Wedding Music Planner | Ideas and Vendors for Your Big Day

From the first minute to the last, you want your big day to be one of the best experiences of your life. Choosing the right music will have a lot to do with making this day memorable. This article breaks down your event in parts that might need a special song, and helps you to make the very best choice. You’ll also be pointed to online resources to find the perfect band or DJ, sheet music for your pianist, or helpful tips articles.

There are a few choices you should make from the very beginning to help everything flow easily.

Choose Favorite Type of Music - What style of music do you like? Choosing a genre or two will help you sort through things faster.

Make a Must-Have Playlist - Having a playlist like this can help you pick the right band or DJ very quickly. Is your go-to play-list on your iPod? This list might be a great starting place toward building your wedding day playlist.

Wedding ceremonies typically have several parts that will require special music. Picking music for each section will help make your ceremony flow well from beginning to end. Depending on your budget, you could include a DJ, a solo act (piano, guitar/vocal), a string quartet, or a local band.

Pre-Ceremony - What type of music would you like to play as your guests arrive?

Processional Music - What would you like to signal the entrance of your bridal party? What would you like to be played when the bride enters?

Recessional Music - What type of music would you like to be played to as the bride and groom walk down the isle together for the first time as husband and wife?

Post-Ceremony - Your guests might be waiting a bit before you join them for the reception. What would you like to play as this point?

Reception - Lastly, your reception. For this portion of your big day it is common to have music playing from the time your guests arrive, until the time they leave. You can choose background music for the whole occasion, or choose special music for popular events, like the first dance, father/daughter dance, cake cutting, bouquet toss, and final dance.

There are many online resources to help you schedule music for your big day, and vendors that will lend a hand to made your day special. Below is a list of ideas.

Live Music Vendors
GigMaster.com - Search for a solo act, DJ, string quartet, or band. Leading site. National.
GigSalad.com - Search for a solo act, DJ, string quartet, or band. Similar Gig Masters. National.
EastCoastEntertainment.com - Music vendor for select east coast cities.
SamHillEntertainment.com - A site that carefully selects the best bands around. The website offers videos, audio, images and info for each band.
WeddingWire.com - 200,000 wedding vendors and wedding planning tools.

Wedding Piano Sheet Music
Wedding March by Felix Mendelsohnn
Bridal March by Richard Wagner
Variations on a Theme From Pachelbel's Canon in D Major by David Lanz

Helpful Articles
16 Questions To Ask Your Wedding DJ
Helpful Tips for Tipping Wedding Vendors
Top Ten First Dance Songs
Wedding Planning: The Complete Guide to Your Wedding Day Timeline