Music is an important part of any wedding. It helps set the mood, it can be used to help guests feel welcome, and it can even help make sure that everyone is on the same page about what's going on at the ceremony and reception.
But when do you need music at a wedding?
Well, it depends on the kind of wedding you're having! Are you having a big ceremony with lots of guests? Are you just having a small ceremony with close friends and family? Are you going for an afternoon drinks reception or an evening dance party?
The answers to these questions will determine whether or not music is needed at each part of your wedding day. Hand in hand with this are your desires for the big day itself, and the atmosphere you're looking to create at each stage of your wedding celebrations. Award-winning roaming band The Travelling Hands might just be the ideal, flexible and immersive entertainment you're looking for! Let's run through some times throughout your wedding day when music is particularly important...
Meet the Author: Tom Warner, founder of The Travelling Hands.
"I launched The Travelling Hands back in 2011, and I’ve been working directly with our clients to ensure that their weddings, parties and events are brought to life with music, laughter, and energy.
The Travelling Hands have performed at weddings worldwide from central London ballrooms to the beaches of Bali & we would love your celebration to be the next stop on our global tour."
Pre-ceremony:
Music can help set the tone for your guests as they arrive at the venue, and make them feel comfortable and excited about what's about to happen. Typically this will be gentle music to set the tone, and welcome guests into your day.
Post-ceremony:
Once you're married, music plays an important part in helping your guests to unwind as they continue to catch up with one another. After the ceremony is over, this is often a time for a champagne reception or cocktail hour. Music here can start to become a little more lively as guests really sink into your day.
You and your guests can often be in a number of places at this time. Perhaps outside enjoying a sunny afternoon, or perhaps inside while you enjoy canapés and sip champagne. When The Travelling Hands perform at this time of day, we can move with the flow of your guests in different locations. Our performances here are designed to allow guests to still catch up with one another, whilst simultaneously helping them to relax further into your wedding celebrations.
Now that they're all caught up, and have relaxed into your day even further, it's time for one of the most important times for music - the wedding breakfast!
Wedding breakfast:
Now that cocktail hour has wrapped up, it's time for the wedding breakfast—THIS is where the magic happens. The wedding breakfast performance is what The Travelling Hands are best known for. Our roaming performance will consist of a carefully constructed setlist of singalong songs for guests of all ages - the goal is to ignite the celebrations and ensure that all of your guests throughout the wedding breakfast are energised, excited and ultimately united to celebrate with you before their feet have even touched the dance-floor.
Think of us as your personal hype team to stroll through your wedding breakfast as we perform, helping guests feel re-fuelled and ready to celebrate at this point of your celebrations.
Evening interval:
With the wedding breakfast complete, there's often a small interval before your evening reception begins. This is a great time to use music to help them feel energised to celebrate with you & a fantastic time for a finale performance from The Travelling Hands too.
Evening reception:
There's one thing left to do...hit the dance-floor. Now that your guests have been coaxed out of their shells and they've sung their way through dinner, they will be in party spirits to celebrate. So whether a DJ, a funk and soul band extraordinaire or otherwise, it's time to dance the night away with your favourite people in the world!
Final thoughts:
If you've found this blog post helpful, you might also like what time should you book The Travelling Hands to perform your wedding day which covers all the key performance times in detail and why you should hire a roaming band for your next celebration!
If you like the look of The Travelling Hands and think that we could be the right fit for your celebrations, then book a call with us to say hello, put the kettle on and let's explore everything together. To book your call simply click on the link below!
Photography credit: Divine Day Photography