First Wedding

[COBRARI]

We got a wedding April 23rd. The band is suited for the venue because we play classic rock and the bride and groom are 55ish. They like our demo. James Brown, Kinks, early Stones stuff.
They are going to use our P.A. for the ceremony outside and then we will bring it inside for the reception.
This is our first wedding and I am asking you vets what are some of the "must play/do" things for the wedding.
The bride and groom song we picked out is Stormy Monday.
I know, not exactly a perfect song but it is slow and they all can get mushy with it. Do we to know some tried and true
stuff that always works?

[Munjibunga]

Stormy Monday? Why not "Third-Rate Romance" or "Hell is for Children"? Or better yet, "You Oughta Know."

[Stiggs]

Is it a casual wedding or semi formal to formal? How many people? What is the age range of guests? There's a lot to take into account when playing weddings. Standards, Top 40, party songs etc.

[jerry]

Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight' while a bit cheesy, it's easy and fits that age demographic and would would be a better first dance song for newlyweds.

[Rockmusician]

Stormy Monday. Interesting, basically a violent song if you really listen to the lyrics and has nothing to do with marriage or being in love.

I played one wedding. That was in 1981. They wanted rock. Unfortunately, most of the guests were in their 70's and 80's. It didn't go well and ended in a food fight.

Good luck!

[Russell L]

Originally Posted by COBRARI

We got a wedding April 23rd. The band is suited for the venue because we play classic rock and the bride and groom are 55ish. They like our demo. James Brown, Kinks, early Stones stuff.
They are going to use our P.A. for the ceremony outside and then we will bring it inside for the reception.
This is our first wedding and I am asking you vets what are some of the "must play/do" things for the wedding.
The bride and groom song we picked out is Stormy Monday.
I know, not exactly a perfect song but it is slow and they all can get mushy with it. Do we to know some tried and true
stuff that always works?

Give them Have I Told You Lately That I Love You for thier song, not Stormy Monday. Or better yet, ask them what they'd like.

Sometimes the the parents of the bride and groom parents like to dance with their children, too, and want certain songs. Also, it's popular to have a drum roll for the passing of the garter and throwing of the flowers.

Don't forget to rate the wedding cake for comparison to the next one.

[EdHunter]

Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone you Shouldn't Have Fallen in Love With) - Buzzcocks

[COBRARI]

Wonderful Tonight will take the place of Stormy Monday.
I figured nobody would be listening to the lyrics.
We are going through a rehearsal today and will lean the
song. Thanks.

[gjbassist]

Originally Posted by COBRARI

Wonderful Tonight will take the place of Stormy Monday.
I figured nobody would be listening to the lyrics.
We are going through a rehearsal today and will lean the
song. Thanks.

Good call.

As a wedding photographer for over 20 years I could give you a long list of do's and don'ts for a wedding reception.
Here are a few that come to mind:

Manage your volume. Don't play too loud. People like to be able to carry on a conversation at a reception while the music is playing.

Bring CD's to play while you are on break.

Be prepared to make announcements or to hand the mic over to someone else to do so. There will be special events that will need to be announced such as the first dance, cake cutting, bouquet toss, etc. If someone else will be doing those announcements or making toasts then set up a dedicated mic for it.

Keep an eye on the crowd. If people are up dancing and having a good time play songs that keep them up for a while. I know it sounds obvious, but I have seen too many bands or DJ's clear a dance floor by play a song that killed the mood just because it was the next song on the list.

[COBRARI]

Very good information. Thank you.
I googled "What it takes to play a wedding".
I am going to get in touch with the wedding coordinator
asap.
None of us have played a wedding so it is going to be quite an experience but we will run it down by the numbers.
We have great gear, good stage prescience and three weeks to smooth out the details.

[jerry]

Plus, touching the food or hitting the bar is usually a big no-no, unless they tell you it's OK.

[Febs]

Originally Posted by COBRARI

Wonderful Tonight will take the place of Stormy Monday.

Did you decide this, or is Wonderful Tonight the choice of the bride and groom? The choice of a first dance song is usually made by the clients, not by the band.

[COBRARI]

Well... we pulled it of without a hitch.
It was a long day/night for me because we used my P/A for the ceremony and then I had to tear it down and move it for the reception.
It was my first wedding and I learned a lot.
I told the band they didn't need to show up 'til 5 pm. Band starts at 6 pm. I should have had them come earlier.
We did have our own designated table for dinner, which was cool.
At the close of the ceremony, a beautiful Diva sang two songs to the bride and groom. One with background music she
brought that I fed in to the mixer via an IPOD and another
song without any music. We did a sound check and she
asked for no effects, just a little eq changes and she was
awesome.
We did the toasts, garter, bouquet, etc with some subtle
drum rolls and after everyone was done with desert, we kicked off the dancing with James Brown's "I feel good/I got you. Eight songs per set. Three sets.
In between sets we played prerecorded music that the bride and groom wanted.
Got paid in cash, ate good (full roasted pig) was given the
left over unopened bottles of booze, got a couple potential
future clients.
Thanks for the tips. Oh... we did play Stormy Monday as the last song. A bluesy exit song. Nobody was listening to the lyrics by then.

[ggunn]

Any musician wanting to play weddings needs to see this:

YouTube - Wedding band Part I