
When music is the heart and soul of a city like New Orleans, it’s no wonder the topic ranks high in importance during wedding planning. There’s no party like a New Orleans party and that doesn’t exclude a wedding celebration. However, when discussing the marriage of music and a wedding, the conversation often revolves heavily around the reception. As anyone who has experienced the deep dive into the logistics of wedding planning knows, the reception is not the only key to ensuring your wedding is a complete success. Therefore, why would the discussion regarding music simply focus on the reception and not the wedding in its entirety?
From start to finish, ceremony to reception, a wedding is a performance. It tells a story, and working with professionals who can see your wedding from beginning to end with you offers a multitude of benefits.
The Pros
Working with one musician or group to complete the wedding music of your dreams, the biggest positive is just that — you’re working with one person or group. For those not getting married in a religious setting, where music and instruments are typically provided and unchangeable, trying to figure out and coordinate performers for up to three separate acts of a wedding has the potential to become a logistical nightmare. “I think, for the [couple], it’s just easier to deal with one band instead of multiple,” noted Jon Mannino of Fat City Swing Band. Trenton Thomas, known professionally as T-Ray the Violinist, had the same sentiment stating, “You don’t have to communicate with as many people, so that takes a lot of [the] headache out of it for the client.” Even when employing the help of a wedding planner, or day-of coordinator, that will assist with your vendors, having one point of contact for one large aspect of your wedding will add less stress.
In addition to logistics, managing the direction of your wedding music with one professional can really help when it comes to creating a cohesive auditory vision. Have the story, or performance as Thomas refers to it, of your wedding flow seamlessly between ceremony to cocktail hour and into your reception.
“There is something elegant about walking down the aisle to the timeless work of Pachelbel, with his Canon in D,” said Dr. Lauren Spaulding with Nola Quartet, “but it is quite fun to see our musicians transform into rock stars as they mic up to slay your favorite Led Zeppelin guitar solos, Beyoncé jams and Taylor Swift!”
Working with one musician or group really allows for the artists to take your guests musically throughout the evening. “It is really fun for guests to follow the musicians through genres and see the entire range of their high-level conservatory training,” said Spaulding.
“If the musician or the band is able to curate the flow of things,” shared Thomas, “where we’re building the energy throughout the night and captivate the audience that’s the great part.”
Finally, and maybe most important, is the creative aspect behind choosing this route for your nuptials. What is a New Orleans wedding without a little fun and creativity? Performers and groups like T-Ray, Nola Quartet and Fat City Swing Band can add an unexpected and memorable moment. Both Thomas and the Nola Quartet are known for taking popular songs and transforming them into classical-sounding showstoppers — in the style of the Netflix show “Bridgerton”’s modern Regency take on a soundtrack. Additionally, Fat City Swing Band can take a more vintage-sounding experience and make it accessible and fun for the modern bride and groom. Opting for one memorable musician or group not only creates a cohesive sound, but also a moment that will set your wedding apart from anyone else’s.
To note
Though hiring one musician or group is logistically ideal from a couple’s perspective, Thomas shared that for the performer, depending on where the ceremony and cocktail hour/reception are held, things could potentially get a little more complex. “For me and my production team,” said Thomas, “[the entire wedding in one location] is more ideal because then I only have to set up one time, with one load in and one soundcheck. But when they are separate, you have to account for more sound to both areas with two different setups.” So, while creating a cohesive theme throughout can set the ideal tone, it’s important to think spatially. Will your entire wedding consist of one location — think the Marigny Opera House, Hotel Peter & Paul or the Columns? Or will you say “I Do” here and party the night away there?
In situations like this, hiring a band like Fat City Swing Band, which can provide artists from a small combo for the ceremony to your second line accompaniment and into the full 14-piece Big Swing band at your reception, it’s a little easier to be in three places at once. “[An upcoming wedding] will feature our rhythm section for the welcome,” said Mannino. “But then I have my singer and a horn player coming in for when the bride walks down the aisle. Once the ceremony is over, the guests will go to cocktail hour, where I’ll just have a speaker with some easy listening. That allows for the rhythm section to get to the final spot for the swing band reception. I just have to move one speaker back to the setup and the swing band is off and rolling.” This allows for the band to cover multiple aspects of the wedding at one time.
When all is said and done, it’s all about finding your perfect fit. Make your big day a little easier and worry about hiring only once.
The Magic of Strings
When it comes to the music of love, stringed instruments have once again found a new rise in popularity. This can arguably be attributed to the ascent of the Netflix series “Bridgerton” based off the books by Julia Quinn. Throughout seasons 1 and 2 of the wildly popular show – which saw 627.11M hours viewed in the first 28 days of the second season’s release – viewers heard top-charting songs played by string quartets adding a little something modern to this Regency-era production. Ask your musicians to add in “Wildest Dreams” by Taylor Swift, “Diamonds” by Rihanna, “Material Girl” by Madonna, “How Deep is Your Love” by Calvin Harris & Disciples or even something more personal to you.