The following article can also be found at www.jazz-trio.com along with other useful hints and tips for booking live music.

Part 1 - Types of music

Ceremony

There are a myriad of ideas for music during the ceremony,
from string quartet to bagpipes! Singers -from solo to a
choir, organist, trumpet, brass ensemble and harpist are
just some of the many other options.

Reception Drinks and / or Wedding Breakfast

For background or 'dinner' music between one and three musicians
is ideal, unless you are expecting more than about 100 guests,
when you might want a slightly larger band. Vocalists can be
somewhat distracting for purely background music, particularly
during a meal, as it can seem like more of a performance, and
guests may feel rude talking while they are singing.

Musicians particularly suitable for background music are:

Jazz trio or duo, (or quartet for larger events);

Solo jazz guitarist;

Solo classical guitarist;

Solo Spanish guitarist;

Jazz or classical pianist;

Harpist;

String quartet (an exception to the 1-3 musicians rule).

Dancing

For a wedding it is important to remember that there are
likely to be a very wide mixture of guests, with a
correspondingly wide mixture of tastes. It is therefore
prudent to consider whether your choice of a profane rap
band is really what your Granny is going to dance to. A
quality covers band should be able to cater to a wide
audience, encouraging your guests to dance without beating
them over the head with pumping bass drum when they are
still digesting the sumptuous wedding breakfast.