Music By Arrangement's advice for your wedding music

Music By Arrangement's advise for your wedding music: Today’s weddings are a creative expression of individuality and music is one of the most important components of your wedding day.  From the moment guests arrive at the ceremony to your wedding reception, music has the power to set the atmosphere and theme for your wedding.

The Ceremony
There are 4 major points in the ceremony that should be highlighted with music. As guests are taking their seats, it is a good idea to set the scene with some joyful music which will immediately set the celebratory feel to the day.  Popular choices include a string quartet, keyboard and organ or harpist. Some examples of repertoire are:
•    ‘Ava Maria’ by Schubert
•    Church Bells by Wesley
•    Holsworthy Church Bells by Wesley
•    Prince of Denmark’s March by Clarke
•    Sheep May Safely Graze by Bach
•    Greensleves by Williams
•    Canon in D by Pachelbel
•    Nimrod from Enigma Variations by Elgar
•    Jesus Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach
•    The Swan by Saint Saens

The bride's entrance is the most poignant part of the wedding. It is really important to choose  very carefully the piece of music that accompanies your journey down the aisle. Popular pieces are listed bellow, but it need not be any of these traditional suggestions. You could choose a piece that you just happen to love, something that means a lot to you, or even have a piece composed especially for you. 

Traditionally the Bridal March by Wagner is chosen but other popular pieces include:
•    Arrival of the Queen of Sheba by Handel
•    Canon in D by Pachelbel
•    Grand March from ‘Aida’ by Verdi
•    Hornpipe in D from ‘The Water Music’ by Handel
•    La Rejouissance from the ‘Fireworks’ music by Handel
•    Wedding March from ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ by Mozart
•    Trumpet Voluntary (Prince of Denmark's March) by Clarke
•    Grand March from Aida by Verdi
•    Trumpet Tune by Purcell
•    Spring from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi
•    Winter from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi

The piece of music you choose during the signing of the register should be something flowing, melodic, and beautiful as it is being played while you are declaring your love in writing. The attention should be just on you 2, so avoid very dramatic pieces. Some popular pieces include:
•    Air on the G-string by Bach
•    Air from ‘The Water Music’ by Handel
•    Ava Maria by Gounod
•    Ave Verum Corpus by Mozart
•    Canon in D by Pachelbel
•    Sheep May Safely Graze by Bach
•    Ave Verum Corpus by Mozart
•    Flower Duet from Lakmé by Delibes
•    Jesus Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach

Departure of the Bridal party (The Recessional) The music to mark your exit, as you walk back down the aisle as husband and wife should be joyful and celebratory. The Wedding March from a ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream' by Mendelssohn was traditionally played. Here are some other options:
•    La Rejouissance from ‘The Fireworks Music’ by Handel
•    Hornpipe from ‘The Water Music’ by Handel *
•    Ode to Joy by Beethoven
•    Overture from ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ by Mozart *
•    Pomp and Circumstance March No 4 by Elgar *
•    Toccata from Symphony No 5 by Widor
•    Trumpet Voluntary from ‘The Prince of Denmark’s March’ by Clarke
•    The Rejoicing from Music for the Royal Fireworks by Handel
•    Bridal March by Hollins
•    Rondeau by Joseph Mouret
•    Grand March from Aida by Verdi
•    Grand March from Le Prophete by Meyerbeer
•    Fanfare by Whitlock
•    Ode to Joy by Beethoven
•    Hallelujah Chorus , from Messiah by Handel

The Reception
During the reception it is important to take into consideration the space available and it’s location.  This part of your event should reflect the festive mood of this special day and also encourage your guest to mingle. Popular choices here are jazz trios or quartets, harpists, string quartets, and pianists. If you are having a themed wedding, you may want to choose something that is consistent with your theme. (eg: for an Indian wedding, you could have citar and table, for a Spanish wedding you could have a flamenco guitar duo)

During Dinner
Depending on the theme and feel of your wedding, which is often governed by the venue you have chosen, any of the possibilities listed below will work well:

If you have a party band who will be playing the dance sets, you could use some of the musicians from the band to perform some jazz/love songs during dinner. I would not recommend more than 2 or 3 during dinner, as guests will want to be able to talk without competing against too much volume from a large band.
Any of the following options would work well: Harp, string quartet, pianist, jazz trio, guitar ensemble. Or if space or budget are restricting you, you could just play music through an ipod.


First Dance
Some tips: Make sure you check that the lyrics of the song you have for your first dance are appropriate.
Make sure the song you choose is not too fast.

Dancing
Make sure you choose a professional band, not an amateur band for your special day. Lots of bands are a weekend only kind of band, who are semi-professionals. Yes they will be cheaper, but you are far better off booking a professional band who will have a much better set up (ie:a sound engineer on site, good PA system, and musicians who are concert level). One of the best wedding bands in London is Xtatic, which consists of some of London’s finest musicians. You can see Xtatic and read about them here :www.musicbyarrangement.com/mba-creations/xtatic-ultimate-function-band

If space is an issue, you could pick one of the MBA DJ’s who will play all your favourite dance classics.

Tips
•    To ensure you have the best musicians, make sure you book early, but not too far in advance.
•    Make sure you are clear as to exactly what you want the musicians to do.
•    Make sure you have a contract with the musicians.
•    Timings: The musicians will need a time plan for your wedding day. They will need to know what time they need to arrive and be set up by, and also what time they will finish. A time plan is just a guide and both you and the band will need to be flexible.
•    Think about the songs that you would like the band to play and compile a list of favourites. Remember that a professional and experienced band will know what music works best at a wedding. You do not need to provide a whole play list, just a guide of the styles of music you like and a few favourite songs.