance they can only put a long-playing CD on to keep the music going. Also, the bands mentioned can vary in size. The size of the room, hotel requirements, amount of guests and size of dance floor have to be considered. A ceilidh band needs a reasonable dance floor area. A dance band can often work from a 4 piece upwards. Price is assessed in accordance with the amount of people in the band.
Again, it is important to know what you are booking. Most professional bands supply either MP3 files or CD's or promotional literature detailing their capabilities and style of music. A good agent will assist in giving you this information and provide a contract to confirm all details.
Article written and supplied by Julia Elms JEM © 2006
Again, it is important to know what you are booking. Most professional bands supply either MP3 files or CD's or promotional literature detailing their capabilities and style of music. A good agent will assist in giving you this information and provide a contract to confirm all details.
Article written and supplied by Julia Elms JEM © 2006
