subject: Your Wedding Music : FAQs [print this page] Your Wedding Music : FAQs Your Wedding Music : FAQs
Q - Can you help me choose a song for the father daughter dance at the reception?
A - I feel that the right choice of song for the father daughter dance is one that has special significance for you and your dad. Here are some songs that are frequently requested by brides for this part of the evening:
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Butterfly Kisses - Bob Carlisle
Daughters - John Mayer
Father and Daughter - Paul Simon
Have I Told You Lately - Rod Stewart
I Wish You Love - Judy Garland
In My Life - The Beatles
Isn't She Lovely - Stevie Wonder
Memories - Elvis
My Girl - The Temptations
Stand By Me - Ben E. King
Slow Motion - David Gray
Through the Years - Kenny Rogers
Unforgettable - Nat 'King' Cole
You are the Sunshine of My Life - Stevie Wonder
Q - If I book my reception entertainment for 7pm, do they arrive at 7pm or start performing at 7pm?
A - Your jazz band should start performing at 7pm. Their price should include set-up and loading times. The contract with your live band should detail this information.
Q - We have booked a live jazz band for our wedding reception. Do we pick every song we want them to play? How do we know if we have picked enough songs?
A - Selecting every song for the band to play can make it very difficult for the band to "read the crowd". We definitely encourage you to choose music but leave when to play each song up to the band. This way the band can see what your guests are enjoying and responding to and choose more of the same music to play.
Q - As soon as we finish our meals and speeches are done, we really want our guests to get up and dance. We have a cross-section of guests, from children to grandparents, and a mixture of Greek, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Australian cultural backgrounds! I really want our music to appeal to everyone, so how can I cater to all their different tastes?
A. Any live jazz band worth their weight will be able to entertain and encourage your guests to dance, no matter what age they are or cultural background they come from. The musicians should also be flexible, able to alter their style of music throughout the evening and respond to your guests well.
Q - Can you suggest some music ideas for a cocktail reception?
A - Absolutely. Here are three live music ideas for your cocktail reception:
Jazz Trio: offers a sophisticated, stylish mood. Drums, Piano and Saxophone can perform popular classics and modern favourites. Adds panache to EURyour reception.EUR
Acoustic Jazz Duo: offers a refined, elegant atmosphere. They perform a selection of jazz, classical and South American flavours. A little more cost-effective if EURyou're on a tight budget!
Jazz Quartet: offers a lively, upbeat, interactive feel. Saxophone, guitar, piano and bass, they perform swing, latin and bossa-nova tunes. Adds a touch of class to your EURreception.
The next thing you want to consider is how your musicians will dress. Dinner suits work well for formal occasions, lounge suits for a more casual look, and all-black covers all dress codes. Bands are usually very accommodating when it comes to dress, and frequently dress '1920s jazz age' or 'Great Gatsby inspired' to fit in with the look and feel of the wedding.
Q - We are thinking about having Karaoke at our reception for something a little different. What are you thoughts on this?
A - Karaoke has generally been a popular request for hen's & buck's nights. I can see how it would be a lot of fun and set your wedding apart from the rest. Not only is it good for laughs, but it's a fantastic way to get your two families to mix and mingle. As long as the reception reflects you and your soon to be, who cares about convention!
Q - Do I need to provide my musicians with a meal?
A - The Australian Musicians Union requirements state 'a meal is required for entertainers performing three or more hours'. Most bands request a meal be provided should the booking be 3 hours or more over the lunch or dinner period, however they tend to leave it up to the couple's discretion.
Q - We are planning on having a surprise wedding on New Years Eve. It will be a cocktail reception mainly due to the fact that we want our wedding to feel like a party, where we are not tied to our table and where there is a lot of dancing and people mingling etc. We are thinking of having a live jazz band. How many musicians should we look for? What instruments? How difficult is it to book someone for New Years Eve? How far in advance should we book? In terms of fees / hours what further expectations will there be purely because it is New Years?
A - First, the good news! A live jazz band performing groovy danceable music is an ideal choice for your cocktail party reception. Jazz bands come in a variety of styles and sizes, and there are a few important points to finding the perfect band for your reception.
Style & Size
Live jazz can range in size from a soloist to a quartet to a 30-piece big band. Because you want your guests to dance, you'll need drums as part of your jazz lineup - they provide an essential beat for dancing. For a completely full-sounding band you should consider a 3-piece band such as a jazz trio as an absolute minimum, with a 4 or 5-piece band as ideal. A quintet will open up your options for a great party band with a singer that plays a variety of smooth Sinatra-style crooning Jazz, lounge-jazz favourites plus a quality quintet will also offer Soul hits and R&B classics.
Pricing
Most live bands' fees are charged per-musician on a hourly basis, with a 2 hour minimum (longer performances makes the time effort spent on set-up worthwhile). There is one other final point you will need to consider, and this is the not-so-good news...
NYE Bookings
Because NYE is party time, it's statistically THE busiest night of the year for musicians. Not only is it difficult to find a band that is available on NYE, as a general rule musicians double, and sometimes triple their rates.
Q - I really want everyone to get up and dance and enjoy themselves at my wedding. Can you give me any fun and interesting ideas?
A - You're right - by far the best way to have people enjoy themselves is for them to get up and boogie! The secret to having everyone involved is planning, so talk this through with your music enterterainers. Most professional live bands offer personalized consultations with you and are always happy to meet up for a coffee to discuss your event. Tell them exactly how and when you want the song to happen. A perfect time might be immediately following the bridal waltz. Choosing a group participation song here will be a great signal to begin the party!
To get everyone involved, you need two things:
1. A charismatic, vibrant band leader. Every live band needs a leader. Someone that's confident and comfortable in front of a crowd. And coordination is a must! An excellent choice if you're using a live band is the singer, if you're using a DJ it might not work as well.
2. Choose a song that everyone knows. This will increase your chances of getting everyone involved. You want music that people can relate to, and music they know the dance moves to.
