Music is frequently an important part of a wedding ceremony.

 

What are your options and what are the advantages/disadvantages?

 

Having live music is always wonderful. There is nothing quite like having a harpist or string quartet to lend an air of elegance. The professional musician will observe the processional(s) and ceremony and adjust music to meet the immediate need, e.g., end a piece when all the attendants are in place.

 

Unless you have professional musicians who are friends or family members who would perform for your ceremony, cost can be a limiting factor.

 

If you have amateur friends or family members who will play, you may want to suggest a bit of coaching so that they will be better able to control the nervousness they will experience in performing for your important day! (Everyone wants it to be perfect for you!)

 

A CD may seem a cost-effective solution ... and maybe it is, but the main drawback is that either everything needs to be choreographed to the CD, or the music is faded out as necessary.

 

What happens if your flower girl suffers stage fright coming down the aisle? Will the music run out before all the attendants are in place? Or if you love Canon in D but only have 3 or 4 attendants? Will they have to wait to come down the aisle or wait in place until the music ends? Or will it be faded out once they're in place? Will your arrival at the altar be heralded with a royal ending or will the music be faded?

 

These are things to consider when using a CD, as well as the quality of the sound system.

 

Another option that isn't found very frequently, but is available, is a musician with the technology to make a virtual orchestra available for you. The music is played into a computer program that allows the flexibility of cutting pieces short (to get the endings) or extending (for unexpected delays). (This is the same technology that is used for many new Broadway shows.)

 

The choice of instruments is almost endless. String quartets, classical guitar, piano, organ. Some musicians using these systems are also fully portable, so that you can have music on the shore, if you like! Cost is usually about the same as for one musician ... sometimes less.

 

If you choose this option, you will want to ask if professional level equipment is used, as that will make the difference in the quality of sound. You may also want to ask if you can hear a preview of the music so that you have some idea of how your wedding music will sound.

 

Regardless of the music option you choose, you may want to ask how your musician or technician will handle the unexpected and the coordination of your professionals.