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Wedding Ceremonies - The prelude music begins fifteen minutes before the processional, while the guests are being seating. The musical selections are usually left up to the musicians, who choose an appropriate mix of interesting and enjoyable pieces. You may want to specify a particular piece for the wedding party such as the Baroque favorite Canon in D, by Johann Pachelbel or Franz Schubert's Ave Maria. The traditional processional, "Bridal Chorus," comes from Richard Wagner's 1850 opera Lohengrin. You may also know it as "Here Comes the Bride." This piece is still used occasionally, but many brides are opting for Jeremiah Clarke's "Trumpet Voluntary" (also know as "Prince of Denmark") (1700). It was used for the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. During the ceremony, music is included or not included according to the traditions of the particular place of worship. If it is a Mass, then the music is already prescribed and the organist knows what to do. Protestant services may include hymns or one lyrical selection during a meditation or while a unity candle is lit. The traditional recessional has been the "Wedding March" (1842) from Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Contemporary options include a movement from Handel's Water Music. As the movement does not actually bear a title, it is frequently called "Allegro" or "Hornpipe." Other choices are "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (1823), Clarke's Trumpet Tune (1700), and Mouret's Rondeau, which was popularized as the "Theme for Masterpiece Theatre." Wedding Ceremonies - The Musicians If your ceremony will be at a church or temple, the first obvious choice is to use the organ and the resident organist. If the organ is in disrepair or the organist is not available on your date, then it is appropriate to seek other options. Adding trumpet to the organ sound is an ideal complement which provides that royal sound as the bride walks down the aisle. A brass quartet can quadruple the effect with it's powerful sound. A solo violin, viola, or cello can add a lush quality to the prelude music and perhaps a nice piece during the ceremony. There is nothing like the sound of the human voice - a male or female singer can be especially memorable during the prelude and ceremony. If your ceremony will be at a hotel or out-of-doors, solo keyboard (or with trumpet) is the simplest possibility. Harp with flute (or trumpet or violin) can also do the job. Other options include brass quintet or string quartet. Cocktail Reception The cocktail hour serves as the perfect time for guests to mix and mingle after the ceremony, but before they are assigned to a seat for dinner. For a small guest list, a solo pianist can provide a nice mix of familiar songs from the pop, jazz, and Latin standard repertoire. If the guest list is average to large, an added bass player and trumpet will provide the right amount of volume to be complement the conversational volume. Other popular cocktail music choices include harp and flute (or violin) or a string quartet. Dinner Reception and Dance Normally, you will book the band for a four-hour block of time. At the beginning of the four hours, the doors of the ballroom will open and the guests will enter to a  nice
medium-swing tune so that people can have a few minutes of
dancing. Then, the bridal party
and family are introduced to the room and finally the bride
and groom who will have their first dance. During this first
hour
and a half, the first courses are served (with dancing in between)
and the cake-cutting ceremony can take place, so that the portions
will be ready to serve after dinner. The band takes it¹s
first break when the main course is served. During dinner,
recorded music
is played softly over the sound system. After dinner, special
dances between bride/father and groom/mother can take place.
At this point,
the band should take the energy up to a higher level with two
forty-five minute sets of great music. Finally, if no overtime
is needed,
the happy couple can have their last dance of the evening surrounded
by family and friends. If the party is still going strong after
four hours, overtime should be requested before the band leader
begins rapping things up. The Band A good function band can be as few as three or as many as ten musicians. The instrumentation normally includes keyboards, bass, guitar, drums, male and female singers, and a saxophone and/or trumpet. Most excellent groups can cover old swing tunes for the grandparents, classic rock for the parents, and current tunes for those tuned into Top 40 stations. Most groups can also cover specialty tunes from horas and tarantellas to polkas, waltzes, and tangos. When possible, a new tune can be learned for special dances - just provide a few weeks notice.
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