Weddings are no doubt fine affairs. Right down to which souvenirs you want your guests to bring home, the choices have a nearly infinite reach. Yet unless you’re a true blue music buff, you probably aren’t aware of how vast your choices in wedding entertainment truly are. We show you a whole new world to explore for your wedding celebrations in today’s post.
Nearly every client we get asks, “how much does it cost to hire musicians for our wedding?” from the get-go. To that we reply…
Wedding entertainment is more than meets the eye
There are many variables to consider before fixing a price point, and it is definitely not an indication of the quality of the music provided. Some variables we like to have our clients consider include:
1. Size of the wedding venue
2. Who the bulk of their guests will be
3. Whether their wedding going to be held outdoors or indoors
4. How much time do they have left before their wedding day
Size Matters!
String quartets are one of the most sought after set-ups at Vocalise for weddings. However, a ballroom wedding and a wedding in a cosy restaurant hold vastly different numbers of guests. Sure, string quartets definitely add and air of luxury and elegance, but quality will be compromised if the musicians do not have ample space to bow on their instruments.
Similarly, a wedding held in a massive ballroom with merely a guitarist and a vocalist will leave little to no impact on your guests – no matter how amazingly talented your musicians are.
In both scenarios, you definitely want the WOW! factor present when guests are able to experience the ambience live music creates. Our professional take is that if you’re going to fork out good money on a live band, then make sure you know where your money’s going and that the experience is felt to its fullest.
Who’s Listening?
Are your guests more inclined to Classical music or do they enjoy some Jazz tunes thrown in too? Are they largely party animals or prefer a chill evening for cordial mingling? Music breathes life and soul into many things, including weddings, so ensure that your guests have a great time by selecting relatable genres and tunes.
If you’re not sure, a good starting point would be to identify which radio station they often tune in to. Or you could always ask us and we could suggest accordingly – even sending you samples of our artistes’ past performances for various audience demographics!
That being said, your wedding is YOUR day! If your wish is to have some AC/DC or Queen thrown in, who’s to say you can’t?
There Is No Such Thing As A Bad Theme.
Themed weddings have always been a hit. Floral themes and outdoor garden weddings are probably one of the most popular themes yet, but did you know that there are certain instruments that are sensitive to being exposed to heat and moisture (i.e. the harp and classical string instruments)? This affects the quality of the music produced and more importantly the condition of the instruments over prolonged periods. So while we love how beautiful an outdoor set up could be, we would suggest something more outdoor appropriate or even simply have a sheltered area for the best musical experience for both your guests and the musicians alike.
Other themes such as costume/era-themed weddings may not need to worry that much though! We naturally get requests for pieces specific to the theme (i.e. Disney, or Great Gatsby) and those are definitely available in our large repertoire of pieces.
Time is of the essence!
When requesting customised arrangements (i.e. specific church hymns, songs from movie/tv soundtracks), time is needed in order for the arranger to analyse the tune and rewrite it for the relevant instruments to rehearse and perform the piece(s) specially for your wedding. This a premium service offered and while we are fortunate to have an in-house arranger (yay!), more time will definitely guarantee a significantly better written composition than if one were to rush through it in order to meet a deadline.
Ideally, customised pieces require as much as 4 months to perfect, and regular engagements (with an existing repertoire) would require 2 months to ensure that the artistes the client has selected are available for booking.
So! To answer the age-old question of “how much does it cost to hire musicians for our wedding?”, we say:
Determine the above-mentioned variables first. Music and entertainment is an essential bit to every wedding – much like every other aspect (think how odd the ambience at your wedding would be if it was pure silence as you walk down the aisle or when your guests are seated and waiting for food to be served). Live music is an amazing thing to experience and in our opinion, is a must-have for a wedding. So unless you’re in a really really tight pinch for time and money, there’s definitely going to be a live music set up for weddings of all shapes and sizes here at Vocalise.