Planning Questions
How Far Do Musicians Travel?
Most musicians will travel within their own region or province. A good yard measure would be to up to 2 hours from their home base. It becomes more expensive due to travel costs to hire a musician that must travel a great distance. It is best to try and find a musician that is based locally as this will help keep the costs down.
Can You Choose Any Piece of Music?
Wedding singers will have set lists from which you can choose your music. If you would like something that isn’t on their list then you will need to ask them if they can facilitate your request. There may be an additional charge for sourcing the sheet music and your musician will let you know. Another consideration in terms of choosing your music is to have a chat with your celebrant to see that they are in agreement with the music that you have chosen.
Is it Possible to See A Musician Perform Before Booking Them?
It is a good idea to arrange to see a musician perform live if at all possible. Your wedding singer should be able to provide you with a suitable date that you could attend. It is acceptable to attend another wedding ceremony in a church and step in for a few of the pieces of music providing it is a big church and you won’t be noticed.
Can Your Musician Organise An Extra Musician?
Professional wedding singers work regularly with other musicians (i.e guitarist, violinist, cellist etc). They will be well placed to recommend additional musicians to accompany them.
What About Music for The Drinks Reception?
Nearly always your musician will be able to offer you a package that includes them playing for your champagne reception. It is often good value for money as well to go with a musician for both the ceremony and reception.
Will Wedding Singers Liaise With A Wedding Planner?
Certainly, there’s no reason why your wedding musician won’t liaise with your wedding planner. Wedding singers are accustomed to working with wedding planners and are often hired directly by them. The wedding planner will look after the finer details in terms of payment and timings on the day.
Organising Questions
When Should You Start to Think About Song Choices?
Musicians like to have a good idea of your song and music choices well in advance of your wedding ceremony. You should start to put together a short list of music ideally 3-4 months before your wedding. It is best to have your music choices agreed and finalised 1 month in advance. This will allow you time then to get your leaflets printed to include the music on it.
How Many Songs Do You Need for a Wedding Ceremony?
A traditional church ceremony will require you to choose 7-10 pieces of music. Wedding singers will normally have a set list that you can choose from. For a civil wedding ceremony you are not required to select as many; this is generally in the region of 4-6 pieces of music.
Can Your Musician Tailor Their Set to Your Musical Taste?
The best wedding singers will be able to accommodate most styles of music. They will have their preferred or signature style and your choice of singer should be based around your style of music.
Will A Wedding Singer Accommodate a Family Member or Friend Sing?
For the main wedding musicians will be happy to facilitate this. It can add a real personal touch to your wedding ceremony if you can arrange for this.
Money Money Money
How Much Will You Pay for A Wedding Singer?
This is one of the first questions you might want to find out when you are planning your wedding ceremony music. You can expect to pay from €250 upwards for music for your big day. Many factors can influence the cost. Singers that in high demand and have many years of experience may command a higher fee so it is worth making a number of enquiries to find the musician that is within your budget.
What Does the Price Include?
Typically, the day of the week you are getting married on, the distance from where the musician is based and the type of singer that you are hiring will impact the cost. Many wedding ceremony singers will also accompany themselves on a keyboard, guitar, a harp or indeed can arrange for additional musicians to accompany them. You will need to contact the wedding singer directly to find out what exactly the cost will be and what they include.
Do You Have To Pay A Deposit?
Wedding singers will charge you a deposit to secure your date. This can range from €50 to €200. This is generally non-refundable but many will facilitate a change of date if they are available and you have to change your date due to unforeseen circumstances.
How Do You Pay The Balance Owed?
Wedding singers will have their own preferred method. Many will facilitate a bank transfer in advance of the wedding day or else cash on the day of your wedding itself.
What Are The Most Popular Packages?
Your wedding musician will provide you with a choice of packages. Many couples choose to hire their wedding singer for both the ceremony and reception. This as previously mentioned can work out the most affordable way to have music during the day time part of your wedding.
Can You Ask if Your Wedding Musician Have Special Offers?
Of course! This is always a wise idea to try your luck and ask for a reduction in price. If you are having your wedding on a weekday or during the off season then you should be able to negotiate a reduction in your ceremony music price.
On The Day
Will They Play Prelude Music While The Guests are Arriving?
This is something that you will need to clarify with your wedding ceremony singer. It is standard practice for wedding singers to play for your guests arriving and normally you can choose specific pieces of music you would like played. The musician might have a set list that they can play from.
When Will The Musician Arrive to the Church or Venue?
A well organised wedding singer will aim to arrive well in advance of the ceremony start time. This would be roughly 1 hour in advance as this allows plenty of time to setup their equipment and be ready for the ceremony start time.
What Are the Sound System Requirements?
Wedding singers will almost always bring their own equipment. They don’t like to rely on what system might be in place. It is easier and quicker for them to bring their own and to setup on the day.
How Much Space Does Your Musician Need?
If your wedding is to take place in a church, then they will normally have a space from which musicians can perform. Some churches have choir balconies which are ideal for your musicians. They help greatly with the acoustics. If your ceremony is set to take place in a more intimate venue such as a hotel or private residence, then a space of roughly 2×2 metres per musician will be required.
Will Your Musician Need to Come to Your Wedding Rehearsal?
This is a negative. Wedding ceremony musicians are very familiar with wedding ceremonies and will not benefit from being present at the rehearsal. Any specifics can be detailed to them in advance.
Can Wedding Singers Perform Outdoors?
Of course, this will be weather dependent but in general wedding singers will be happy to work with you on this. If a shaded or canopied area can provided this might be a condition that your musician asks for. It is to help protect them, their instruments and equipment against the sunshine.
