Having a string quartet, an acoustic guitar and vocalist, a yodeler (if that’s your thing) or any kind of live music for your ceremony is great and definitely worth the investment. They can offer great advice about song choices, they are experienced at working with celebrants and venue managers to follow cues so that the music starts and fades out at the exact right time, and live music generally does wonders for atmosphere and maximum feels. However for some, the expense of hiring live musicians is just too much.
Around half of the couples I marry opt to play recorded music through my PA system for their ceremony.
If that’s you, this post is designed to help you get the most out of the music during your marriage ceremony.
5 Steps to Marriage Ceremony Music Magic
Music can really make or break a marriage ceremony. After all the planning and rehearsal, the last thing you want is for your DJ to accidentally play AC/DC’s Highway to Hell as the bride walks down the aisle. Here are my tips for removing human error and making the most of recorded music in your marriage ceremony.
- Choose Your Songs
The number of songs depends on what elements you’re including in your ceremony – I always tell couples what’s required.
As a general rule, you’ll need…
- Processional (Bride’s entrance) – 1 x song
- Signing of the paperwork – 2 x songs
- Recessional/End of ceremony – 1 x song
For some couples, choosing music is easy and it’s more a question of which of their many favourite or most meaningful songs to include. However, some couples really struggle to choose the right songs. If that’s you, check out this post on choosing meaningful music for your ceremony.
- Choose Your Device & Music Service
These two go hand-in-hand. My recommendation is to use Spotify. Of course you can use other similar services, but remember that you’re going to be asking someone to play DJ on the day and you want to be sure that they’ll be able to use it easily.
My PA system will connect to their device via Bluetooth.
If you choose to use Spotify you’ll need a Premium account that allows you to download music and play it offline.
When using a phone to play your music it is important to put it in airplane mode before the ceremony and remove the passcode. Ideally, get your DJ to use their own device so they are familiar with where everything is and how it works. The last thing you want is someone calling over the loud-speaker during your ceremony or your DJ not able to unlock your phone to play the next song.
- Create Your Playlists
I recommend creating a playlist for every separate time music is featured in the ceremony. Give each playlist a names that is really obvious and number them so they appear in order in the music library.
Your playlists should look something like this…
- Entrance
- Signing
- Exit
Easy peasy!
- Choose Your DJ
Next you need to choose a reliable, relatively tech-savvy person to manage the music during the ceremony.Don’t choose immediate family as they will want to sit right up the front and focus fully on the ceremony.And don’t assume that because you’ve chosen someone that you believe is tech-savvy that they’ve necessary used the type of phone, device or music service that you’ve chosen before. Make sure you check that they are familiar with the device and music service beforehand and if they’re not, give them ample time to have a practice so that they feel confident on the day. Or get them to use their own.
And remember that tech-savvy isn’t the only requirement for DJ. You want someone who can focus, can take instructions and will stay attentive throughout the ceremony waiting for their cue. They also need to be punctual and willing to arrive a little early on the day (preferably 30 minutes prior to your ceremony) so that we have time to do a sound check and briefing (and trouble shoot any issues if necessary).
- Leave the rest to me!
While I am performing your ceremony I am also keenly aware of all the moving parts and am keeping tracking of who should be where and doing what. I will be directing you, your DJ, your wedding party and anyone else involved in what they need to do. You really don’t have to do anything except focus on each other and enjoy your ceremony.