So you’re getting married – congratulations! You’ve also booked a string quartet – double congratulations!! As a supplier of string groups and our London String Quartet Wedding business, a question I get asked very frequently is “how many songs should I choose for my wedding day?” Here is some help and ideas for choosing wedding songs, whether you’ve booked a London String Quartet wedding supplier or an alternative group.
Pre ceremony Welcome Music selections
At Blue Topaz Music we always recommend having some pre ceremony welcome music. It sets the scene, puts everyone at their ease and creates a wonderful atmosphere to begin your day.
We find 15-30 minutes of pre ceremony music can work really well as guests take their seats which roughly translates in to choosing around 5-10 songs. It’s a good idea to put them in order of preference just incase we don’t get to the later ones. Alternatively you can just choose your favourite wedding songs and ask your London String Quartet wedding musicians to fill in the rest.
The Entrance – Walking Down The Aisle Song
Possibly the most important wedding song you should choose is the walking down the aisle song. Here your wedding string quartet will play a section of your aisle song – unless your aisle is 3-4 minutes worth of music – that is – then you can have the whole song! Don’t worry about how the music will finish when you get to the front. If your wedding string quartet is experienced they will understand how and where is best to draw to a close. With our Blue Topaz London String Quartet wedding group we like to play a few seconds more when you reach the front to perfectly round off your wedding aisle walk.
Music for during the Signing of the Registers
The next bit is the signing of the register. If you are having a civil ceremony we recommend two songs here. Again, put them in order of preference incase we need to move on before or part way through the second piece. Our London String Quartet wedding ensemble always takes the cue from the registrar so whilst we are playing we also have half an eye on their movements and body language so we can draw one section of the ceremony to a close in line with them.
If you are having a church service for your ceremony you may need one or two more pieces as these can be a little longer.
For humanist ceremonies there won’t be an official signing but some couples have asked our Blue Topaz London String Quartet musicians to play a piece as a performance or for their guests to have a singalong instead.
The Exit Song
The final piece of your wedding ceremony will be your exit piece for you to walk out together and begin your married lives! You will need one piece here and we recommend a joyful and jubilant choice!
The Drinks Reception Songs
Maybe you have also booked your ensemble to play for your drinks reception? Your musicians will need a little bit of time to reset here so whilst you are greeting your guests and saying initial hellos if you have booked our String Quartet or any of our alternative groups such as our renowned String Trio or Quintet with double bass, we will be liaising with the venue staff and relocating to the best place so that all your guests may enjoy our music whilst they enjoy a drink and a chat with you. Most drinks receptions are between one and two hours with one and a half hours being the most common duration. We advise couples to choose around 25 songs here with the favourites clearly marked! If that’s way too overwhelming or planning time runs out no need to worry at all as we will play a mix of our most fun and up beat songs with a celebratory feel. A good half way house can be to just pick out a few favourites for us to include and we can fill in the rest!
I hope this has been a useful guide for you to know how many songs you should choose if you have booked a London String Quartet wedding supplier or any other alternative live music group. If you’d like to read about other good moments we might play during your wedding you might enjoy 7 perfect moments for music at your wedding
Wishing you all the very best for your big day!
