Your perfect day. Enhanced.

From the moment your first guests arrive to your exit as a newly married couple, there is enormous scope to put your own stamp on your ceremony. Walking down the aisle and signing the register are your opportunities to choose something you love and reflects your personalities and relationship.

Remember, the bride is always the last to arrive!

For the first guests, walking into an empty venue and taking a seat can be slightly uncomfortable if they’re met with stony silence. Music is so important as a social lubricant and will help bridge the gaps between conversations as people meet each other, work out their common ground and share anecdotes about you.

The playlist needs to be calm but can also be playful, perhaps playing a selection of tunes that are meaningful to you. They don’t really have to fit a particular genre unless you have a specific theme which suits the venue.

Sample playlist at the bottom of the page.

The moment you’ve dreamed of, planned for and imagined is here!

Walking up the aisle

No doubt you’ve considered your music for walking up the aisle — most people have a pretty good idea of what they want, although I’m always happy to help and make suggestions. Perhaps you know what ‘feel’ you want, but aren’t quite sure what to use, or whether there’s a particular section in a very long piece of music that’s particularly beautiful?

It’s worth giving consideration as it’ll be a memory you replay for a long time, so choose something you really love!

Signing the register

There will be a pause in the ceremony whilst you both sign the register and have it witnessed. Photographs are not legally allowed whilst you’re actually putting pen to paper, but you can have a posed photograph afterwards. This means there’s a requirement for 3 or 4 tracks, which you may want to choose as a playlist.

Newly married

Ceremony completed, you’re about to launch into a new married life together! What will you choose: fun-filled and enthusiastic, sentimental, euphoric orchestra or retro? The choices are endless and usually very meaningful to both of you.

In total you’ll need around 1 hour of music.

Sample playlist at the bottom of the page.

Whether you’re staying at the same venue or moving to a different one, there will be plenty of time for your guests to enjoy socialising with each other and there may be a period of time when photographs are being taken.

The playlist needs to ebb and flow whilst not being too intrusive. At this stage of the day there will be a broad range of ages and tastes so the playlist needs to provide a soundtrack to a lively party without any dancing breaking out – save it for later!

This will be the second longest playlist of the day and needs to cover at least 2 hours.

Sample playlist at the bottom of the page.

It’s a fun social occasion with a mix of all your friends and family, all with different tastes and a very wide age range. No doubt you’ve spent ages selecting your menu, gathering everyone’s requirements and making sure it’s a meal to remember. The playlist should build slightly with the courses of the meal, and build up to a spirited introduction to the speeches, where the playlist will fall silent. The playlist should be interesting and can cover multiple genres.

What tracks do you like to hear when you eat at a restaurant? Whilst it’s nice to stay on-genre and have romantic and elegant music, you can go off-piste into motown, retro, funk, jazz, indie and pop. I can help guide you to those tracks that riff on the wedding genre whilst not intruding into people’s conversations.

There will still be a very broad range of guests but the tone needs to move towards being uplifting and upbeat before the speeches commence.

Your input to seeding this playlist is vital as it’s likely to be the longest playlist you require at 3 to 4 hours.

Sample playlist at the bottom of the page.

You’ve just cut the cake, there’s been a toast and it’s smiles all round! At this point your guests might be getting fatigued, as will you. Bear in mind this section of the day can be a little bit awkward for your guests staying for the evening if they don’t know a huge amount of your guests.

You’ll probably take a breather, maybe even get changed for the evening, and your caterers will be trying to clear up as much as possible.

Your older relatives might be leaving, whilst your evening invitees are arriving and need to feel the vibe quickly, rather than feeling like they’ve arrived late for a dinner party and the hosts are quickly tidying up.

Keep spirits up with fun and lively classics, current chart hits and a general feeling of well being! Don’t hit the slow jazz now (unless you’ve got a special cocktail bar lined up!) as your DJ/band will be setting up and creating a buzz just before you return for your first dance – I can help you with that but you might have a very firm idea! Make sure you tell your evening entertainment well in advance your first dance to make sure they either have it with them, or have practiced it!

You’ll need 1 to 2 hours of music.

Sample playlist at the bottom of the page.

A live band or DJ are always your best bet at this point. They have the catalogue and the equipment to bring your evening alive, and can use their experience to judge the spirit of the evening and determine what to play. If you’re really looking to save money then a playlist disco can work and I can help you if you need, but it’s likely I’ll need to attend your event for this to work successfully. You normally need to hire some equipment too.

Your venue is likely to have a list of quality entertainers they regularly work with.

As I’m partnered with weddingplanner.co.uk you can find specific music suppliers at weddingplanner.co.uk/wedding-music.

A final moment to set sail into your new life, you might choose something sentimental to both of you, or something really cool. Either way, make sure your professional entertainment know what send off you want.

You need a track to finish the evening’s entertainment, and a track to exit the building.

Sample playlist at the bottom of the page.