Live Music For Your Wedding: Everything You Should Know | By Pendra Lee Snyder of Viva la Strings®

Photo By Lauren DiFulvio Photography

Our musicians at Viva la Strings have more than 12 years of experience offering wedding ceremony, cocktail, and dinner music all across the midwest. If you are intimidated or unsure about live music, don’t be! The addition of live musicians brings something special and unique to your wedding day. 

If you are considering live music, but are unsure where to start, we are here to help! Here are a few things you should know before you book live music for your wedding. 

When do I book? 

In our 12 years in the wedding business, we have learned that trends come and go. Several years ago, ceremony music was on the bottom of the couples to do list. The dress, the venue, guest list, and the invitations got most of the attention. But thanks to social media, couples are giving ceremony music the attention it deserves! 

Couples can check out musicians’ music on YouTube and Instagram, get inspiration from celebrity weddings featured on wedding sites, or even watch their own friend’s wedding videos to see how music was incorporated. With all this inspiration, most couples are thinking about ceremony music earlier in the planning stages. 

Because of this increase in popularity, couples should not wait until the last minute to book a band. Like photographers and venues, wedding musicians book out pretty far in advance. Our best advice, book as early as possible to reserve your date. 

Why live music? 

Live music adds an extra dimension to your ceremony experience. Your guests will enjoy a “mini-concert” in whatever genre you select! Some couples are opening the cocktail hour BEFORE the ceremony so guests can have a cocktail, listen to the prelude music and get into the celebratory mood once the ceremony is complete!

Every wedding is unique to each couple, so we at Viva la Strings strive to tailor each wedding’s playlist to our couples’ individual vision and tastes. We often have special or favorite pieces of music – from pop, rock, alternative, and beyond! — custom arranged for string instruments. We can incorporate any song that is special to you!   

In addition, live musicians who are experts at performing wedding ceremonies have the skill to adapt to any unforeseen circumstance and to make smooth transitions between processionals. For example, if the processional happens to go more slowly or more quickly than in rehearsal, or if there is a delay of any kind, professional and experienced wedding musicians can adjust on the fly in a way that is impossible with pre-recorded music.

How do you decide what instruments or what music you want for your ceremony? How many instruments do I need?  

We always tell our couples to think of their style first. Do you prefer religious or secular music? A traditional style, contemporary music, or a mashup of a lot of genres? By thinking about your style and the ambiance that you want to create musically, you can eliminate a lot of other extra options that could complicate the planning process. 

We recommend our string quartet for the full sound, depth of “voices” and our largest repertoire, whether contemporary or classical.  A nice option for the smaller budget but still a great mix of harmonies is our trio. Trumpet, piano, flute, guitar, or even harp can be added to either option for a custom ensemble that will impress your guests.

Additionally, some music decisions will depend on your ceremony. There may be religious or cultural music to incorporate, especially if your wedding will be held in a place of worship.

When playing a religious wedding, we always communicate with the churches’ music minister as some churches have music style rules that must be followed (be sure to ask if there are any music restrictions at your ceremony venue early in the planning process). 

We also have musical arrangements that utilize strings with piano or organ so that we can perform alongside a church’s musician when need be. Especially in a church with great acoustics, we recommend adding the piano to the ceremony music. That change of sound from the prelude portion works well to cue your guests that the ceremony is about to begin.

We love working with couples to translate pop songs to strings. One important thing to remember is that it can be difficult to replicate the sense of a pop song with only one or two instruments once it is arranged for strings.  Usually, a minimum of a trio would be required to create the desired effect.  

Just like your wedding design should reflect your style, your music choices should be representative of who you are as a couple! Picking your music should be fun and creative. We are here to make that happen! 

According to Wedding Wire, the average age of today’s couple is 33. They are working and saving for their own wedding. They use social media to find wedding vendors and rely on reviews when sorting their options. Viva la Strings realizes the pressure todays’ couples may be under and we strive to respond quickly for a quick and efficient process. We work closely with our couples, their wedding planner and officiant to assure the couple they will have no worries when the wedding music starts to play!

Photo by Knack Creative

Who is Viva la Strings:

Viva La Strings is more than a group of musicians. We are friends, we work together regularly, to deliver the polished professionalism expected. We have the knowledge and experience to bring musical detail and personal consultation to make yours an event to be remembered.

Viva La Strings core performance ensembles include string quartet, string trio, string duo, combinations with guitar, harp, flute, keyboard, and vocalists. We network with professional musicians across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. If you are interested in hammered dulcimer, bagpipes, brass, woodwinds, percussion, or any instruments in between, just ask!

How Viva la Strings was founded:

Pendra Lee Snyder founded Viva la Strings in 2008 to provide more paying performance opportunities for local musicians and to offer more access to quality music to our community. In addition to playing and running the day to day operations of Viva la Strings, she manages the Worship Classics String Quartet personnel and previously played with the Worship Orchestra at Fairhaven Church in Centerville, Ohio.  She is a former member of the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra in Terre Haute, Indiana. Pendra holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana State University.

She also holds a master’s degree in Television Production. With her several years of television, radio, and newspaper news reporting and production experience, as well as Marketing, Public Relations and advertising sales, Pendra developed the promotional and marketing skills necessary for Viva la Strings so grow into a successful multi-city organization. Local managers on the ground in each city ensures the same high standards of performance and customer service Viva la Strings has come to be known for.