If you are planning a memorial service, please click here for our Memorial Service Selection Guide
1. Choose Your Ensemble
When choosing your ensemble there are a few things to consider: venue/event size, budget, available song selections and sound character. The bigger your venue the larger the ensemble you will need to fill the space. This way all guests will hear the music. Musicians work by the hour, and run about $175-$330 depending on how much they are responsible for. The smaller the ensemble the less you pay overall, but the more you pay per musician. Finally, you may consider the balance or character you are going for. If you like a thick sound, string quartet is the thickest. If you want a deep sound consider the Cello Duo option before the violin-cello option and so on. We recommend starting with the string quartet (which has the most song repertoire) and then adjusting to your needs. Please be aware that each group has its own repertoire (song) list. Please click here to see our Repertoire main page. Below are the ensemble choices:
- Solo Cello, for repertoire list, please click here
- Cello Duo: for repertoire list, please click here
- Duo Violin and Cello: for repertoire list, please click here
- Duo Piano and Cello: for repertoire list, please click here
- String Trio (violin, viola, cello): for available repertoire, please click here
- String Quartet (violin, violin, viola, cello), for available repertoire, please click here
2. Choose Your Processional
The songs you choose for your processional are the highlight of the ceremony music, and set the mood. This music is usually a slower tempo, a tempo that is easy to walk to and often nostalgic. There a 3 parts of the processional, the entrance of the grandparents/parents, entrance of the bridal party, and entrance of the bride. You can choose just one song for the processional or as much as three different selections. Below are a list of our most popular processional songs. Click on songs highlighted in green color to listen to an audio sample:
“Bridal Chorus” (from Lohengrin) – Wagner
“Canon in D” – Johann Pachelbel
“Jesu, Joy of a Man’s Desiring” – J.S. Bach
“Air” (from Water Music Suite) – Handel
“Spring” mvt. 1 from Vivaldi’s 4 Seasons
“Here Comes the Sun” – Beatles
“What a Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong
“Bitter Sweet Symphony” – The Verve
“Yellow” – Coldplay
3. Ceremony Specials
If you have any spectial features during your ceremony for example, the unity candle or a sand ceremony, you may consider adding background music to this portion of your ceremony. You can have your favorite song played! Here are some suggestions for this portion. Click on songs highlighted in green color to listen to an audio sample:
Swan-Bach 1 Prelude – available for Cello Duo only
“Clair de Lune” – Debussy ($60 fee)
4. Choose Your Recessional
After the ceremony is over, music will accompany you and your guests’ departure. This music is upbeat and a quick, joyous tempo. Often 1-2 recessionals are played before continuing to postlude music. Here are some example selections below. Click on songs highlighted in green color to listen to an audio sample:
Fireworks Music: “La Rejouissance” – Handel
“Hornpipe” (from Water Music) – Handel
“Entrance of the Queen of Sheba” – Handel
“All You Need Is Love” – The Beatles
“Viva La Vida”~Coldplay
5. Select Your Playlist
With the ceremony highlights covered, all that is left is the music selections for the time while your guests are seated and while they exit the ceremony. At this point, you can either allow us to take care of the rest of the details, or you can continue to design your personal playlist. For the prelude and postlude we generally play our personal favorites from a mix of the styles below. If you have a few particular songs you would like to hear, let us know so we are sure to play them. If you would like to set the playlist, check out our repertoire list and let us know what you would like to hear!
- Classical – Traditional, Polished, Refined, Lively, Beautiful, Nostalgic
- Opera – Emotional, Dramatic, Personable, Nostalgic, Classic, Traditional
- Jazz – Subdued, Cool, Swinging, Artsy, Colorful, Chill
- Pop/Rock – Modern, Chic, Edgy, Energetic, Familiar