There is nothing better than music to add dignity and to create the right atmosphere at your wedding and reception. Music sets the mood during your ceremony and sets the pace at your evening celebrations. Deciding what type of music should be played at your wedding and whether it should be played by musicians or by a DJ is one of the more important decisions you need to make when planning your big day. Choosing the right music can affect the whole mood of the celebrations.

Our top 10 wedding music tips:

1. Arranging the wedding music should be a high priority once you have your date and venues confirmed. Popular musicians, bands and DJs can be booked up to a year or more in advance.
2. Try to hear your musicians or DJ before you book them. Many bands and DJs will have a demo tape that they can send you. Alternatively, ask them for details of when they will be performing next so you can arrange to see and hear them in action. This is so you won’t be disappointed with what they play.
3. Always get the approval for your choice of music for your ceremony from your church minister (or superintendent registrar if you are getting married at a Newly Licensed Venue in England or Wales). As they may not think some kinds of music to be suitable for the environment.
4. Let your reception venue know what type of entertainment you will be having, since some venues only allow live music, so would be best deciding what entertainment you want before booking the venue in some cases.
5. If you are having both a live band and a DJ, make sure there is sufficient room at your venue for both to set up and perform. Also find out what sort of lighting and other accessories, if any, will be supplied by your band and DJ in case you need to make additional arrangements for space and power supplies.
6. Let your band know well in advance of your first dance and of any special requests you have in case they need to practice.
7. Talk to your musicians and/or DJ well beforehand and let them know what you have in mind for your wedding and what you expect from them. So they can work to make sure everything they play is to your satisfaction.
8. Make sure you get in writing the duration your musicians or band will play for, the number and duration of any breaks and the cost of over-running, because you never know exactly how long these kind of celebrations will last.
9. Always confirm your booking in writing and get a receipt for your deposit.
10. Give your musicians or DJ directions and a map showing your venue. This will avoid any un-necessary stress with them being late etc.

Whether you have a live band or a DJ, there are many types of music to choose from. However, it is important to consider the type of music a range of your guests will like so there will be something for everyone from all age groups. You will want a party atmosphere with as many of your guests dancing as possible. If you are having a live band, your chosen musicians will need to have a good repertoire of middle-of-the-road dance music if you want to get all your guests to fully enjoy themselves. Again, this should not be a problem to any musician or band that is experienced in performing at weddings.

At your evening reception, the bride and groom traditionally dance on their own to a slow song. However, as ballroom dancing is not so popular these days, the newlyweds usually dance to a favourite romantic song. Whilst this song is playing, it is traditional for the groom to dance with his new mother-in-law and then with his mother, while the bride dances with her new father-in-law and then with her father. The best man also joins in dancing with the chief bridesmaid and the ushers with the other bridesmaids when the bride and groom first change. Normally after the first dance, all the guests are invited to join the newlyweds on the dance floor.