Wedding Ceremony Music FAQs
If it's your first time organising a wedding, you're bound to have lots of questions. We've outlined some of the most common queries below along with some tips to get your planning underway.
What type of wedding musicians should I book for my wedding ceremony?
There are a whole host of fantastic options to consider when choosing your ceremony music. Some of our most popular acts include wedding harpists, string quartets, classical guitarists, solo singers and acoustic duos.
For something slightly more unique, you might consider a solo sax player, a wedding violinist or even something a little jazzier. Whatever your wedding theme, you'll find a range of options to suit your day.
How long will my ceremony musicians play for and when?
You can hire wedding musicians to cover either the ceremony, drinks reception, wedding breakfast or a combination of the three. As a guide, most couples tend to hire wedding musicians for either the ceremony and drinks reception or the drinks reception and wedding breakfast.
A typical ceremony and drinks reception package might look something like the below:
- Prelude: 15-25 minutes performance before the ceremony as guests arrive
- Processional & Bridal Entrance song: The all-important song as the bridesmaids and bride enters
- Interlude / Signing of the Registers: Two or three songs during the signing of the registers
- Recessional: A final piece of music as the bride and groom exit followed by the wedding party and their guests
- One hour performance during the afternoon drinks reception
How much does it cost to hire wedding musicians?
In general, most harpists and string ensembles tend to quote on a per hour basis, meaning they'll charge a minimum performance fee covering two or three hours, and then an hourly rate after that.
On average, you can expect a string quartet covering your ceremony and drinks reception to cost anywhere between £650 and £1000.
Acoustic solo acts and acoustic duos will usually offer an all-in price to cover the wedding ceremony and drinks reception with prices starting from £250/£300 per musician.
Do wedding musicians learn song requests?
Yes, all of our wedding musicians will be more than happy to take song requests for your ceremony. Harpists, string musicians and other instrumentalists will usually require sheet music to perform and would request any associated costs to be covered.
If there are no song arrangements or sheet music available for your requested song, our musicians will be happy to make a bespoke arrangement and will usually charge a small fee to cover their time.
Wedding Singers and acoustic acts will usually learn one new song free of charge but may charge extra for additional requests.
What time do wedding ceremony musicians arrive and how long does it take to set up?
We'll arrange for your wedding musicians to arrive at least an hour before they begin their performance to ensure they're ready to play with plenty of time to spare.
What style of music is suitable for the ceremony?
Your wedding songs can be traditional, classical, contemporary or a mixture of the three. Below are some popular wedding songs to get you started:
Popular Classical Ceremony Songs
- Canon in D - Pachelbel
- Bridal Chorus - Wagner
- A Thousand Years - Christina Perri
- Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Israel Kamakawiwo’Ole
- Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Handel
- Air on a G string – Bach
- Eine Kleine Nachtmusik – Mozart
- Wedding March – Mendelssohn
Popular Contemporary Ceremony Songs
- Songbird – Eva Cassidy
- Chasing Cars – Snowpatrol
- Yesterday – The Beatles
- Perfect – Ed Sheeran
- Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold
- Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
- How Deep is Your Love – Bee Gees
- Elbow - One Day Like This
- All You Need Is Love – The Beatles
- Wonderwall – Oasis
- Make You Feel My Love - Adele
- Hoppipolla – Sigur Ros
