Hi Weddit!I have been lurking for months now and am finally engaged, yay! I have also been a freelance wedding musician (cello/violin) as my side job for about 6 years. I thought I would make a post about all the things I've learned that may be helpful for those planning their own weddings.This will vary for different vendors, but since this is my side job I only book at most 3 months in advance. I often get requests for 6-18 months out and unless they are close friends whose weddings I would attend anyway, I usually decline and ask them to keep in touch if they still need someone closer to the date. I understand if folks want someone on the docket, but for many musicians they have other commitments and jobs they need to work around and won't know their schedule that far in advance.Please have a designated person with the final payment in an envelope for your musician BEFORE the wedding. That way I don't have to hang around awkwardly trying to wrangle someone to pay me.My charge is based on how long I have to play, how long I need to travel, and how many songs I need to write because the couple requests covers. If you want standard wedding songs that the musician already knows, this may save you money. In general, I charge about $200-250 for most gigs and travel up to 1 hour from my home (I live in a major metropolitan area). I think this is low compared to others in my city. I may charge $150 for a super quick gig close by or for acquaintances.Keep in mind if you ask me to play along with a recording, it may not sound as good as you think. For example, if your Day of Coordinator is signaling me to play, and I start and the DJ is in another room and hits play after me...and the room is echo-y and I'm sitting in a corner and can barely hear the music I'm going to have a bad time. My professional opinion is that you're hiring me to play live music and I'm very good at doing that so let me do that. Then again I'm a music snob and it's your day so I'll do whatever you want. If you want to do something creative that requires multiple people and moving parts, at least give people the opportunity to coordinate and don't tell your vendors two days before the wedding lol.Weather. Oh God weather. Instruments are very sensitive and if there's any moisture falling down or temperatures below 50F the instruments cannot be outside. I've generally started avoiding outdoor weddings because they are so miserable for me as a musician but there are some thing to make it better. Have a back up plan for inclement weather, and keep in mind that inclement for you and your guests is not the same as inclement for a delicate instrument. Make sure your vendors have a place to sit that is out of the sun so they don't roast, or that they're not sitting in the mud, or that they're not sitting under tons of foliage and next to bushes getting eaten alive by ants and mosquitoes while trying to stay in tune. I dress professionally at gigs but if your location is close and personal with nature, please tell me so I can dress accordingly. If your location is going to be super windy, designate someone to help them with their sheet music or catch the music stand when a large gust knocks it over (because it will happen during a song and not before).Timing. If you anticipate starting late, give me a heads up. Put me in an area where someone can signal me for the song changes, or where I can see the wedding party lining up. If you have 13 bridesmaids and slow walking grandparents, let me know. Or, if you have just one bridesmaid let me know that too so I have a better idea of the timing. A good musician will be able to loop songs and fade out appropriately, but it helps to have a sense of the timing in advance. Tell me how many groups of people are walking down the aisle. Don't tell me you need a song for just yourself and bridesmaids, and then on the day of I'm scrambling in my music book because you have parents signaling me to start playing "their" song and you never told me I needed a song for them too. Also, keep in mind the bridal walk is shorter than you think and will end up only being about 30-60 seconds of music.Tips and food and beverages are not expected, but always appreciated.The "standard" for ceremony music is as follows: my choice of song selection for pre-ceremony while guests are being seated. I generally have classical and wedding music but can incorporate more modern songs if needed. It's mostly just 15 minutes of background music anyway. A song for grandparents, parents, wedding party, basically anyone who's not bride. It's generally easier if this is one song but can be multiple. Some classic choices are Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Canon in D, Trumpet Voluntary. Then bridal song, then a closing song (usually the Wedding March). This "standard" can be modified and adjusted however much you like to fit your personality and the ceremony. This is just a starting point for those who don't know much about ceremony music or for those that want a more traditional set up.I may add more as I think of stuff! Feel free to ask me any questions and I hope this has been helpful. From doing these gigs I have learned so much about the process and feel better prepared in planning my own ceremony. via /r/weddingplanning http://ift.tt/2tDWvDG
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