Music has become an integral part of the wedding ceremony, and couples invest lots of time choosing the perfect songs. When you are planning an on-location wedding, you will need to take into account many considerations in your choice of music. Here are some tips when
choosing live music or a DJ for your wedding ceremony.
Blistering heat or cold are awful for keeping instruments tuned. The expansion or contraction of the strings is devastating to the music. Musicians will typically want to have a shaded area during a sunny day. So, if there is no natural shade, you may need to rent a small covering for them. A couple had agreed to have their ceremony indoors if it was cold, however when I arrived at the event, they decided to hold it outside despite the cold. The jazz trio was hesitant and concerned about the change. It was understandable since the value of the double bass player’s instrument was $10,000 and taking it outside in the cold could damage it. Also, the guitarist was concerned about his instrument going out of tune which immediately happened when he started to play in the cold temperature. In the end, the bride was left with a cold saxophone playing her entrance music. Cold brass does not play well, either.
There are special considerations when using live music. You need to accommodate the space for their performance. One couple booked at a local restaurant where they had a jazz trio to perform at the front of the room. It was very tight for the ceremony because they had chosen a jazz trio with a double bass which occupied more of the space than the wedding trio consisting of the bride, groom and me.
For outdoor weddings, weather can wreak havoc on musical instruments or DJ equipment. Wind is sure to ruffle the sheet music no matter how many clothespins they have on the stand. Many musicians and DJs have concerns about playing in the rain. Many thousands of dollars worth of wood instruments with rain is not a good mix. Of course, playing electrically powered instruments or DJ equipment in the rain is dangerous. And wireless lapel microphones will pick up wind noise when used outdoors on a windy day.
