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we're having our friend play the keyboard. he's going to play traditional jewish wedding music.
The pavilion we are getting married in doesn't have electric. But FI's dad is going to try to rig something up so we can use my Ipod and FI's speakers.
We had a string duo and it didn't seem too formal for our garden wedding. The strings carried really well without amplification (no electricity in the garden).
a guitarist would be really cool and a more casual song can be played....
I agree with the strings or guitarist. Either of these aren't too formal but still very beautiful. I have no idea what we are doing yet.
We have no electricity either, so are having a friend play guitar / ukelele and another friend sing. I hope everyone can hear...but if they can't, there's not much we can do!
My sister got married and had a string quartet. . . didn't seem too formal at all.
Our wedding is outside as well, and we are planning on an accoustic guitar. Very laid back. I'm so excited!
We're having a guitarist and will probably find a way to pipe in my ipod for other stuff.
We are having a piano player playing classical music and traditional wedding songs.
Our cocktail hour will be outside. I originally REALLY wanted a jazz trio, but since that couldn't fit in the budget, our DJ will pipe this type of music outside for us. For an outdoor ceremony, though, I recommend splurging on live music!
I think a string quartet or guitarist would work really well. I'm having a ceremony in a small courtyard and I'm thinking either a harpist (if our budget will allow) or an acoustic guitar.
Thank you so much for asking this question! I really wanted to see what everybody else was doing, but I kept forgetting to ask.
At first, my fiance and I considered not having music at the ceremony... Until I saw a wedding on TV, and got the chills! Music is important to me, so we decided that we have to do something. We were considering setting-up an iPod (does itunes sell wedding songs? ;)). However, I like all of your ideas with string instruments. I guess it's another thing to add to my to do list (great!).
Ceremony music can run the gammit and as you make your decision, I'd really consider how important having musicians or the type of music is to you rather than stressing over what kind of music an outdoor wedding "should" have. All of the suggestions people have posted in response to your post have been really great.
In order of most to least expensive (at least from the quotes I had received in my area)
- I think a string quartet may be a bit much for an outdoor wedding unless it is a really large wedding, but they create such a beautiful ambience at weddings that everyone would be too impressed to give it a second thought. Strings also have broadway and mainstream music in their repitoire so it doesn't have to be terribly formal or stuffy. Very expensive though so unless money is no object and live music is very important to you, you may want to opt for another choice.
- String duo (cello & violin). Definitely not too formal for an outdoor wedding. Love this idea. Runs about $650 in my town so again depends on if live music is a priority and your budget. If you still live near the high school or college you went to and they have a good music program, many times they have string groups that do events which could be less expensive and a way to personalize your ceremony.
- Harpist and/or floutist. Harpists and flutists are very traditional and appropriate. A good way to get in a musician without breaking the bank.
- Guitarist. I love this idea because it allows for such versatility in ceremony mood. The simplicity of an acoutistic guitar is really nice for outdoor weddings.
- iPod w/speakers. As long as you have speakers that project well (there are a number of decent iPod compatible speakers available now too) this is a great, no fuss idea. Many large estate venues that give you the option of using their music go this route now.
- The good 'ol boom box that runs on batteries. Obviously this would depend on the size of your wedding and quality of your speakers. Check with your venue too...they may have a way to get electricity out to the garden for a bigger cd player or large speakers....they can help you with ideas for what works and what doesn't.
We are getting married outdoors as well and just assigning a very responsible friend to work the music with our ipod. I'm planning on buying a good Bose docking station w/speakers specifically for this.
I like the idea of a string quartet, but might end up playing that type of music via ipod/dj instead. If you wanted something more fun/less formal, there are a ton of cds that are string quartet tributes: string quartet tribute to muse, string quartet tribute to the beatles, etc. that have popular songs in string quartet form. If you're not familiar with the song or weren't paying attention, a lot of them would sound almost like classical music. I think some of these would be great!
Check out vitamin string quartet for a wide variety of popular songs set to instrumental if you plan on using a dj/ipod ceremony.
First, there are no rules. Your personality is what should point the way. portability and volume should be a factor but, there are portable amplification systems. As a music coordinator I have booked everything from string quartets to guitar and flute, duos, to the oddball ukulele player :)
Like I said it's all about your personality. I've even done gypsy jazz or pop tunes for ceremonies.
When I do solo work I myself do guitar and specifically steel guitar which is even more unique than the average run of the mill classical wall paper guitar music. Which I have done too.
I also do jazz and for something unique outdoors Hawaiian ceremonies..but, not in Hawaii :)
I play steel guitar and also blow the conch shell three times at the end of the ceremony to signify new beginnings.
Bottom line ceremoneis don't have to be only classical and elegance is just as important as fun and personality.
Ipod/DJs for ceremony..well personally as a live entertainer I prefer live music but, I also DJ s oI have had both scenarios. This is ok as an option but, obviously less special. Keep in mind you should either have the DJ edit the tracks to suit your walking time so it fades rather than cuts out or time the walk to the song choices.
@ Remi...yes ITunes does sell wedding music...that's where I have been listening to samples to get a feel of how the music would sound
As for me I am having a garden ceremony in Honolulu with a harpist. You may want to ask for a sample list of songs that they can play. You may find that they can play other music besides classical. Luckily the harpist we hired can play classical and hawaiian music so it will not be formal at all if we choose.
If you are having a DJ then he can play some music that would be appropriate for your event. I have had wonderful luck with The O'Neill Brothers http://pianobrothers.com/
They have a cd out that you can purchase online named "A Day To Remember" Its all instrumental music for your wedding day. Your DJ can play this and I think it would be appropriate for any wedding, formal or not. Hope this helps!
We bought a few CD's from a fingerstyle guitarist in Korea who does popular music from like, the Beatles and stuff. The venue played that as everyone was arriving and settling down. It was really a nice touch =]
We asked my cousin to play the violin for us, which was really nice. She decided she wanted some backup, so my aunt brought her electric keyboard and the two of them played together. It was really nice.
A lot of string quartets can play contemporary music that sounds beautiful but can be really fun. Check out The Vitamin String Quartet or Low Strung on iTunes or YouTube for some ideas...I'm personally thinking about walking down the aisle to a string version of Don't Stop Believin'. That way you'll have to elegance of a string quartet, but still keep your music casual and fun.
We got married outside and had a harpist. By no means did we have a "traditional" wedding as I would like to call the whole thing unique but still charming and vintage. We chose a harpist because the sound is just SOO beautiful. We sat with a few different musicians, all playing different instruments, and nothing even came close to the harp.
My DH started crying when our harpist sampled Canon in D for us while we had our appointment with her; I knew right then we had to book her.
Problem with harpists is that they can run pretty expensive. We couldn't find anyone who would play for less than $400 (and they would only need to play 4 songs!) But we finally found a high school senior who plays for a church who charged $200 so we got lucky.
I'm getting married next aug. in a 160 acre garden and we are debating between "I'll be" played on acoustic guitar and violin.. and "When a man loves a woman" on the sax. You can hear "I'll be" the acoustic version in the movie "A Cinderella Story" while they are dancing. It's very pretty! Best Wishes! =)
John Denver's 'Annie's Song', on an acoustic guitar, with the guy singing. Gets me every time at an outdoor wedding. Love it!
We're getting married at a park. We're taking the ipod/speakers route. Thankfully we have an elec. outlet nearby. Plus, we get to save whatever we'd pay to have someone play live music there.
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I'm getting married outdoors. I didn't even think about ceremony music until my mom asked me about it. I've only been to one other outdoor wedding a few years ago and don't remember them having any music. Now I don't know what to do. Someone suggested a harpist but it's not a very formal wedding and I don't know if that would fit. Or I could always have the DJ do it I guess? Outdoor brides...what did/are you doing for the ceremony??