Wedding String Quartets - for your Event

About Wedding String Quartets

The Wedding String Quartet pages list ensembles that perform regularly for weddings in your area. Their . To get some wedding music ideas, read on:

A string quartet is probably the most popular live music group for both church weddings and civil ceremonies, drinks receptions and wedding receptions. The four instruments, two violins, viola and cello take up a relatively small space, so can squeeze into even small churches, either by the font at the back or by the altar. During civil ceremonies, they often sit to one side of the Registrar's table, or if space doesn't allow, at the back of the wedding room. There is no need for electronic equipment, as with a portable piano, so they can set up quickly and unobtrusively, and move location quickly. Often they will set up in a church, them move to the reception venue, getting there before the guests to play as guests and bride & groom arrive.

String quartet wedding music tends to be baroque and classical wedding music for the ceremony and early part of the drinks reception, moving onto film music and music from the shows, light jazz and with some quartets, pop covers later in the day. But there is no hard and fast rule. Many people like to have light music during their ceremony (particularly if it a civil ceremony). So make sure you look at the repertoire list for each Wedding Quartet, to be sure they play the kind of music you like. (Lists are never exhaustive, as most quartets have much to big a repertoire to list. The examples on our website are meant to indicate the styles of music that they play. In particular take note that not all Wedding String Quartets play pop covers.)

Despite not having amplification, they produce sufficient volume to be heard at all but the rowdiest of receptions, and have the flexibility to move from where the drinks reception is taking place, to the garden (should the weather be fine), then back into the dining room, if they are playing during the meal. (Compare this to a harpist, who has to load their instrument on to a trolley to move it and may have difficulty negotiating steps.)

If you are wedding planner, or doing the wedding planning on behalf of a relative or friend, then a Wedding String Quartet is a safe option. Their repertoires of wedding ceremony songs are extensive, so there is bound to be music that the couple will like. If you are looking for wedding entertainment ideas, then live music always adds a lot to the atmosphere at wedding venues of all kinds, and again with the breadth of repertoire, a quartet will be playing many of the top wedding songs that people expect and enjoy.

So, how do you choose what music you should have for your wedding ceremony? You won't see a specific wedding playlist of music for the wedding ceremony itself on our website, but the quartet will discuss options with you that they know work once you have booked them. To see a wider string quartet selection, go to our String Quartet section.

Wedding entrance music

Music to walk down the aisle to needs to be something that is the right tempo and beat to walk to. To slow and wafty, and it can be difficult to walk to, to fast and frantic and you will feel compelled to rush. (You can have music that is fast note wise, like the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, but the actual beat is in march time), hence the popularity of wedding march music, like the Mendelssohn Wedding March and Wagner Wedding March.

There are many lists and CD compilations of popular wedding songs, but always bear in mind that some pieces you hear on CD, like the Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, will be played on the organ of St Pauls Cathedral and just doesn't work on a string quartet, or is scored for an orchestra of 120 instruments and would not sound the same with only 4. Having said that, a Wedding String Quartet can give a superb rendition of a huge range of pieces.

Wedding Ceremony music

If it is church wedding, then most quartets have arrangements of the well know hymns (but if you are wanting the more modern Christian wedding songs / church wedding songs, then you must specify those at the time of booking.)

Civil ceremony music tends to be a lot broader in style, particularly songs for a wedding ceremony held in a modern venue, where there are a whole host of modern wedding ceremony songs to choose from. Note also that no music with religious connections can be played during a civil ceremony. Also be sure to specify any more modern pieces of music that you may want at the time of booking. All wedding quartets will play Pachelbel's Canon, but not every quartet will have or can get access to copies of all the more modern wedding repertoire.

Wedding recessional music

Recessional music, like the processional music, must be easy to walk to, In addition it really needs to be quite loud and forceful otherwise it will get drowned out by the talking  and possible applause that normally begins as soon as the bride and groom begin their exit.

Music at the Wedding Venue

At the reception the atmosphere changes from that at the wedding. Wedding reception songs tend to cover film music, music from the shows, light jazz and sometimes pop covers arranged for string quartet. When the couple first arrive at the reception venue, they are likely to be greeted with baroque and classical music to begin with, but then the mood normally changes and the lighter repertoire is introduced. This is something you should discuss with the wedding quartet you have booked, so that they create the ambience that you want.

Sometimes guests will stand and listen to the string quartet playing, but normally they are playing wedding background music for the drinks or the meal; it is effectively wedding entertainment and not a concert. If you are expecting the quartet to move outside, always make sure there will be shade from the buildings or provide a gazebo. The very valuable instruments can't be exposed to sun, heat, rain, sap dripping of trees, music stands being blown over onto cellos and other stresses. Always make sure there is a fall back plan to go to should the weather not be good enough for the musicians to be outdoors

Wedding breakfast

If you have a marquee hired for the meal and evening entertainment, give some thought to the layout of tables and where the wedding quartet will play. Marquees have very poor acoustics, so position the quartet somewhere as central to all the tables as possible, so that they are not close to some and far from other guests. If you do this, everyone will be able to hear and enjoy the music. Placing the quartet on a wooden dance floor or raised stage also helps.

If the meal is in a hotel or similar room, it is still important to have the musicians located as equidistant from all guests as possible, and avoid them being very close to one or two tables, otherwise the sound level may be too much for them. However, the acoustics in hard surfaced rooms is usually good for a quartet, particularly if it an older high roomed venue.