Choosing Your Wedding Day Music
Regardless of what music genre, style, or vendor you decide to go with for your wedding celebrations, music is a key element that helps to guide, transition, and set the tone for each part of your day. Let’s talk through some of the most popular vendor options for wedding day music to help you and your soon-to-be spouse decide which one (or a combination of them) fits you best! (And yes, please enjoy the photo of my husband and I above from our wedding day- the B&W dance photos are some of my favorites…)
LIVE MUSIC
Live music is a great option for your wedding day, especially if you’re looking for something for your ceremony, cocktail hour, or dinner. Think harp, violin, string trios, duos, pianists, guitarists, singers, etc. There is a lot of local talent to explore for these options! The biggest thing to ask is if they’ve worked a wedding before - especially when it comes to taking cues for a ceremony, you don’t want to be working with a total amateur.
LIVE BAND
Bands are great at providing depth and an incredible guest experience at your event. A lot of bands work through a booking agency so it’s worth looking into agencies local to your wedding location. You can also search locally for bands, ask around, or find them on social media. There are hundreds of different band types, so make sure their song selections and vibe are what you’re wanting for your event. It’s also worth asking if they can learn certain songs or only play from a set list as well as asking if they can MC for the evening or if you need to assign someone else to make your timeline announcements.
DJ/MC
A DJ is one of the most popular options for wedding day music. Now I’m not saying that you have to hire one, but if I were to go back and add one vendor to my wedding day it would 100% be a DJ. Not only do they have the capability to play nearly any song or music type at your event, but they also read the crowd, make announcements (they make the BEST MCs), help run your timeline, bring the energy, and streamline your music experience. If you have any room to hire one, DO IT. Just make sure they’re experienced enough to take the stress off of you. Don’t go hiring your little brother’s best friend who has never DJ’ed a wedding before.
PLAYLIST aka DIY MUSIC
This will forever be the most budget-friendly option, but it will always be the most complicated one. Who is going to press play as you walk down the aisle, do your first dance, or party with your guests? If you do decide to do a playlist, assign someone reliable to be in charge of the music throughout the day. Make sure they have access to all your playlists (I recommend downloading them in case the Wi-Fi/service is spotty and separating them for easy playability - i.e. ceremony playlist, dinner background playlist, special songs playlist, dance party playlist) It's also critical that whoever is playing music brings a charger- the last thing you want is the music to stop halfway through the event. Often couples choose to play music on an iPad or something other than a phone so it can stay in one place all night.
If you're DIY-ing your music (aka doing a playlist), you'll also need to assign an MC for the evening to make announcements and help move your timeline along. This can be your assigned day-of coordinator if they're comfortable with that, or you can find another friend or family member who would love to assume that role. Make sure they have a timeline of events and are keeping track of where you are in the schedule throughout the evening. It's also important to know who is providing the speakers, microphones, and necessary cords for the day.
Every wedding is unique because every couple is unique. Look through our list and get a feel for which music option will create the day that you’ve been dreaming of. Reach out to our team at Everson Events if you have any planning, music, or vendor questions you want answers to!
