Wahey! You’ve booked all the main essentials for your big day - you’ve put the deposit down for your venue, the photographer is sorted, you've found your dream dress and now you’re moving on to the next exciting stage of your wedding planning journey… so, what else are you going to book?
My name is Daniel Karl Morgan and I’ve been performing as a guitarist and vocalist since the year 2000. I have also written lots of online content around the topic of live entertainment for numerous wedding websites. Over the last decade I’ve seen every type of wedding there is; big ones, small ones, crazy ones, DIY weddings, luxury weddings and everything in-between. And just when you think you’ve seen it all, something different will come along or some new trend will appear (2016 will forever be remembered as the year I performed Ed Sheeran’s songs more than Ed Sheeran himself did).
This post is all about choosing the right sort of music entertainment for your wedding.
The search begins...
So you’ve done some hardcore Googling and trawled through all the Facebook wedding groups for inspiration and found yourself scratching your head at the vast array of different services you can hire; doves to carry your rings, hog roasts, fireworks, hog roasts, content creators, hog roasts… So many different things to choose from! And they are all brilliant add-ons (Ok, the content creator one still has me a bit puzzled but I’ve probably been doing this for too long so forgive me!)
I think we can all agree though, there is one vital element you simply can’t do without: entertainment for your evening party.
What factors should I consider?
Let’s keep this simple shall we? The 2 main factors we will be looking at here are budget and energy levels.
Budget is a funny one! Perhaps you have a fairly big budget and you intend to spend 80% of it on your dream wedding venue, knowing that you will hire reasonably priced vendors for all the additional services you require.
On the flip side to this, you may be on a very tight budget but have your heart set on hiring the most incredible wedding band in the world, which means you are more than happy to book your local rugby club as a venue and arrange for a friend to take your wedding photos if it means you can afford the live music that you really want.
So let's break it down...
Imagine a graph (I do love a good graph!) with Budget on one axis and Energy along the other. Where do you see your wedding entertainment on this chart?
Perhaps you’ve got a fairly reasonable budget in mind for entertainment but you are planning a more formal sit-down event and love the idea of having classy string music playing in the background. What are your options?
Or perhaps you are on a smaller budget but you have visions of all your wedding guests bouncing through the roof and into the stratosphere as you party late into the night? How are you going to afford this?
Wait, hang on! There's lots of other factors to consider as well, surely?
Of course! Perhaps you have left things a bit last-minute or don’t know what you want; perhaps your wedding venue has a sound limiter installed but you still want your party to be oodles of fun; maybe you have a specific first dance that you want someone to sing live; perhaps you and your partner can't agree on what type of entertainment you want and you're trying to find a compromise solution; perhaps you envisage your wedding party as a big rock show but also have to accommodate some elderly guests who may not be into the same brand of Norwegian Death Metal that you adore so passionately.
And not forgetting, you might want music for other parts of your day as well (ceremony, drinks reception, wedding breakfast...). Bag pipers and singing waiters would be ideal for your arrival and mealtime respectively, and many of the suggestions listed in this article will also offer daytime entertainment options.
Not to mention, there are lots of other forms of non-musical entertainment such as magicians, casinos, photo booths, outdoor game suppliers and caricaturists to name a few. If you plan to have a special soundtrack throughout your entire wedding day then it is important to factor in how all this will impact your evening entertainment budget.
Time to decide
Most brides and grooms would agree though, when it comes to the crunch, there are essentially 2 predominant things you will have to decide on: how much money to spend and what sort of atmosphere you want to create for your guests.
Below you will find some great wedding entertainment options to consider, split into different party types (what sort of vibe/volume you’re aiming for) and based on how much money you want to throw at them.
ENTERTAINMENT FOR SMALLER BUDGETS
BACKGROUND MUSIC on a SMALL BUDGET
Background music played over venue’s in-house speakers
Purchase your own bluetooth speaker and make your own playlist
Get a close friend to perform for free (make sure you feed them well!)
Local wedding singer with backing tracks performing lounge music/romantic songs
MODERATE LEVEL MUSIC on a SMALL BUDGET
In-house DJ provided as part of venue’s wedding package
Reasonably priced solo guitarist or ukulele player
Local wedding singer with backing tracks performing pop/rock hits
MAXIMUM ENERGY on a SMALL BUDGET
Reasonably priced local DJ
Local acoustic duo or trio
Wedding singer with backing tracks performing lively upbeat songs
ENTERTAINMENT FOR MODERATE BUDGETS
BACKGROUND MUSIC on a MODERATE BUDGET
Professional acoustic solo/duo
Pianist
Popular/pro wedding singer with pleasant backing tracks
Solo/Duo string players (e.g. cello, harp)
MODERATE LEVEL MUSIC on a MODERATE BUDGET
Fun wedding band (pop/classic hits)
DJ with add-ons (e.g. light-up dance floor, projectors)
Solo/Duo string players with backing tracks
Local/small Ceilidh band or folk musicians with backing tracks
MAXIMUM ENERGY on a MODERATE BUDGET
Reputable DJ
DJ/singer with saxophonist
Wedding singer with backing tracks supplemented by live musicians
3-5 piece wedding band (indie/rock)
4-piece+ Ceildh band or vintage/folk-style band ("Mumford & Sons style" bands)
ENTERTAINMENT FOR BIGGER BUDGETS
BACKGROUND MUSIC on a BIG BUDGET
Jazz or soul band
Strings/classical music (e.g. string quartet, professional harpist, cellist, classical guitarist)
Tribute act wedding singer (e.g. crooner)
Choir/Acapella Group/Barbershop quartet
MODERATE ENERGY on a BIG BUDGET
Top tier priced wedding band (Motown, soul, funk)
Jazz/funk band with backing singers/dancers
Lively tribute act wedding singer
Cultural band e.g. Mariachi
MAXIMUM ENERGY on a BIG BUDGET
Luxury party band
Bespoke entertainment company (stage, light show, pyrotechnics, dancers)
Tribute band
Professional/top-tier DJ
Gospel Choir
Percussion band
Feeling inspired?
I hope so! There are plenty of other options out there of course - and some of the suggestions I've listed are interchangeable depending on region, but I hope this little guide helps you get started. Whatever type of music you decide to book, and however much dosh you choose to spend, just remember - it's the people you've invited to your wedding that will really make the day!
It's going to be so much fun! See you on the dance floor!
Daniel Morgan is a professional guitarist with over a decade’s experience providing wedding entertainment. He is one half of Morgan & Melville Acoustic Duo.