In a recent post, I discussed the merits of live music at your wedding ceremony along with that pivotal question we are asked all the time – how many songs do I need during my ceremony?
Today we are going to move on to the question of music for your reception. Well firstly we need to decided what exactly is meant by the wedding reception. Entertaining guests after a wedding ceremony is traditional in most societies, and can last anywhere from half an hour to many hours or even days.
Tradition dictates that a ‘party’ is held after the ceremony and guests are ‘received’ by the newly married couple, hence the term reception. In short, it’s designed to be a little bit of hospitality to say thanks for coming.
The Order of the Day
Nowadays, the majority of weddings follow a fairly widely accepted order of the day which Is set out below:
- Wedding Ceremony
- Drinks Reception
- Wedding Breakfast
- Cocktail Hour
- First Dance / Cake Cutting
- Evening Party
Of course I realise that as soon as you put anything on the internet, someone will delight in pointing out an exception. And yes, I’m sure there are weddings where things are done in a different order or have a unique format. But generally weddings in the UK, and certainly the vast majority we have been involved in, broadly tend to follow this scheme of events.
For the purpose of this article, I am going to focus on the ‘reception’ as meaning the drinks reception which follows the ceremony. Generally anything after the meal falls under the broad heading of evening party / entertainment. As daytime wedding musicians we have usually taken our leave by this point.
Music during the Drinks Reception
Following the ceremony, in most cases the photographer will then take the couple and their guests off for the confetti shot. This is an iconic moment and lets face it nothing says ‘wedding’ more than the confetti shot with the happy couple centre stage surrounded by their friends and family.
For us, if we have been providing music for your ceremony, this is the perfect moment to relocate to the area where your drinks reception is being held, whether that’s outside or in a nice cosy lounge.
The drinks reception is the first chance for celebration after your marriage vows have been exchanged. For the couple, whilst they might be given a glass of champagne as they exit the ceremony, they will mostly likely spend at least some of their drinks reception with their photographer being photographed at various points around their chosen venue.
It is therefore important to think about your guests during this time. Music is absolutely the perfect solution to creating a great atmosphere and giving your drinks reception a perfect vibe.
What sort of music works best?
A wedding is a celebration and where better to start celebrating than the wedding drinks reception. To help create the party atmosphere, live music can really enhance the proceedings and create a buzz. Something upbeat, but not too loud or over bearing, ensures that guests can still have meaningful conversations whilst avoiding any awkward silences.
Over on our listen page you will find in excess of 300 tracks we have recorded in our studio. These are designed to give our couples inspiration when it comes to choosing music for their wedding.
We always give all of our couples the chance to choose some or indeed all the music for their wedding. Even if the couple might be spending some of the drinks reception being photographed, it’s still their day and therefore very important to us that our music creates the right sort of vibe to suit the occasion.
You don’t necessarily have to choose every song we play – although some couples do. The music we have recorded is there to give you some inspiration. These are the tracks which we have so far got around to recording, and perhaps are some of the more popular choices.
Even if your favourite song isn’t currently on our listen page, we will certainly be able to play it for you – we do not charge for finding or arranging songs. In fact, finding new music to play when our couples choose something we haven’t previously come across, is one of the best parts of our job!
Contemporary covers, which might include everything from Elvis Presley to Taylor Swift via Coldplay and Elton John, are most popular at this point in the day. These sorts of songs worth particularly well for Cello and Piano with the cello generally taking the tune. Sometimes we mix it up a bit and also throw in a few piano solos just to create variety and interest.
Whatever your taste in music, JAM Duo can create a great vibe during your wedding drinks reception. Providing not only entertainment for your guests, but also creating an atmosphere which sets the scene for the events which follow. To find out more about JAM Duo and see how we can enhance your wedding day then do browse our website or get in touch via our contact form or chat to us using the WhatsApp button.
