Jazz Wedding Music, Perfect for Every Wedding Day Event

Whether a bride wants to walk down the aisle to a touching melody or dance to a swinging tune, jazz musicians can deliver both and more.

“Jazz musicians are unique because they can adapt jazz music to every wedding ceremony, wedding reception, cocktail hour, luncheon, dinner and more,” Chandler Judkins, owner of Las Vegas Wedding Music in Las Vegas, said. “This also saves money for couples because they can use the same band throughout the day so they don’t have to hire other musicians for different aspects such as a string quartet for the ceremony. The jazz musicians can do the wedding ceremony too.”

Las Vegas Wedding Music is the number one music contracting company in Las Vegas and their jazz music package is one of their least expensive.

Ceremony:

String quartets are the number one requested music group for weddings and especially wedding ceremonies, according to Judkins. However, Judkins believes that a jazz quartet can perform just as beautifully for a wedding ceremony and can add an extra dimension because of the variety of instruments to choose from.

“A string quartet will have the same instruments forever, two violins, a viola and a cello,” Judkins said. “But jazz quartets can be varied with a trumpet or a saxophone or even a flute or clarinet.”

Receptions

Jazz bands can have as little as three musicians and go up to a 17 piece big band.

No matter the size though, jazz bands can be flexible to what a bride and groom want for the reception music and their first dance whether it be swing music or a romantic song.

“Las Vegas Wedding Music makes a point to publish a song list on our Web site so couples can see the wide variety that our wedding musicians can play,” Judkins said. “If a couple requests a song, that is never a problem as long as we know ahead of time.”

Judkins went on to say, “It’s harder for string quartets and other music combinations to play such a variety. Requests are harder to accept, and dance music is harder to come by.”

Cocktail Hour

Another feature of a jazz band or jazz quartet is that a singer can be added easily and usually at a minimal cost.

“Las Vegas Wedding Music has singers on hand at all times ready to be added to any jazz band, big or small,” Judkins said. “Our wedding singers are the best in Las Vegas too.”

Luncheons or Dinners

Jazz musicians are amazing featured performers, but they are also amazing in the background. When playing for wedding luncheons or dinners, Las Vegas Wedding Music’s jazz musicians play loud enough to be heard but soft enough so that conversation can continue without straining.

“Any horns have mutes on them and all Las Vegas Wedding Music’s musicians have experience in playing softly, but with quality,” Judkins said.

No matter your wedding event, whether it be a wedding ceremony, wedding reception, cocktail hour, luncheon or dinner, jazz music is no doubt an amazing choice for brides and grooms.

Fun Wedding Music Activities

Music is as much a component of a good wedding as food and drink. You can have a wedding without music, but it's likely it will seem a little quiet and dull. So whether you have a full live band, a string quartet, a DJ spinning tunes or recorded music from a boom box, it should be included.

But music's not just for dancing. There are a myriad of activities you can plan around the music that will add an element of fun to your wedding.

One popular idea is to play musical chairs. Sure, this is a fun kid's game and you don't want to insult your guests in any way, but you can have some fun with this version of musical chairs. The chairs can be just about anything, from chairs lined up from the food tables, to the floor, if you think your guests might be open to sitting on the floor (and then having to get up and down again). One fun option is to use the men as the chairs - they kneel on the floor, with one knee on the floor and the other bent. The women sit lightly on the men's' knees as they are playing musical chairs. When either the man or woman falls down, that couple is out, until one couple is left.

Some brides and grooms like to play musical chairs in order to give away the table centerpiece, which many guests like to take home. Instead of assigning a number and awarding the centerpiece to the person in possession of that number, you have each table play musical chairs until the person left standing is the one that gets to take home the centerpiece.

How about a rousing game of "name that tune"? This is a game that's best for a smaller, intimate wedding where everyone knows the bride and groom well. Prior to the wedding, whoever is planning the wedding should get a list of favorite songs of both the bride and groom. Create a CD of those songs, and then create a game of "name that tune". Guests can be divided into teams and then be played just a small snippet of each song.

After guests hear that first snippet, they can then "bid" on how quickly they can name the tune. So one group might say they can name the tune in 10 seconds, while the other group might say 5 seconds. Once one group has bowed out, the other group will then have to "name that tune". This is a fun game that gets everyone involved and which the bride and groom are particularly delighted by.

Depending on the style of the wedding, there are many fun games you can play to get the bride and groom out on the dance floor. Now, if this is a very large and very elegant wedding, this option might not work since there is certain decorum to maintain, but for a casual, fun, family-centered wedding some of these games can be fun.

If guests want to "call out" the wedding couple onto the dance floor, they can be asked to get out on the dance floor themselves first and hula hoop or perform their own version of a break dance. Much in the way guests sometimes have to "perform" to get the couple the kiss this is another way to get the guests involved and having fun in order to create fun wedding memories for the bride and groom.

Don't Overlook The Importance Of Your Wedding Music

There are two aspects of wedding music that need to be addressed when planning your big day. First, you may wish to select certain music or arrange for professional soloists or musicians to play during the actual wedding ceremony. But at the wedding reception, it's pretty much anything goes when it comes to selecting wedding music, provided it's tasteful.

Right away is the time to plan your wedding music. Good talent gets booked fast and you don't want to end up having to select the brand new DJ with only a few weddings under his belt or something even worse. Booking your music a full year in advance is advisable but at a minimum, you should know who will be showing up and what he or she will be playing at least six months prior to the wedding date.

For most weddings, selecting the music for the wedding ceremony isn't that complicated because most often, it's controlled by the person in charge at the location where the ceremony will take place. When you're researching your wedding ceremony options, be sure to inquire about any guidelines with respect to wedding ceremony music as these could possibly impact your decision. If the ceremony is being held outdoors, check for electrical hook-ups or book live musicians.

Wedding music during the ceremony is basically secondary to the ceremony itself so the music is really meant to sort of 'fill in the gaps' during the non-speaking periods such as while guests are being seated, during the procession, and while lighting the unity candles. Of course, it's your wedding and it can be custom-designed.

The music that's played at the reception, however, is going to mean the difference between a successful reception and one that's ho-hum. And this is where things can start to get complicated. When you begin searching for wedding reception music, you'll realize rather quickly that you have a lot of options. You can book a live band, or a DJ that'll play pre-recorded music, or you can buy that CD full of top wedding songs and have someone act as the DJ.

It's important that you both agree on the type of wedding music you want played at your reception. There are 'traditional' songs that almost always are played at certain points during the reception such as the father/daughter dance, the cake cutting, the dollar dance and so on. And then there is all the music in between. Do you want jazz, country, R&B, new age, Italian, Latin, Jewish-inspired, or a little bit of everything? That's an important decision to make because the musicians you select have to be able to deliver what you want or you won't be happy.

Try to book experienced professionals for your wedding music. Always ask for and check references. Even contact the Better Business Bureau. If booking live talent, arrange to hear a live performance before booking. Scrutinize the contract before signing to make sure all parties agree on the number of hours music will be provided and that everything that has been agreed to is in writing. Find out the cancellation and refund policy, too.

Choices In Wedding Reception Music

An important decision you’ll make during the course of creating your perfect wedding is that of wedding reception music. After all, what’s a wedding reception without music? Do you hire a band, hire a DJ, or just throw on some tunes for everyone to dance to? The choice is all up to you from what type of music you want at your reception to how it’s delivered.

One possibility that a number of people opt for is to hire a band to provide their wedding reception music. A lot of working “cover bands” (musicians that specialize in performing spot-on renditions of popular songs) are available to work wedding receptions. The cost for hiring a band varies according to the experience and popularity of the band itself. A band that is highly skilled tends to be highly sought after and therefore more expensive to hire. A live band brings a certain level of excitement to the party atmosphere of a wedding reception and your guests are sure to enjoy the interactivity that comes along with live wedding reception music.

Some couples forgo the band in favor of hiring a DJ for their wedding. The advantages of hiring a DJ as compared to a band are threefold. First of all, a DJ tends to cost much less to hire than an entire band does. In addition to the monetary savings, the DJ will have access to original recordings of popular songs. Your guests can shimmy to Baby Got Back or The Locomotion by the original artists rather than a rendition performed by an unknown singer. Additionally, the DJ will have access to a far greater number of recordings than any band is likely to have in its repertoire. For these reasons many couples enjoy hiring a DJ to supply their wedding reception music.

Another option is to simply supply the wedding reception music yourself. Armed with a computer that is equipped with a CD burner you can create CD’s full of .mp3 files to play at the reception. Because of the .mp3 file compression, nearly ten hours of music can be squeezed onto one CD. You can choose exactly what songs you want, place them on the CD in the order that you like, and just pop it in to play at the reception. This is possibly the most cost effective option as it will cost very little or nothing at all to compile the CD. The downsides are that you’re left with just a group of songs and no live interactivity whatsoever and you must have a specific type of CD player in order to play a disc full of .mp3 files. You will also need to provide a decent sound system unless the reception hall happens to come equipped with one.

There are a number of options available for providing music for your wedding reception. Choosing which one is right for you is merely a matter of deciding what you want and what you can afford.

Choices In Wedding Music

American weddings have come a long way over the years. In a society that is made up of people from so many different cultures, lifestyles, religions, and backgrounds, it is no surprise that the traditions in the wedding ceremony are as vastly different as well. Wedding music is no exception. From the ceremony itself to the party atmosphere of the reception, the wedding music sets the tone for the event.

Traditional Wedding Music: 

At most weddings we can expect to hear selections that have come to be known as traditional wedding music. Titles like Ave Maria, the Minuet from Don Giovanni, and, of course, The Bridal Chorus and The Wedding March have long been the standard music for a wedding. Particularly religious ceremonies may include hymns like Amazing Grace and a Jewish wedding almost always includes a hora danced to a medley of tunes like Hava Nagila, and Siman Tov U Mazeltov.

The traditional wedding music holds a special place in our hearts and many think that a wedding ceremony is incomplete without it. The couple must decide whether or not to use traditional wedding music in the ceremony, as well as how much of it to use. If this part of the wedding tradition is important to you, then traditional wedding music is the way to go.

Modern Wedding Music: 

Often couples will forgo the traditional wedding music selections and instead include modern or popular music in the wedding ceremony. This practice is so common that some titles are becoming traditional wedding song selections themselves. It is not unusual to hear When a Man Loves a Woman, Always and Forever, or I Will Always Love You sung, performed, or played at weddings today. Often more modern titles like these will appear in a ceremony along with the more traditional wedding music.

Avant-Garde Wedding Music: 

As people’s attitudes change and varying forms of wedding ceremonies take place, the choice of wedding music often changes right along with them. Occasionally couples will choose music for their wedding that reflects the stark difference in their personalities and makes a unique and bold statement. While your wedding ceremony is primarily for the couple getting married, it is important to remember that it is an event attended by your family members as well. While you may wish to make an impression on your guests with your choice of music, you should still be cautious not to offend your respective grandmothers. As such, a selection by an artist like Marilyn Manson may never be appropriate for a wedding ceremony. This does not mean that your wedding music choices are restricted to traditional classics or sappy love songs. I once attended a very avant-garde wedding where three couples married in the same ceremony. It was a beautiful event and was made memorable by their choice of music. The couples strode down the aisle to the sounds of Pink Floyd’s Signs of Life, an instrumental track from the album A Momentary Lapse of Reason. It was a wedding ceremony that I will remember forever.