The cost of hiring an orchestra for a wedding can vary depending on the size of the orchestra, with the average cost being around $900 for a one-hour performance. Chamber orchestras can cost between $600-$1200, while wedding ceremony music can cost around $500. The average cost of hiring a wedding pianist is between $200 and $500 per hour. String quartets, violinists, harpists, and pianists can also be hired for weddings. The average couple spent $3,900 on a live wedding band, but they can cost anywhere between $1,500 and $10,000. The biggest requirement for an orchestra is space, with the UK Musicians’ Union suggesting a minimum of 1.5 square meters for each musician. String quartets can create playlists with top classical, temporary, and traditional wedding songs, making them an affordable option for weddings.
DJs are a more affordable option for wedding bands, with an average cost of over 60,000 PHP. They can play a variety of songs and remixes suitable for all ages, with an hourly rate of £150-£300. Conductors’ expertise can cost over £200 per hour. Administrative fees include music rental, larger instrument hire, rehearsal space, transport of equipment, extra charges for custom musical arrangements, and travel expenses.
Sundial Beach Resort & Spa in Sanibel, FL offers a variety of wedding venues, including $15,000-$35,000. Skyline Orchestras, a diverse wedding band with 20-30 years of experience, are skilled in various musical genres and can entertain guests. They have received commissions and collaborations from leading fashion brands and institutions.
In the UK, the average cost per group member for orchestras is between £Budget £220, ££Pro £330, and £££High-end £400. Sydney Ensemble, a wedding ceremony music specialist, has performed at over 1000 bookings.
When hiring an orchestra, it is important to consider the events you need them for, the songs on your list, and the cost of the band.
📹 Jazz Band/Orchestra for hire in London and UK for weddings and private parties
Musicians Inc’s Jazz and Soul Band/orchestra are available to hire for events and parties in London Musicians Inc provide …
How much do live musicians charge?
A DJ for five hours costs $750. A duo for two hours is $600. A five-person band for three hours is $2,250. A solo musician for one hour is $150.
What is a 5 person orchestra called?
In Western classical music, smaller groups are called chamber music groups. The terms duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, septet, octet, nonet, and decet describe groups of two to ten musicians. A group of eleven musicians is called an undecet, and a group of twelve is called a duodecet. A soloist playing alone is not an ensemble because there is only one musician.
Four parts. Strings. A string quartet is made up of two violins, a viola, and a cello. There is a lot of music written for string quartets, which is an important genre in classical music.
Wind. A woodwind quartet usually has a flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. A brass quartet has two trumpets, a trombone, and a tuba (or French horn). A saxophone quartet has four saxophones.
Can an orchestra have 100 players?
A philharmonic orchestra has about 80 to 100 musicians in four sections: brass, woodwinds, percussion, and strings. The first philharmonic orchestra was founded in London in the 18th century. Many other cities have also had philharmonic orchestras since then. These orchestras have a core of professional musicians and some freelance or casual players. Both orchestras perform many types of music and use many different instruments. While many orchestras play themes like holidays, composers, or moods, they all agree that music touches the soul whether you play or listen. Experience a live symphony orchestra! Now that you know the basics, it’s time to experience a live symphony orchestra.
How much does it cost to have an orchestra play?
Ask about experience. How long have they been together? How many weddings have they played? Ask them to describe their style. Ask about cost. A 4-hour performance by a live, 5-member orchestra costs about $2,085. Your cost depends on where you are, how many musicians you need, and how long you want them to play. Ask for references. Ask if they can play at an event near you. Recordings may not be the same as their live sound.
Are you insured? Can you play our song? Do you sing? Are there any extra costs for travel or special requests? Do you have a CD or video of your music? How many breaks do you take and for how long? Will the orchestra need to eat? (If so, don’t forget to include them in your headcount to the venue.) What if the reception goes longer than scheduled? What is your fee for overtime? What are your payment terms? What do you accept? When will I get a written contract? What is your cancellation policy? Anything we should know about your service? Do you have any questions? If you’re looking for help finding and booking a local orchestra, try gigmasters.com. The musicmagicproductions.com website has lots of useful tips for planning wedding music.
What orchestra pays the most?
These are the 13 highest-paid orchestras in the United States. #8 Cleveland Orchestra #7 Philadelphia Orchestra #6 National Symphony Orchestra #5 New York Philharmonic #4 Boston Symphony Orchestra #3 San Francisco Symphony Orchestra #2 Chicago Symphony Orchestra #1 Los Angeles Philharmonic Photo by Ajay Suresh (flickr.com/photos/ajay_suresh/) These are the 13 highest-paid orchestras in the United States. The 2016/2017 season is underway for many orchestras in the United States, but musicians in Pennsylvania have had tough discussions over pay. The musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra went on strike on Sept. 30, but reached an agreement on Oct. 2. Pittsburgh Orchestra musicians are still on strike because management wants to cut their pay by more than $10,000.
How much does it cost to hire an orchestra to record?
A small 15-piece chamber orchestra costs about £2500–£4000, while a full 50-piece symphony orchestra costs about £8000–£15,000. To get exact quotes, check out our available orchestras! What else affects an orchestra’s quote? The price of your orchestra depends on these factors:
How many people are in a full orchestra?
The terms “symphony orchestra” and “philharmonic orchestra” are used to distinguish different ensembles from the same area. For example, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra are both symphony orchestras. A symphony or philharmonic orchestra usually has over eighty musicians, but the number of musicians in a particular performance may vary. A chamber orchestra is usually smaller. A major chamber orchestra might have as many as fifty musicians, but some are much smaller. A concert orchestra is a different type of orchestra, like the BBC Concert Orchestra and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
More instruments. The orchestra also includes other instruments, such as the flugelhorn and cornet. Saxophones and classical guitars appear in some 19th- through 21st-century scores. The saxophone is sometimes used as a featured solo instrument, but it is also included in other works as part of the orchestra. Examples of these works include Maurice Ravel’s Boléro, Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suites, Vaughan Williams’s Symphonies No. 6 and No. 9, and William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast. The euphonium is in a few late Romantic and 20th-century works, usually playing parts marked tenor tuba. These include Gustav Holst’s The Planets and Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben. The Wagner tuba, a horn-like instrument, appears in Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen and other works by Strauss, Stravinsky, Bartók, and others. It also has a prominent role in Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 in E Major.The 18 Cornets appear in several classical pieces. Orchestras usually hire extra musicians to play certain parts.
How much does a violinist make in an orchestra?
$30,000 is the median salary. Salaries below this are unusual. $62,000 is the 75th percentile. Salaries above this are unusual.
How much should musicians be paid?
$27,000 is the median salary. Salaries below this are unusual. $61,000 is the 75th percentile.
📹 10 Pieces for Your Wedding (That are not Canon in D)
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I got married in a cathedral with an organ so we took full advantage of that. Here are the pieces we used: -Guests entering: Fanfare by Jacques-Nicholas Lemmens -Bridal procession: Jupiter theme by Holst -Recession: Gigue French Suite No. 5 on G (on the organ it was incredible) I was friends with the organist and he said he would be happy to do an additional piece for the guests directly after the ceremony, so he performed Organ Symphony No. 1 in D minor by Vierne. I had a lot of guests comment of how amazing it was to basically have a private organ concert.
Adding to this list: Borodin’s string quartet No. 2, III. Nocturne. This honestly might be the single most romantic piece of music I’ve heard. It tells the story of Borodin falling in love with his wife (the whole quartet was a gift to his wife), with her being represented by the violin and him the cello. You can hear the two of them “talking” to each other and “dancing” together, getting progressively more intertwined as they fall in love!
I have been to a wedding in which the couple (both classical musicians) insisted on having the entire Beethoven symphony no.9 but rearranged the parts and movements so that the ode to joy theme (the stunning part with both orchestra and choir) would be blasting at full volume when they were doing their vows It was so freaking hilarious but glorious, and definitely one of the most memorable weddings I’ve been to
Imo, I think Tchaikovksy’s “Melodie” is a very romantic piece, perfect for a celebration of love. Not every wedding has to be super “elegant” or anything. Love is not elegant; love can be messy, sudden, waning, and growing. Lost love, found love, unconditional love… these are all the things I feel when listening to Melodie. It just feels like love.
For my brother’s wedding, I played Schumann’s “Träumerei” on my cello – I picked the piece, and my brother and his – now – wife loved it immediately. He also chose “Can’t help falling in love with you” as a cello version. I was super nervous to play because I am not a professional musician and I am not even a Ling Ling wannabe cause I don’t have time to practice. But everybody expressed that they preferred a family member or friend to play at the wedding instead of some professional musician who nobody knows.
I had an all-Bach wedding. Entrance of family members and bridesmaids were preludes from well-tempered klavier and cello suites, lighting of candles by the mothers was the aria from Goldberg, my dad and I made a recording of us playing the 2nd mvt of the double together for our walk in, and then the unity candle was one of the more joyful Goldberg variations (cuz the moms had the theme).
1:05 Debussy – Arabesque No. 1 1:49 Tchaikovsky – String Quartet No. 1, II. Andante Cantabile 2:35 Liszt – Liebestraum No. 3 3:27 Bach – Overture from Orchestral Suite No. 1 BWW1066 4:20 Brahms – Intermezzo, Op. 118, no.2 5:01 Schumann/Liszt – Liebeslied (Arrangement of Schumann’s Widmung) 6:18 Bach – Brandenburg Concerto no. 6 in B-flat major BWW1051, III. Allegro 6:52 Bach – Concerto for two violins in D minor BWW1043, II. Largo ma non tanto 8:17 Gerald Finzi – Romance in E flat major, Op. 11 8:47 Rachmaninoff – Symphony No. 2, Op. 27, III. Adagio
This article came out a tad too late. I had to write my own small quintet (piano, violin, cello, soprano, tenor) to propose… recorded it with Fiverr artists (one of which was featured in TwoSet’s Fiverr article!)… It was quite an experience! And she said ‘yes’… The most useful article that helped me accomplish this was TwoSet’s demonstration of violin techniques… so thank you, Brett and Eddy! Without you, I would never think of composing for an instrument other than piano…
Coming back to check on the pieces list to listen to, I just want to add that, I was very surprised and inspired by the fact twoset get lessons for their Bach double. It was played really really really beautifully during the 4M and I love that piece to bits. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the Mendy and La Campanella in 2 weeks was impressive, but that Bach double get my soul. I love Bach music, there is always more you can explore with Bach, and that Bach double, while may be low ranking in twoset own violin duet tier list, probably technique requirement wise, has such high potential that when done flawlessly well, is just, beauty. And to me, in my humble oppinion, the 4M Bach double did not lose to any other recording on yt or spotify by renowned violinists. Your hard work pay off! What was more awespiring is that, I think you two probably could nail it normally with your current level and practice yet you go to teacher to improve it further, it tells much about music journey is never ending, a piece can futher be polished! I keep go back to listen to it because how beautiful it was. Really. Thank you twoset for the wonderful performance and music!
Edvard Grieg’s Morning Mood is a triumphant piece for me. 🎉 It gives a sense of nostalgia about the struggles you had to go through before reaching this stage of life and also hope for many days ahead as a married couple. Suitable to be played at a garden-themed of morning wedding. Where your soul is in contact with nature while your body is showered with sunlight.😘👌
Seriously speaking, I think Fantasia also has a dreamy kind of feeling that fits wedding! Like, just imagine listening to Fantasia while friends and families hang around and chat, under warm sun with a slight cool breeze! And imagine Twoset playing it for you lol I’ll have my eyes on Brett and Eddy all the time then LMAO jk
We had classical guitar at our wedding I let the guitarist choose the music and he did not disappoint. Nothing was main stream classical but it was very romantic. The guys mentioned the 2nd movement of the Bach double and when they did it in November, it was so gorgeous. Eddy started with the statement on his rich Strad and when Brett came in on his sweet Strad it was so moving. Thanks, guys! All your work paid off.
you two always makes me think about happiness i am a loner and no friends have a family but not that close i am introvert. i am anti social life but you two just simply makes me happy and thats enough for me . thank you even i will never got a chance to meet you guys (probably i wouldn’t, because i am scared of many people) . but here in TY its enough thank you
To be practical about it, having a piece with a clear andante tempo is pretty important for the song the bride walks down the aisle to so that she and whoever is escorting her (if there is someone) can walk down naturally and at a comfortable pace. I once was a bridesmaid at a wedding and the song had such a clear, slow tempo me and my friend walked down super slow (we couldn’t help it, we are dancers) and it was kind of awkward (it was not slow enough to go double time). Canon in d is easy to walk to, which I think is part of the reason it gets chosen so much. So if you try walking to these recommendations, the only ones that work are the Bach pieces (except the last one, tempo is not as clear there). Some of them are impossible to walk to or too slow. I
4:22 No waaaaay you put Brahms Op. 118 No. 2, I have literally been obsessed with this piece for years and it is BY FAR my favourite thing to play! And believe it or not, I have serenaded a girl with this once, with success hahaha, it’s just too beautiful! Thanks guys for giving this piece the recognition it deserves :’)
THANK YOU for this list! I just found you guys a couple weeks ago and have been binging your articles since. I played violin through high school and my fiancé played clarinet. perusal your articles inspired us to look at more classical music to use for our wedding and this list is perfect! We’re getting married in August! I’ll let you know if we decided to use any of your suggestions!
Ngl, that thumbnail had me😂 Thanks for a great article💗 When we got married, it was basically an elopement. We didn’t invite anyone, nor did we really set to much up. Went to a resort & had a wedding/honeymoon! I would have enjoyed one of these pieces, but we just wanted to be married. So, I guess I’m saying that piece was an “I don’t care, play whatever” piece🤣 (the Canon piece, I mean) We did have a great time!🎉🎉🎉 Edit: I guess I should explain it was a place that arranges weddings on site. It was no frills in the sense that they put everything together, but on the other hand it was a fancy honeymoon👍👍👍 Almost 11 years now!
Wow, you actually picked a viola concerto! Brandenburg 6 is basically considered a double viola concerto (similar to the Bach double, but for smaller/lower ensemble). I’ve had the chance to perform one of the solo parts professionally (twice!), and it is such a wonderful piece! Also, very surprised you didn’t include Schumann’s piano quartet, mvt 3. Imo, the most beautiful love theme ever written.
I know Twoset was talking about how they wanted their wedding to be all calm and beautiful, but I live in Kansas, and I have been to a wedding where after they said their vows and got married, they swung dance down the aisle back to the reception area. But what really makes it funny is that it was the pastor’s daughter.😂
The 10 pieces: 1) Debussy – Arabesque no.1 2) Tchaikovsky – String Quartet no.1, II. Andante Cantabile 3) Liszt – Liebestraum no.3 4) Bach – Overture from Ochestral Suite no.1 BWV 1066 5) Brahms – Intermezzo, Op 118, no.2 6) Schumann/Liszt – Liebeslied (Arrangement of Schumann’s Widmung) 7) Bach – Brandenburg Concerto no.6 in B flat major 8) Bach – Concerto for two violins in D minor BWV 1043 9) Gerald Finzi – Romance in E flat major, op 11 10) Rachmaninoff – Symphony no.2, Op 27, III. Adagio (Not all are full names, sorry bout that 🙂 Correct me if I made a typo)
In 4th grade, my teacher would play classical CDs for us while we did specific activities, usually cursive, origami, or other hand skills. I remember hearing Canon in D and just losing all focus to the music; I was enthralled and completely obsessed with it. I never could remember to ask her what the name was, however, my ballet teacher ended up using it during class and I immediately demanded to know what it was called. I can see why as a performer it’s soul-crushing to play, however, I have some beautiful memories attached to Canon. Music is simply too beautiful!
Your favorite classical music Youtube website finally upload a new article about classical music (with an ICONIC thumbnail)!!! I really miss this familiar vibe of two (nerdy lol jk) classical musicians discussing and recommending classical music!! Just love learning a bit this and that about classical music from Prof Chen and Prof Yang!! Even though I won’t get married any time soon, I’ll still check out these pieces (know some of them already) when I need something to calm me down, cause they all sound so dreamy! Thanks, my favorite classical music YT website TSV!!
During my wedding last December, I was the one tasked with the music. And so, I chose all the Classical Music that was never played in our place for weddings. (Usually, pop songs are played here). I chose Salut d’ Amour by Elgar, Air on G String by Bach, and some religious pieces arranged in a classical way like Love at Home and O Perfect Love. It was a nice experience, seeing that my ideal wedding, which is solemn, really played out, thanks to the music we chose. 🙂
For our wedding, with the entrance we used the Simple Gifts section from Appalachian Spring by Copland. It’s from a ballet that’s about a husband and wife becoming a family, so the theme is perfect there. The motif is borrowed from a Quaker hymn, so you’ve got god there too, for those that want that. And last and best, it’s got two perfect attention-grabbing swelling sections, which we used to time opening the doors at the chapel to first let in the bridesmaids/groomsmen, and then for the second, larger one, to open the doors for the bride. There’s enough time between for everyone to make it up the aisle, and serves as a perfect cue for everyone on where to place their focus. You can even place in the actual hymn first and use that for the entrance of the grandparents/parents to use that as a ‘those couples that came before us’ allusion. For the recessional, we used the first minute of Married Life from Up by Giacchino before it gets sad because it was one of our early dates, and we exaggeratedly swayed down the down the aisle with oversized steps in time with the music. For the reception, we had a live 22 piece big band because we’re swing dancers, and did a choreographed first dance to Orange Colored Sky by Nat Cole (and had recorded them playing it before so we knew their tempo to practice to) before they did 3 sets for everyone to dance to. Importantly, no Canon in D.
I want to say thank you to you both for what you do, your articles are hilarious and I find I always come back to rewatch them ( especially your musical game show articles!) I’ve always found violin a beautiful instrument, but you two have inspired me beyond that to learn violin in addition to piano (which I already play). My parents (I’m a minor) initially refused because they didn’t want to put up with the squeakiness of a violin learner, but after a year of persistent hints that its a genuine interest of mine, they’ve bought me a violin as a reward for something recently!! My first violin lesson is going to be next week – my teacher is just upgrading the strings currently – and I’m so happy that I discovered your website and the violin 😊 may Ling Ling be with you!
Our families processed to Schubert Frühlingsglaube. My bridesmaids, flower girl, ring bearer, and I processed to Liszt Liebeslied (it’s in ABA’ so it was perfect). Yay for you guys highlighting it. I used to sing Widmung, and my husband loved hearing me sing it. My bridesmaid sang Strauss Breit Uber Mein Haupt. We did two congregational hymns, and we recessed to Chopin Grande valse brillante in E flat.
jokes aside on Canon in D, I love classical music contents from you guys, and this article not only another article about more classical pieces appreciation, but also another set of music added to my playlist. Thank guys! Also, yes, agreed with the point that, at the end of the day just play what music means a lot to you at the wedding, not what the world thinks, it maybe pop music, punk, rock, metal, etc. It’s your day, make it yours truly. Hope everyone out there a fun day~
I just had a thought that the second movement from Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 would work really well! The orchestral intro would really amp up the anticipation and tension, and the bride could enter to the beautifully serene piano… It works perfectly, I think. As long as no one makes the connection to “All By Myself,” that is.
I chose Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise with a clarinet and string trio. Sounded amazing. Wife was initially saying she didn’t get it until she read the meaning of the work. Then she said, of course you would pick that. We also used Wagner’s Adagio for Clarinet and A Wessex Pastoral by Stocks for the other processionals. It was incredible.
The last movement of Brahms’ Neue Liebeslieder was my cue to walk down the aisle. After hearing all the movements waiting at the door to enter, I was ready to take that leap of faith, walk the aisle to my honey, and say our vows. I’ll never forget the wonderful musicians that made that day so special for us.
One not as overtly romantic but still very lovely little piece that I think would be a superb processional or a piece right after the ceremony to congratulate the couple is Wedding Day at Troldhaugen by Grieg (I mean, it’s in the name!). Bonus points if your wedding is in a Norwegian wood and surrounded by little fairies and woodland creatures and the snow has begun to fall, that’s the vibe this piece conjures up in my mind.
I ended playing Amuro Namie’s “Can You Celebrate (instrumental)” walking down the aisle. It’s the one on her Can You Celebrate – EP. Not the other word versions of it out there. Honestly such a beautiful piece and Canon in D is literally nothing compared to it. It has an orchestra with the piano and violin solo. A must listen! It’s also known as the wedding mix to some people! ❤
I love the articles where Brett and Eddy talk about music! (hopefully no copy-strikes). Some thoughts for another wedding: 1) Avro Part, Summa or Fratres for string quartet. I love the stillness and transcendence in Part’s music, and even the tension is beautiful. 2) Elgar’s Sea Pictures. Just sublime (but get a great singer, or else). 3) Dvorak’s Bagatelles: something more playful while people are eating. 4) The andante movement of Barber’s violin concerto. That oboe is so haunting and the music captures all the contradictory things you feel when you are about to commit yourself to life with another person. Of course, it might require a full orchestra and fall into the impractical category. And finally, I’m with Eddy on the Debussy!
I went to a cousin’s wedding a week ago. She had joked a year or two a go that she would want me to play there… and I wasn’t sure if she was joking or not. So me and my friend started learning the Bach double, but thankfully we didn’t have to play it and they had a professional string quartet play, with some members that actually went to uni with you two!
I fell in love with canon in d the first time I heard it and I was sooo happy and proud of myself when I’ve finally taught myself to play this piece on the violin. I just love this piece – no matter if i’m playing it myself or if i’m simply listening to it, even if it’s overdone – I mean, there is a reason, this piece is played so often on weddings. It’s beautiful.
I think Dvořák has some nice romantic pieces. I’d like to somehow arrange that nice horn soli from New World Symptomy. Or his Serenade for Strings has nice melodies as well. That waltz movement, eventhough it’s a bit melanchoilc, I’d like to have my first dance with this waltz. Also contemporary composer Herman Beeftink has really nice pieces, though they’re mostly flute solos with piano arrangements.
I thought of two other pieces that would work wonderfully for weddings! One is Mendelssohn’s Op. 38 No. 6 “Duet” for solo piano, where the melody trades between a high voice and a low voice and they eventually sing in unison, almost like they’re getting married. The other is the slow movement from Chopin’s first piano concerto, which has a drop-dead gorgeous solo piano transcription written by none other than Balakirev, who idolized the concerto so much he even reorchestrated it.
Top 3 choices: Rach Symphony No 2 III Adagio which they covered! So happy this made to their list, it is one of my all time favorites. There’s a mind blowing piano arrangement I recommend if you can’t hire an orchestra – look up Hayato Sumino (also a YouTuber) who’s done a recording for piano solo, it’s such a beautiful arrangement that is calming and reassuring. Mahler no. 5 IV Adagietto – so far my fav is still the orchestral one. If I get to hear this at my wedding, even if the orchestra outnumbers my guests, I will probably never divorce this person. Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni. So so so peaceful and just feels like nothing in the world matters anymore as long as we have this music.
Omg I was just thinking of this recently. 😭😭 I’ve always been a musician but I’ve recently really been into classical music but I’m still at the stage where I’m trying to remember the names of pieces and even understanding the titles – so this article is another great help in adding pieces to my library of classical music to broaden my knowledge. Thank you Brett and Eddy and the TwoSet Team!! Once a fan, never stop being a fan!! ❤❤
This reminded me of a night of many years ago, during the early stages of our wedding preparations. My future husband was playing the piano and I stopped whatever I was doing to listen. I asked him what piece it was and said it would be beautiful to walk down the aisle to: it was Bach’ Prelude in b flat minor that he was playing on major for fun. Yep, he spent the following months reworking the piece so that it would suit a wedding XD We also had an unusual choice for the recessing music, since we walked up on Fauré’s “In Paradisum”: it might be from a requiem, but we just love its calm joyfulness. Through the ceremony, my flautist Sister-in-law played Gluck’s “Dance of the Blessed Spirits”, while one of my husband’s friends surprised us with Messiaen’s “Les Enfants de Dieu”: it woke us all up after almost an hour of the Catholic ceremony. We had no idea what he had planned and the day after we had to explain to the priest that it was a religious piece!
The perfect piece to walk down the aisle is Adagio from Concerto Grosso by Correlli – personal bias as this is what my husband picked out for our wedding! He heard it on the movie Master and Commander as I specially asked to avoid Canon in D – I was so impressed with such a perfect find in tempo and sweet melody!
For my wedding, Handel’s Concerto Grosso Opus 6 Nr. 9. Prelude, transitioning into the perhaps over-used but very beautiful Largo from Xerxes (justified it by having an outdoor wedding under the “sweet shade” of several fir trees – AND arranged in a special key to make for drastic key change for the processional), then back to the Concerto Grosso, 2nd Allegro movement for the recessional.
Thank you so much! Already sent it to my groom. We’re having a dj rather than live music, so I might actually be able to use the orchestral songs you mentioned without breaking the bank. Me personally, I think a first dance at a black tie wedding to Scene by a Lake would be very elegant, even if it’s not the happiest ever after. But we’re probably going with either Merry-Go-Round of Life from Howl’s Moving Castle, or Dance Me To The End Of Love by Leonard Cohen, depending on which kind of ballroom dance classes we can find in our area. I’ve seen a wedding where the bride and groom’s reception entrance was to Zadok the Priest, and when the choir came in they smooched. That was pretty dramatic, though the bride hadn’t been informed beforehand that her new husband had that planned, so it came off a little awkward.
I really like the first minute and 50ish seconds of L’ Arlésienne Suite no.2: Menuet. It’s an orchestra piece, but the beginning is harp, flute/piccolo, and maybe orchestral pizzicato. It’s so, so beautiful and serene. If you do want an entire orchestra at your wedding (go for it!), I suggest Rhosymedre. It’s orchestral and I’ve found organ arrangements for it. Rhosymedre shines in churches and cathedrals, or anywhere with high ceilings. It gives off a more structured vibe, but it’s really romantic and beautiful.
So many of these are so beautiful. For weddings, music that has a series of variations on a simple theme is easiest for when people are coming down the aisle because (even if you rehearsed the processional), it’s hard to know exactly how long it will take for everyone to come down the aisle. So that’s one reason Pachelbel’s Canon in D is so popular, because you can easily end the piece seconds after everyone’s at the front without it cutting off awkwardly, but there are a lot of other beautiful pieces that fit that criteria, too. For LARGE wedding parties, especially weddings in churches, possibly the second-most-popular processional I’ve heard is “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Bach. It’s so repetitive and easy to play again and again. I remember seeing it at a wedding that had like 12 bridesmaids and 12 groomsmen! Handel’s Air from Water Music is also a SUPER popular processional tune for small to medium wedding parties for the same reason. (I had movie and article game theme music at my wedding played by a pianist, but I also picked music that had repetitive variations on a simple tune for similar reasons.)
This was very nice…good job. We did have 4 members of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, based out of B’ham in 1994, play at our wedding. (The ASO shut down due to state money issues back then, so they played at weddings to help get by…very sad). We loved having them play for us very much and I did walk down the aisle in Canon in D. It was played so beautifully and I felt so blessed. And, we are still married! 😁
1. Debussy Arabesque 2. Tchaikovsky String quartet nr.1 2 Satz 3. Listzt Liebestraum nr.3 4. Bach overture from orchestral … 5. Brahms Intermezzo op.118 nr. 6. Schumann Widmung 7. Bach Brandenburgkonzert nr.6 8. 9. Gerard finzu Romance in e flat major (Orchester) 10. Rachmaninoff Sinfonie nr.2 3 Satz
I’m a violist but I love the slow movement from Mozart’s Gran Partita (for winds – it’s the 1st piece of Mozart that Salieri heard in the movie Amadeus) so much that I considered using it. A few others, in no particular order: 1. Fauré! His music is so gorgeous and sexy: Cantique de Jean Racine, slow movement from the 2nd piano quartet… 2. How about the slow movement of Bach’s 6th Brandenburg? 3. Mozart, again, the sextet from “Don Giovanni”. 4. Bach “Wir Eilen” from Cantata #78 5. Also Liszt: “Consolation”, arranged for violin and piano
For a cousin’s wedding, I played the prelude of Bach’s third partita when they entered the church. It was a great moment! This piece is both spiritual and very joyful so it matches very well with the atmosphere of a wedding. And I never played this piece so well (and I don’t know if I could replay this piece that well ever), so it was really amazing.
1:02 Debussy – Arabesque no.1 1:49 Tchaikovsky – String Quartet no.1, II. Andante Cantabile 2:40 Liszt – Liebestraum no.3 3:30 Bach – Overture from Orchestral Suite no.1 BWV 1066 4:21 Brahms – Intermezzo, Op 118, no.2 5:04 Schumann/Liszt – Liebeslied (Arrangement of Schumann’s Widmung) 6:17 Bach – Brandenburg Concerto no.6 in B flat major 6:50 Bach – Concerto for two violins in D minor BWV 1043 8:19 Gerald Finzi – Romance in E flat major, op 11 8:49 Rachmaninoff – Symphony no.2, Op 27, III. Adagio
It’s too difficult to choose between these! And the way you guys describe each piece and how they make you feel makes me like them even more. Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts! I think Bach Overture From Orchestral Suite no. 1BWV1066 is nice and uplifting it feels like happiness which is a nice change from the more intense and passionate feelings the others give. But truly I like them all! They all bring such a nice vibe for a wedding. 🥰
I played at a wedding for two close friends getting married. They requested me to play The Rains of Castamere from Game of Thrones. I play cello so I got a friend for a duet and just used the 2Cellos arrangement. If you have seen GOT then you know the context to that song. Then we played the main theme when they walked off.
I feel like everyone is perusal this article with their notes app opened Also, as a kid I learned a simpler version of the Liebestraum (forgive me I can’t spell) at my grandmothers house and she loved it. She ended up telling my grandfather that she wanted me to play it at her funeral. It was only years later that I learned of the poem and its name “Dream of Love”. It really suits her. I now want to learn the full version to play for her again.
@TwoSetViolin, two other songs that would make great wedding pieces are: 1. Haydn – Serenade for Strings Op. 3 No. 5 And 2. Schubert’s Ständchen aka Leise flehen meine Lieder, one of the three songs from his Schwanengesang: Softly my songs plead\r through the night to you;\r down into the silent grove,\r beloved, come to me! \r Slender treetops whisper and rustle\r in the moonlight;\r my darling, do not fear\r that the hostile betrayer will overhear us.\r Do you not hear the nightingales call?\r Ah, they are imploring you;\r with their sweet, plaintive songs\r they are imploring for me.\r They understand the heart’s yearning,\r they know the pain of love;\r with their silvery notes\r they touch every tender heart.\r Let your heart, too, be moved,\r beloved, hear me!\r Trembling, I await you!\r Come, make me happy!
I had a live pianist at my wedding, and for my prelude and recessional, I did a lot of research and had him play classical pieces that I’d never heard at a weddings that fit the vibe and, for the bridal party procession and the bride’s procession, I had him play two nice Yiruma piano pieces 😁 It was worth the research and made my wedding feel special!
My husband and I are both professional classical musicians, and we had a silent wedding because we didn’t want to bring “work” to church with us, and he gates all things pop music. But mostly we didn’t want a poor performance or poor music ruining the big day…also it was an elopement, so our pastor and us two were the only three in the church, and there wasn’t any reception, just us two at a resort. I would’ve liked a first dance, but he wouldn’t 🙃
Brahms intermezzo OP 118 no 2 is my current favorite Piano Piece. It has a little bit of everything. I could be wrong, but he also wrote it later in life after Schumann had already passed. And considering the letters they exchanged for years, and after Robert died, maybe the piece was more of addressing the elephant in the room rather than a declaration of a secret he’d held for years. No way Clara didn’t know how he felt. Women are pretty astute about that sort of thing. But yeah… really beautiful piece.
Getting married later this year. My husband-to-be is a classical pianist, and I’m a classical vocalist who wants to get into violin. I’m going to walk down the aisle to Trois Gymnopedies, (yeah I know but it has emotional significance for us and is tied to a really positive shared memory so there) and our first dance will be to Nocturne 9.1 because why not 🤷🏻♀️ Lots of classical music overall at our wedding though. It’s going to be awesome.
I would so play La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin of Debussy… Like, I know it’s not really wedding-like, but damn I love that song… My dad plays that song all the time and it’s so beautiful… Sometimes I cry, because the sounds emaning of his piano are better than the one coming out of his mouth sometimes… But definitely the piece I would play, so many memories to it, for a better life, listen to Debussy. I sound like a kpop stan, Stan Debussy for clear skin lmao
I love these suggestions, but I would love to see a article series where you get a musician to introduce you to most important/famous/beautiful/underrated pieces of their instrument/groups featuring their instrument. Would be fun for you guys I think and would be nice for us to listen to/learn about. Plus I’m sure some suggestions would make it on this list 😉
I love Maurice Ravel’s Fairy Garden from the Mother Goose Suite, Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto no.2 op.18 2 mvmt, Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis (really anything from this man), Smetana’s the Moldau, elgar cello concerto 3rd mvmt, Holst venus, scheherazade 3rd mvmt…. just to add a few
Our song is “I believe in a thing called love” the darkness. And I’m not ashamed of how cheesy it is ❤ We had some random registry office music playing when we got married legally, but at our reception it was mostly feel good pop-rock so the kids could dance 😊 But we really weren’t planning on “classy” more “hey, let’s celebrate 12 years and 2 kids and legally sign some paperwork to protect us in the future too” and we had a cracking time 😊
For the other end of the wedding ceremony, think about La Réjouissance from Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks or, if the church had a GREAT organ and an even better organist, the Toccata from Widor’s Symphony V for Organ. A truly thrilling way to leave your ceremony and to begin your new life together!
Our wedding was almost more of a concert. We had our university choir (where we met) singing water night by eric whitacre, my string quartet playing a variety of stuff, including themes from love actually, my brass quintet playing Victor ewald and others, and as my wife walked down the aisle, I made an arrangement for all three groups together of the theme from last movement of Saint saens organ symphony. So almost had an orchestra!
Great minds think alike. I hired a string quartet for my wedding (my bride was happy to leave the music to me), and one piece I had them play was the Largo from the Bach double violin concerto. But to brighten things up, I have them follow that up with the first movement of Mozart’s string quartet no. 19, the “Dissonance”. When that solemn and introspective introduction breaks into the opening theme, it’s like pure sunshine, and for me it is very much like a formal wedding ceremony giving way to wine, dine, dance and party time.
This is a much needed article. Last year, articles of people playing “wedding versions” of pop songs (but all they did was play few bars of Canon in D then transition to the pop song) kept appearing all over the internet. It was so painful to watch (I was hoping to find something decent but society failed me miserably). I’ll just stick to these.
My university orchestra conductor walked down the aisle to Elgar’s Nimrod (Variation IX from the Enigma Variations) at her wedding, which she told us about every time we worked on it to perform it throughout my uni years. Her passion and love for that piece made most of us in the orchestra fall in love with it too, and I believe several members used it in their own weddings also later on. As a classical violinist from the age of 4 who also loves Celtic and fiddle music, for my own wedding I wanted to use classical-sounding pieces with a more Celtic fiddle twist. My husband plays double bass (we met in uni orchestra) and all our siblings play instruments also and many of our friends as well. We ended up having our four groomsmen – both of our brothers and two of my husband’s friends (two violins & two cellos) – do the music for our wedding and it was lovely! These are the pieces we decided on: Seating of Parents – Wedding Morning by Miranda Wong Attendants Processional – Mountain Spring by Dean Marshall Bride Processional – Romantic Wedding March by Wagner, arranged by Miranda Wong Signing of Registry – Lovers’ Waltz by Jay Ungar & Molly Mason Recessional – Country Gardens by Percy Grainger, arranged for string quartet (a recording since our groomsmen walked down the aisle with the bridesmaids) We also considered using Highland Cathedral by Michael Korb & Uli Roever somewhere in the ceremony but ultimately decided against it as it seemed a little grandiose for an outdoor wedding, but it is a favourite too.