Don’t Let These 5 Wedding Music Mistakes Ruin Your Special Day. Your wedding day is one of the most important and special days of your life. You’ve spent months, if not years, planning every detail to make it perfect. From the flowers to the food, you want everything to be just right. However, when it comes to selecting the music for your wedding ceremony, it’s easy to overlook the impact it can have on the overall experience. Choosing the wrong music or making certain mistakes can potentially ruin the mood, atmosphere, and even the memories of the day. In this blog post, we will highlight five common wedding music mistakes you should avoid to ensure that your special day is everything you’ve dreamed of and more. Don’t Let These 5 Wedding Music MISTAKES Ruin Your Special Day.
Acoustics
Not considering the acoustics of the ceremony location: Different venues have different acoustics, so it’s important to choose music that will sound good in the space. For example, if you’re getting married in a large church with high ceilings, you’ll need music that can fill the space and won’t get lost in the echo.
How Duo d’Amore can help: we can suggest a great place to position ourselves with the acoustics in mind. For example, if the wedding is in a large Church, we like to be positioned either in the loft or at the front. The great thing about churches is that they are literally designed for their acoustics and we have performed in the largest Churches in Canada and our sound is rich and full.
If the wedding is outdoors, we generally like to be positioned across from the signing table. Not only does this work well acoustically, but it gives us great sight-lines so that we can start and stop the music appropriately.
Guest preferences
Ignoring the preferences of your guests: While it’s important to choose music that you and your partner love, it’s also important to consider your guests. If your guests are of all ages, consider including music that everyone can enjoy, rather than just music that appeals to a particular age group.
How Duo d’Amore can help: we like to recommend that the prelude as the guests arrive is varied in terms of musical styles. Some classical, some pop, as this is the first thing the guests will hear and having a little something for everyone is a nice touch.
Choosing music that is too long
Choosing music that’s too long: While it’s tempting to choose long, epic pieces of music for your ceremony, keep in mind that guests may become restless if the music goes on too long. Choose music that is long enough to set the mood but short enough to keep your guests engaged.
How Duo d’Amore can help: in planning the various musical choices for the wedding we can help chose a portion of the song to be featured. For example the Chorus of the song can be performed instead of starting at the beginning. This is often a great idea for the recessional when the brde and groom exit the ceremony as the chorus is often the loudest and most upbeat part of a song.
Too trendy
Choosing music that’s too trendy: While it’s tempting to choose music that’s currently popular, keep in mind that trends come and go quickly. Instead, choose music that is timeless and will still sound great years from now. This does not have to mean classical music, there are plenty of pop songs that are timeless. Here is our current list:
Choosing too many songs
While it’s tempting to choose a lot of different songs for your wedding ceremony, keep in mind that too many songs can make the ceremony feel disjointed and confusing. Stick to a few key pieces of music that set the right tone for the event.
How Duo d’Amore can help: In general we recommend the following number of songs:
Processional: 1 or 2 songs (1 song for both the wedding party and bride or 1 song for wedding party, another song for bride)
Signing: 1 classical song, or 2 pop songs
Recessional: 1 song
We can also perform music in other parts of the ceremony and of course customize things to suit your needs.
What string ensembles do you offer?
The solo violin
The smallest bowed string instrument in the violin family is the violin. It is also the quietest instrument, but that does not mean that it cannot produce a sound. Don’t forget that violin soloists regularly perform with a 50-100 piece orchestra, in a large hall seating 2000 or more people, and the solo violin can be heard over the entire orchestra, and at the very back of the concert hall. How? This comes down to the skill of the violinist, and positioning. This is why at wedding ceremonies for example we often are quite picky about the exact spot where our violinists and ensembles perform, no matter if the string ensemble is outdoors or indoors a single violinist is a great choice.
Duo d’Amore’s solo violinist is a great option for those who want live music but have a smaller budget. The solo violinist performs classical pieces, contemporary pieces, and a mix of both. Their music is perfect for wedding ceremonies, cocktail receptions, and intimate dinners.
The solo cello
Like the solo violin, a solo cellist is a great option for slightly smaller wedding ceremonies and receptions. Larger than the violin, it is very resonant, and can play an equally wide range of music. Clients that hire the solo cello and solo violin for weddings and events often have a guest list of under 50, but not necessarily so.
The violin and cello duo
The violin and cello duo, or string duet, is made up of one violin player and one cello player, and is our most requested string ensemble for hire. Having both the violin, which is able to play soaring melodies, and the cello which is able to anchor and often accompany, while having an even larger sound it is no wonder that this is our most popular string ensemble. I like to imagine that the violin is like the right hand of the piano and the cello is the left had of the piano, together they can play almost anything, and that is another reason that it is our most popular ensembles.
Duo d’Amore’s violin and cello duo is a popular choice for weddings. The duo consists of a violinist and a cellist who play together, creating a beautiful, harmonious sound. The duo’s repertoire includes classical pieces, contemporary pieces, and a mix of both. Their music is perfect for wedding ceremonies, cocktail receptions, and dinner parties.
What size of group/event would you recommend for a violin and cello duo string ensemble?
The short answer is we often recommend the violin and cello duo for between 50-150 guests, but when mic’s, we have performed for over 600, so it all depends. The more that we know about the type of event that you are hosting, the easier it is for us to recommend a string ensemble that will sound the best and fit with the wedding or special event that you are planning. Contact us here https://duodamore.com/contact-us/
The String Trio
The string trio is made up of the violin and cello, with the addition of a third filler instrument, such as a violin or viola.
What size of group/event would you recommend for a violin and cello duo string ensemble?
This larger string ensemble is suited for events with over 200 guests, and larger venues in general. With a slightly larger sound than the violin and cello duo, but not as large or rich sound as the string quartet, the string trio fits right in the middle of the string ensembles that we offer in Banff, AB
String quartet wedding ensembles
Our string quartet is the largest wedding ensemble that we have for hire. The string quartet has a long and rich history, dating back to the classical period of music in the 18th century. Additionally, during this time, composers such as Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven wrote some of the most famous and enduring string quartet works. In the 19th century, the string quartet continued to be an important genre, with composers such as Schubert and Brahms producing some of their most notable works in this format. Also, during this time, the string quartet also began to be used for more private, intimate occasions such as weddings. For all of these events, timing and tempo are crucial and we would be happy to consult with you on planning any one of these.
What types of music do you perform?
From classical to pop, Top 40
Whatever the type or size of event Duo d’Amore, has an ensemble and the right music options to make your event memorable. And, we have hours of classical music, from the baroque period with composers such as Bach and Handel, the classical period with Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven to the Romantic period with Elgar and Brahms, just to name a few. We have over 5 hours of classical music, and our repertoire is always expanding. Here are some of our most requested songs for our string quartet and ensembles:
- Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach
- Air on the G String by Johann Sebastian Bach
- Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn
- Trumpet Voluntary by Jeremiah Clarke
- Ave Maria by Franz Schubert
- Spring from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi
- Bridal Chorus by Richard Wagner
- The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns
- Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Pop, Top40 and beyond, custom arrangements
Also, Duo d’Amore is also fortunate to have an incredibly large .collection of pop string arrangements. Like our classical music repertoire it is always expanding. If there is a song that you would like for your event, let us know, as we can likely custom arrange it.
- A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
- Perfect by Ed Sheeran
- All of Me by John Legend
- Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley
- Marry Me by Train
- Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran
- You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne
- At Last by Etta James
- I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith
- Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars
What cities and areas do we serve?
- Vancouver
- Victoria
- Banff
- Canmore
- Calgary
- Edmonton
- Winnipeg
- Toronto/GTA
- Peterborough
- Saskatoon
- Mississauga
- Oakville
- Burlington
- Hamilton
- Niagara
- London
- Kitchener
- Waterloo
- Cambridge
- Caledon
- Vaughan
- Owen Sound
- Collingwood
- Ottawa
- Gatineau
- Wakefield
- Kanata
- North Gower
- Montreal
- Halifax
- Charlottetown
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