How to choose the right music for your wedding ceremony?
Is it better to have a string quartet playing live, or a DJ as a soundtrack? Or is it better to have both? And if we choose a live band, which one should we choose?
Better classical music or your favorite song?
These are just some of the questions about music that need to be answered to plan a wedding ceremony that is truly unforgettable.
As a wedding celebrant I deal with the words but I am also a musician…
As a wedding celebrant my job is to design, write and then conduct the ceremony focusing on the text, the words and the telling of the couple’s love story. The celebrant figure is not in charge of the music, just as he or she is not in charge of the floral arrangements or catering.
Unless he/she is also a wedding planner: but I am not.
I am a writer and deal with the words that can best describe your love story to make the ceremony as personal and personalized as possible. However, my background is also musical; I graduated in classical guitar from the “Giuseppe Verdi” Conservatory of Music in Milan, and for years I have been performing as a soloist, in various ensembles and in orchestras; so when I write my ceremonies I also make my musical skills available to you and I can offer valuable suggestions. I can also establish direct contact and constructive cooperation with those involved in music, whether they are classical musicians, a band or DJs. Because music is a fundamental component of the wedding ceremony and harmonizing words, music and symbolic gestures is the secret to making the ceremony truly unforgettable.
Two tips for choosing the “right” music
But how to choose the right music?
Here are a couple of tips.
First of all, it is important to choose music according to your taste and personality. Music speaks for you (and about you) during the ceremony and tells important aspects of your personality and love story. My suggestion is to choose according to your own taste, without being influenced by others (whether wedding planners, relatives or friends): the wedding ceremony is yours and should reflect your tastes.
The wedding planner suggests a string quartet to perform a piece by Antonio Vivaldi, but you have always loved rock music? Well, follow your taste and exchange your first kiss to the notes of AC/DC’s “Hells Bells“. Why not?
Always choose according to your taste and you will not regret it.
Music tells something important about you
In case you choose a classical music ensemble or a pop duo or a rock group, it is to respect the repertoire that such a group offers you, without forcing their musical nature. That is why it is always important, before choosing the musicians for the soundtrack of your wedding, to carefully consult the repertoire that they offer and talk with them, to avoid unpleasant surprises later, when the choice is made.
Have you chosen a violin-piano duo, whose highlights are all classical pieces by Vivaldi, Bach, and Mozart? Great! Have them play that repertoire and not Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” in an instrumental-only version, which, I can assure you, has a pretty miserable impact.
Of course, there is nothing to prevent you from making specific requests to musicians as well, but it is always worth keeping in mind that, maybe, your choice is not in the musician’s line of work: so it is better to inquire first and thoroughly with them.
A funny and enlightening episode
And now, just talking about music in your wedding ceremony, I would like to tell you about a funny episode that happened to me with a couple from the United States of America.
They decided to hold their wedding ceremony on the shores of Lake Como, on a wonderful terrace overlooking the lake in one of the most beautiful and striking villas there is: Villa Pizzo in Cernobbio.
Imagine a fairytale location, an entire villa rented for three days for the long-awaited wedding celebration. Imagine a highly refined floral arrangement with soft, delicate colors, all composed of roses of various shades. Imagine a team of wedding planners among the most renowned and competent there are in Italy.
The string quintet is composed of top-notch musicians and they could play the finest music there is … but the bride and groom decided otherwise.
I still remember the wedding planner’s shocked voice when she told me the song the couple chose for the end of their ceremony: “Feel the magic” by Kobi Peretz.
Do you know this song? Are you familiar with it? No? Go and listen to it.
And you know what?
It was really a great, absolutely fantastic conclusion to their wedding ceremony: everybody danced along with the bride and groom as they walked down the aisle!
If you wish, as a wedding celebrant and also thanks to my musical expertise, I will be able to listen to your wishes and recommend a soundtrack that is right for you and tells something important about you, respecting your tastes and the mood you want for your most beautiful day, to celebrate your love story in the most personalized and engaging way.
