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Overview
I
suppose a typical Christian wedding in the UK can be divided into 4 main
sections and these are:
-
The ceremony
-
Pre-meal drinks
-
Wedding breakfast
-
Evening reception
I suppose about half of the weddings I come across have the ceremony in a
church so this means that if they do require me to provide live music; it will
be during the drinks before the meal and the wedding breakfast. Everyone's
requirements are different so don't be afraid to discuss any special
requirements with whoever your hiring.
As far as the choice of specific pieces of music is concerned - the only part
of the wedding that you really have to think about is the wedding ceremony.
A) The ceremony
The church ceremony. I'm not going to go into any detail with the choice of
music for a church ceremony -- there are so many religious denominations which
all have their differences. A church wedding is easier from the music point of
view in that you very seldom have to provide someone to perform your choice of
music - unlike the civil ceremony. However, you won't have a problem with a
church service - you'll be able to discuss everything to the finest detail with
the relevant cleric and the resident organist if there is one.
The civil ceremony. One thing that has become popular over recent years is the
civil wedding ceremony and I think that this is the reason that more and more
musicians are booked for weddings each year. At one time you had to go to a
registry office to have a civil ceremony. Things have changed as so many hotels
and other venues have been able to apply for a licence to hold marriage
ceremonies on their own premises. The main advantage to a civil wedding in a
hotel is that everything to do with the marriage can be carried out at the same
place. That means less travelling and less hassle for everyone. Although you
will have to sort out the music for a civil ceremony yourself there is a bonus
in that if you choose live music for the service, the musicians can provide
music for the pre-meal drinks and for the wedding breakfast itself -- thus
killing three birds with one stone. Your specific choice of music should be
discussed with the musicians well before the event and they should be able to
provide you with some ideas. If you don't want to pick each individual piece of
music for the proceedings then just give whoever is involved, an idea of the
style of music you would like or maybe a composer. For a civil ceremony you can
have any music you want as long as neither the title or the lyric have any
reference to religion. Most couples prefer to have music of a classical vein
for the ceremony and the have something lighter for the rest of the day.
The civil ceremony has four main part's as far as a musician is concerned and
they are:
-
The gathering of the congregation (sometimes called 'the prelude'.
-
The Procession
-
The signing of the register(sometimes called 'the interlude.
-
The recession
1) The gathering of the congregation.
This section doesn't really have a time span - so when a couple does select
music for this part of the ceremony, they must accept that either you won't be
able to have all of your chosen pieces, or more frequently the performer will
have to play extra music of his choice.
2) The Procession. The next section is the entrance of the bride and
traditionally this is carried out to Verdi's Bridal March. Although most people
stick to the Verdi; you can have any music you like. The one thing you must
consider when looking an alternative is that it doesn't take long for the bride
to walk down the aisle. I think that it is wiser to stick to the Bridal March.
3) The signing of the register. There never seems to be a problem with this
part. A piece of up to five minutes is usually fine and anything goes really. I
suppose that if you did choose something that was too long there would come a
point where the musician would have to stop playing -- however, the piece would
have to be excessively long for this to occur.
4) The recession. This is where everyone leaves the place of the wedding
ceremony and traditionally this was always carried out to Mendelssohn's Wedding
March. In this day and age wedding couples seem to request everything but the
Wedding March. Anything seems to be appropriate for the recession and there
isn't a problem with the length of the music. As soon as the last person has
gone; the musician or musicians finish.
That's it! The ceremony is over and everyone can start the celebration.
B) Pre Meal Drinks
After the ceremony everyone usually starts making a lot of noise. They have so
much to say because they've had to keep so quiet throughout all the serious
bit. I said earlier that you needn't concern yourself about the music after the
ceremony but it is a good idea to discuss the style of music you are looking
for and maybe give them a couple of requests.
C) The Wedding Breakfast
At one time I used to consider it a novelty if a wedding had live music for the
wedding breakfast - now you often get jazz pianists, string quartet, harpists
or even flamenco guitarists. It's always nice to have music while everyone is
eating and chatting as long as the music isn't intrusive. Most of the time
musicians just go with with the crowd: playing more mellow music if everyone's
quiet and the more lively stuff if everyone starts making more noise. One of
the most important thing to be aware of is whether the music is interfering
with the conversation of the wedding guests. If it is; then there's something
wrong. For most weddings you need the music to carry on right up to the
speeches and that's where it finishes until the evening reception.
D) The Evening Reception
Most people will opt for a disco at this point but there are other
alternatives. In a sense a marriage is the merging of two families and for most
of the guests there will be a large number of people at the wedding who are
complete strangers. I think that the wedding day should be geared to making
things easy for everyone to get to know each other -- unfortunately a disco
doesn't always achieve this and as discos are getting more expensive; live
music is rapidly becoming a viable option. Very often a couple fail to realise
that quite a large percentage of the guests are going to be elderly and
probably won't be into the latest music trends so your choice of music should
cater for these people. Also, the term disco seems to be synonymous with high
volume levels so this is something else that you ought to take into
consideration when you make your final choice.
Whichever way you go; you won't please everyone. If it is a big wedding you'll
probably have to hire the services of a disco or a function band, but make sure
that whichever choice you make; that they can provide music to cover most
tastes. If the wedding is a small affair you will be able to be a bit more
adventurous as there won't be the same pressure to have the dance floor packed
with their people in their suits and party frocks. You will be able to try
something a bit more subtle -- maybe something a little bit more specialised. A
soul band is a great idea but don't expect them to be able to play anything --
let them stick to what they do best If it is a small wedding there is a better
chance of knowing you guests more intimately and maybe you could find something
more to their taste. There is a lot of scope in what you choose; here are a few
ideas: soul band, jazz quartet, steel band, salsa, ceilidh, reggae etc. One of
the best weddings I've ever been to had a ceilidh band and they filled the
floor for the entire evening. The bizarre thing about having a ceilidh is that
hardly anybody likes the music but it's main advantage is that you don't need
to be able to dance in order to get up and join in. There is usually someone to
show you each dance and there's no need to feel embarrassed. Another plus is
that you usually swap partners which helps get people together and helps with
the merging of the two families.
I suppose to sum up this last section I would say that that the obvious choice
of a disco isn't necessarily the best. Think about the numerous alternatives
and maybe you'll make your wedding a little bit different from the norm and
more memorable in the process.
About The Author
Eugene Portman is a Surrey based jazz pianist who works throughout the UK both
as a soloist and as an ensemble player. His blend of cocktail piano and jazz
seems to provide a type of music that is intricate, exciting, and yet easy to
listen to. He has provided music and entertainment for thousands of weddings,
trade shows and other events.
mail@eugeneportman.com
Reprinted from ArticleCity.com