Weddings

If you are having a civil ceremony, then make sure that your venue can comfortably hold the amount of guests you want to invite. We have played at many weddings where at least half the guests have to stand for nearly an hour because there is not enough seating. In the heat of the summer, overcrowding can be a serious issue.In the depths of winter we have experienced the opposite problem with musicians and guests shivering due to lack of heat in old church and village halls. So, check and double check !

Just to let you know, the civil ceremony itself lasts about fifteen minutes, so it is a good idea to have at least two readings that you have chosen and possibly a piece of music played during the formalities.

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  Try and get along to see an event being held at the venue before you commit - some of the places that we have worked with have a superb team to ensure that all the needs are attended to, whether it is a young mother looking for somewhere to sort out an unhappy baby, or access requirements for someone who is not too steady on their feet.

• Wedding guests, gasping for a drink, whilst waiters are gossiping in a corner, or having to wait for food that takes forever to be served due to inexperienced staff ... all this needs to be thought about. Maybe you need someone on hand to oversee this?


• A toastmaster would probably be the best answer as their role extends beyond just proposing the toasts to that of a virtual Stage Manager. A toastmaster can take all the worry of running the event you've planned leaving you free to enjoy it. In East Anglia you'd be hard pushed to better the services of 'The Norfolk Toast Master' Bob Westecott. If your event is elsewhere it's still worth contacting Bob Bob as he is in touch with almost every decent toastmaster in the land - let him know you were referred by us.

• If you are planning to invite children, are there good facilities for them? and are the staff used to catering for younger guests? This can involve the practical arrangements ie, whether or not they stock high chairs, or whether the cook will offer a decent alternative to the 'grown-up' food.

If you are using your own home or a marquee :

it is a really good idea to budget for outside catering. There are some wonderful companies who can provide delicious and original food and it does take the pressure off your family.

• Think about whether you want to have a formal sit down meal or whether your guests would prefer to have lots of wonderful finger foods, and what would really make YOU happy on your wedding day.

• Along this tack, think about whether you want any entertainment in terms of fun ideas or dancing, and what might work best with the guests you have invited.

Notes on Space

Make sure that you have plenty of room for your ceremony and reception, and also check whether you are going to have privacy. Some venues will dedicate their space wholly for your wedding whilst others may only allocate you specific areas.

Planning a church wedding

If you are planning a church wedding, then think about the lay out of the church and it's age, and what you would like to hear playing as you come down the aisle.

• What sort of mood do you want to create, something very formal and classical, or something a little different ?

• The other music to think of is the signing of the register and the recessional (the music that is played as you exit with your new husband ).

• Remember that not all music can be played on all instruments, for example it is rather difficult to play a Brandenburg Concerto on a solo guitar or an orchestral piece on a harp, so do ask us if you need advice on ceremony music.

• You should try and arrange entertainment as early as you can, because musicians book up to two years in advance in some cases.It also gives you more time to really source the perfect artists for your needs.

The Dress :

This may seem obvious, but think about how many wedding dresses you see in Charity shops, hanging as reminders of some happy girl's happiest day. I had a dress made which I can still wear for glamourous occasions, in wild gold silk. It was based on a ready made pattern which with some customisation, and twenty years on is still used.

Another point to bear in mind if you are buying your dress off the peg, is that while it may seem very comfortable in the fitting room, remember that you are probably going to have wear it for at least eight hours with a wide variety of movement.

Amanda Caroline is an Art School graduate who specialises in headpieces and works closely with wedding dress designers and dress makers, she is probably one of the friendliest and most helpful people you could hope to come across in this area. Feel free to Contact her and also to mention that you were referred by us. But do visit her site though - it's a visual treat and has some fabulous examples of her work.

Atmosphere :

Once you have chosen your venue, have a think about the atmosphere you would like to create for your wedding. This is where music, flowers, and decoration become important. There are wonderful designers who can help you with ideas and carry them through to completion but you can also do a great deal yourself just through talking with the venue and working with them.

The age of a venue and it's setting can help you to build a theme:

An obvious example would be a Medieval Hall where you could use trestles and flaming torches along with medieval minstrels to set a vivid and memorable day, with a ceilidh in the evening to round things off. Alternatively a Georgian Country House would lend itself to perhaps a flute trio playing as guests arrive and a costumed butler (actor) greeting them.

Elaborate stands of flowers would add to the visual elegance and then during the wedding breakfast a string quartet or a harpist could serenade the company. It is the attention to detail that makes the difference between a good day and magical day - so you don't have to have a blockbuster budget to make a stunning impression.

Capturing the Day - Wedding Videos and Photographers:

Whether you decide to have a formal photographer, video filmmaker, or a friend of the family will depend largely on how much you trust the end result!

If you are having an outside professional for the day then make sure they don't take over the proceedings. We have known photographers take the newly marrieds away down a grassy knoll for nearly two hours to get 'the perfect shot' while the poor guests were left at a loose end, thirsty and getting increasingly hungry.

Remember that you are gathering friends and relations together to celebrate YOUR marriage, and they want to be with you for as much of the time as possible.

An hour is the maximum time that should be spent on pictures. The best weddings are those where instead of endless formal 'set-ups' the photographer or camera-person unobtrusively snaps away all day and gets a more spontaneous record with a few of the archetypal set shots to top it off. Which is,of course, how we at MusicMakers in partnership with AndAction Films, always film and photograph weddings.

You and your guests want to enjoy the day as it happens.

I hope these tips are useful, and please always feel free to contact us if you could use a bit of help.

Best wishes ,

Xenia Horne.

Copyright: Xenia Horne 2005.

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