All About Wedding Music!

3 Written by natasha on February 9, 2010 – 5:00 am

When planning your wedding, you’re probably thinking a little bit about music. There are several different times you should be thinking about… and several different options (as always!).

Couple dancing to their live band! Photo from The Wedding Lens

Times for music.

1. During the wedding, most people have some type of music playing.
2. At the reception, people play music — some for ambiance while eating and some for dancing.
3. If the wedding and reception are at the same location, sometimes people have music for a cocktail hour.

Types of music

1. Live: solo, small ensembles, bands. You can have a solo or small ensemble to play classical music during the ceremony. Some people also like to have a live band perform the top hits (or classic oldies) during the reception. It creates a different kind of ambiance than just a DJ.
2. DJ. A DJ can play whatever you want — and leave out what you don’t want! If you are having trouble creating a full list of songs that you want the DJ to play, consider instead giving the DJ a “do not play” list. That way, you make sure that song you hate doesn’t accidentally get played! You can also control whether the DJ will take requests or not. If you’re on a budget, a DJ is often less expensive than the live band.
3. Playlist (created by you!). Creating a playlist takes some time to put together. And it requires knowing a bit about technology — both so you can create the playlist and ensure that it gets played at the venue! This is obviously most cost-effective, assuming you have the technology and the time.

Remember, you don’t have to have music at any point and you can mix & match. Some people might want recorded music for the ceremony (via a playlist), but a DJ to control the music at the reception. Do what works best for you! Just be sure that you think carefully about the music: the type, the words, and the overall ambiance you want to create during each part of the wedding day.

What kind of music will you have at your wedding?

~ Natasha