When To Book Wedding Music

Wedding planning is an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming, especially when it comes to booking your dream team of suppliers. Lots of bridal magazines, wedding websites and online resources will recommend that you follow a specific order and timeline when it comes to booking suppliers and in theory, this is helpful, but in reality, this can limit your choices more than you realise if you’re not starting to source some of your suppliers until 6 months before your day. 

 

Personally I recommend spending some time in the early stages chatting with your partner about your vision for the day and deciding together what is important to you both. If you’re music-lovers, you’ll naturally want to feature music at every possible opportunity, from your ceremony right through to your evening party. So if music is high on your wedding wishlist, it’s a good idea to start researching your options soon after you’ve secured your date and venue, even if this is just to gather ideas and request more information.

 

But whatever you do, don’t feel pressurised into booking anything until you are sure it’s right for you! Some couples plan their day 3 years in advance while others plan it 3 months in advance, and contrary to all the advice out there, there is no formula for a ‘perfect’ wedding! It’s simply whatever makes you happy and brings you joy – and this is different for everyone. The myth that you need to instantly book everything the minute you get engaged isn’t actually true, so just enjoy your time on cloud nine before you jump into the world of wedding planning!

 

A lot of musicians offer similar services for weddings, but some like myself offer a completely unique, bespoke service, so it’s worth spending some time deciding what you want for each part of your day, so you can explore all your options. As a guide, the more exclusive or unique the service, the sooner it should be booked, as there are fewer alternatives. Some musicians will have greater availability as they will perform 70+ weddings a year, whereas others including myself will only perform a fraction of this (and therefore have very limited availability) if they offer a more exclusive, bespoke service so they can invest significant time in advance for arranging, rehearsing and recording customised suites of music. Also factor in a musician’s versatility (different styles and genres), their experience with weddings, their expertise in a specific niche and their equipment (to ensure it is professional / stage quality). 

 

You can read more tips about selecting the right musician in my blog – What to know before you book a wedding musician 

 

The best thing about planning your wedding music is that you can start compiling a list of your favourite songs anytime, even if haven’t booked your musicians yet. And you don’t need to choose from a setlist either if you book a musician who offers a bespoke service – in fact I welcome special requests and have an extensive repertoire of alternative, non-traditional wedding music to show you what’s possible when you work with me. Personally, I like to start planning ceremony music with my couples 5-6 months in advance so there’s plenty of time to schedule studio time to create custom compositions and recordings. However I also offer a discounted whirlwind wedding service (without the bespoke option) for couples who prefer the party to the planning meaning you can book me closer to your wedding and fast-track the selection process so you have a fabulous soundtrack at a feel-good price! 

 

Whether you’re newly engaged or in the final stages of your wedding countdown, it’s never too early or too late to get in touch! I still have a few pockets of availability remaining for this year and next, and with so many options from whirlwind weddings to luxury experiences, you can add beautiful piano music to any part of your day! 

 

Hopefully this blog has given you lots of great tips for your wedding journey and you now have a clearer timeline to help you decide when to book wedding music so you can start planning your perfect soundtrack! 

 

Let’s connect! Join me on Instagram for wedding music inspiration, exciting new playlists and behind-the-scenes footage from real-life weddings! I’d love to see you there!