Music at your ceremony
What music can I have at my ceremony?
There are so many options to consider when it comes to the music at your ceremony.
The marriage celebrant organises and plays it through their device and PA system
You can hire a solo singer/small group or band/musician to play just an instrument
You can also hire a DJ to play for you
You don’t have to have music it all, but it does add to the ambience of the ceremony!
Whatever you decide will also impact the ceremony itself. Music needs to be well timed in all the right places. This usually involves a little communication between the celebrant and the music person. I have a short run-sheet of the music portion of the ceremony that anyone can follow. It’s not hard, but you need to trust the person controlling it!
But doesn’t the celebrant play it? Yes and No. Some celebrants are happy to control the music from their ipad or phone, and some don’t. I am the latter, and let me tell you why…
My little music horror story
In the very beginning of my celebrant career, I was the music controller for all of my ceremonies. But on this one occasion, I should NOT have been that person. I did all the right things. I downloaded the correct songs onto my phone, I made sure my phone was connected to my PA via Bluetooth correctly and tested it, I practised the transition from playing music to my ceremony obligations prior to the ceremony starting. My phone was even on silent and in airplane mode so there were no awkward interruptions. I mean, how hard could it be? Press play, then press pause/stop at the right time, then press play again when a new song needed to be started throughout the ceremony. Simple right? Noooooo.
Here’s how it actually went down at the crucial moment…
Picture this - Here is the stunning bride on her dad’s arm, beginning her special grand entrance as you press play on the phone. You are juggling the mic, the phone, and the ceremony script folder. You are looking up and smiling as she walks down the aisle when the phone slips a little from your grip, so you grab it quickly before it hits the deck. You accidentally touch the screen and this results in CHANGING THE SONG!! Holy shit! You scramble and with apologizing eyes you press play on the correct song. But hey, why not completely balls it up. Let’s do it another TWO TIMES!! Might as well go down in a blaze of glory for effing up her special entrance song!
There was also interference with the Bluetooth connection, and the sound kept dropping in and out throughout the entire ceremony. Turns out you can’t have anyone standing between the PA and any device connected to it. This is a thing I learnt quickly.
So there you have it. If the ground could have opened up and swallowed me, that was the time it should have!
Therefore, I no longer offer to be the music controller. I will happily organise and facilitate it through my device, but it is totally not my thing to be the button pusher!
End of disaster story!
