Timings to help you plan your wedding music

Planning a wedding can be tricky logistically, so what if you had a handy guide to give you some clear information to help you plan the timings for your wedding music - no guessing, just facts! This is something I've been asked for a few times by my couples, so I thought it was time to write a blog to give you all the information you need!

Pre-Ceremony

This is the part of your day as your guests are seated in your ceremony area, and it's a lovely part of the day to add some live tracks. It sets the tone for the ceremony, and keeps your guests entertained in case of any delays. Depending on the space, you might want to plan for anywhere between 15 minutes and 30 minutes of live music here.

Your Ceremony

For this part of the day, you should plan for at least one entrance song, possibly two if you have a large party walking down the aisle before you, or if you'd like a different song for your entrance.

You should also plan for up to 3 songs for your signing. I haven't had a signing last more than two songs before, but I always have a contingency song in case, and the additional song can always be put into the drinks reception if it's not used in the ceremony.

Your exit song just needs to be one track, and we may not play the full song depending on how quickly your guests leave to get to the bar!

Your Drinks Reception

When you've officially tied the knot, you're ready to celebrate and have your pictures taken, and mingle with your nearest and dearest, you'll want to plan for at least 90 minutes of music here. This allows for a comfortable amount of time for your photos, and for some time to relax and unwind, and for the venue staff to get ready for your wedding breakfast. To be on the safe side, I would ask your musicians if they are able to provide any extra music in case of delays, and most will have some contingency music in this instance!

Your Wedding Breakfast

As you and your guests are seated, you might want to choose a specific song to walk in to your wedding breakfast room too. For the main part of your meal, you should plan for another 90 minutes to 2 hours of music, bearing in mind your musicians may take a short break here as well.

Your Room Turnaround

This is the part of the day where the daytime becomes the evening, and your venue staff will need some time to reset the space to make it party ready. Your evening suppliers may also be arriving after dinner to set up any equipment in the space ready for your evening party. This is another lovely opportunity to entertain your guests and keep the energy flowing, so somewhere between 60-90 minutes of music here is sufficient, depending on when you finish your meal.

Your Evening Party

Your evening celebrations will usually start with a cake cut, and then a first dance, into your party, so if you're going live for this, your live musicians will usually offer x2 party sets, usually between 45 minutes and an hour each, with a break in between.

Did you get all that?! Here's a brief run down for you:

Pre Ceremony - Up to 30 minutes

Ceremony - Chosen songs, up to 6 songs

Drinks Reception - Up to 2 hours

Wedding Breakfast - Up to 2 hours

Room Turnaround - Up to 90 minutes

Evening Party - Up to 2 hours

Of course not all this has to be live, however this will also help when you're planning a playlist for these sections of the day as well, so you know how many songs to be adding for each section!

I always provide guidance on helping you to plan your timings, as in a lot of cases, it's not a one size fits all approach, so if these don't quite match, don't stress, we will find a solution that works for you and your day!

For more planning tips and advice, stay on this blog page, as I upload a new blog each week!