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Congratulations on your special day, and your excellent taste in music. 😉
In this article, we want to help you figure out everything you need to know when planning music for your wedding. We will cover common do's and don'ts when it comes to hiring live musicians, how to pick what ensemble type is right for you, what types of music you can request, how to stick within a budget, and so much more!
Here's to you and your special day.
Let's get started.
What Type of Music Should I Plan for My Wedding?
When planning a wedding, there are a lot of details to figure out. What colors are you going to use? What are the bridesmaids and groomsmen wearing? What flavor will your cake be?
Dealing with all of those details when planning a wedding can be stressful. That's why we want to make decisions about your music as easy as possible.
If you're looking for live music entertainment, there are lots of options you can consider. Some of these options include...
- Wedding singers
- Jazz bands
- Contemporary bands
- Solo guitarists
- String players (string duo, string trio, string quartet, string quintet, etc.)
- Solo string instrumentalists (ex. solo violin)
- Harpists
- Piano players
- A live DJ
- Spotify/Apple Music/DIY playlists
- and so much more!
Here are some important factors you may want to consider as you plan live music for your wedding:
➡️ How many guests will be attending your wedding?
If you plan to have a large number of guests at your wedding, you will want to make sure the music you choose is loud enough to fill the room. Consider hiring a group that has multiple musicians, such as a jazz combo or string quartet. You may also want to make sure the musicians you hire can provide their own audio equipment (such as speakers and microphones) to boost the volume of their sound. If you are planning an intimate wedding with fewer guests, you'll want to choose a cozier option for your wedding music, such as a solo musician or acoustic string trio!
➡️ How much space is available at your venue?
If there is a big stage available, take advantage! A large ensemble or band can be a fun way to fill the space and provide entertainment for your guests. If there are only small pockets of space available here and there, you'll have to plan for fewer musicians or an option that will work well even within the spacial constraints.
➡️ Will your wedding be indoors or outdoors?
Live musicians have a hard time playing outdoors in very hot or cold temperatures (above 80° F or below 50° F) because of the way it can affect their instruments. If you are planning an outdoor wedding, you'll want to assess how much shade is available, what the temperature will be, whether or not there is any expected wind or rain on your wedding day, and other factors to determine whether or not hiring live musicians would be the best option for you!
➡️ What style(s) of music do you want to hear during your wedding ceremony or cocktail hour?
If you enjoy popular music, you might look into hiring a guitarist, vocalist, or jazz quintet! If you prefer something beautiful and elegant (like classical music) or upbeat and energetic (like alternative/rock/country music), you'll want to look into hiring string players. String quartets can be a super versatile option, since they are able to play a wide variety of styles and genres. Whatever you choose, you want to make sure it's music that'll make you feel happy on your special day!
➡️ What is your music budget?
When it comes to hiring live musicians for a wedding, prices can vary quite a bit (especially in Utah County or Salt Lake County!). You'll want to keep this in mind when searching for music so you can find an option that'll fit within your budget.
Whether you're planning a smaller wedding or a larger event, a string quartet is easily the most customizable choice for wedding music. We might be biased, but string quartets can offer incredible variety and choice when it comes to choosing music for your wedding ceremony and/or cocktail hour. Plus, if you have a limited budget, many quartets offer the option to book a string trio or string duo, which can save $100-200 per hour. This can help couples to get the experience they're dreaming of without compromising their wallet, or the quality and "wow-factor" of hiring live musicians.
Typically, you'll want to budget between $1,000-3,000 for live musicians. If your budget is lower, though, don't worry! There are tons of ways you can make live music fit within your budget.
Hiring A Wedding String Quartet In The Salt Lake City Area
Hiring a string quartet for your wedding is the perfect way to ensure you bring a sophisticated, enjoyable, and elegant touch to your big day. But what sets one string quartet apart from another, anyway?
Artiva String Quartet is one of Salt Lake City’s finest wedding quartets. We have an incredibly large selection of popular and classical music that our clients can choose from, including genres such as rock, pop, jazz, rag, and Disney. As seasoned performers and musicians, our group has the expertise to seamlessly guide our clients through the entire planning and booking process... especially when it comes to song choice, ensemble size, and booking length!
As you navigate your decision-making process, here are a few things that we believe can help our string quartet stand out:
- Artiva Strings performers have professional-level music education and experience. This makes a huge difference in the quality of sound we can provide!
- Our quartet offers a wide selection of music, spanning multiple genres and categories.
- Artiva Strings aims to provide our clients with the best possible booking experience, planning process, and communication in the industry!
If you are interested in learning more, we invite you to dive in and read the bio's for each of our ensemble members. You can learn more on the About Us page of this website!
String Quintet vs. String Quartet vs. String Trio vs. String Duo
While it is extremely fashionable these days to hire live bands and DJs, the most popular choice when hiring wedding musicians in Utah is by far a string ensemble. Why? Because string quartets are the most versatile of any live group!
When deciding between a quintet, quartet, string trio, or string duo for a wedding, we almost always recommend booking a full string quartet or quintet. While it may feel like a larger investment, it is well worth it!
Having a full ensemble of four or five musicians not only gives you the classic look and feel of a string quartet, but it also sounds the best and carries the loudest sound. Most musical arrangements for weddings are written specifically for larger string ensembles and require at least 4 instruments to hear the full effect and depth of a piece. If you want to celebrate your wedding day in style and hear all your favorite songs, a quartet is definitely the way to go!
Hiring a string trio for your wedding is also a good choice if you have a tight budget or there won't be a ton of space available at your venue. Our string trio shares much of the same music as our string quartet, meaning you’ll still be able to hear us play popular songs and movie themes. Having access to our huge library of string quartet music in addition to trio-specific music is what makes us one of the most sought-after string trios in the Utah/Salt Lake County area!
A string duo or soloist is another option that couples enjoy when planning an intimate ceremony or luncheon. A string duo can consist of a violin and cello, two violins, or a violin and a viola. Artiva's string duos tend to be loud enough for most small to medium-sized venues, especially if you add-on our Audio Equipment package. We recommend hiring a soloist or string duo for your wedding if you are mainly looking for traditional classical music and don't have enough room in your budget to splurge on a string trio or quartet.
If you'd like to hear the difference between a string trio and a string quartet, check out this video of the Sydney Ensemble playing Pachelbel's Canon in D. Here, they compare both ensemble sizes side-by-side!
What Does It Cost To Hire A String Quartet in Utah?
Artiva String Quartet takes pride in our ability to offer our live music entertainment that can suit all budgets. While the going rate in Salt Lake City ranges between $800-$1200/hour for a string ensemble, our rates are significantly lower and start at just $750/hour for a quartet!
At first, it may seem expensive to hire a group of professional musicians to perform at your wedding — but there's a good reason for that! If you only take away one thing from this article, we hope it's this:
You should absolutely hire professionals when planning what could be the most memorable day of your life!
When you pay for professional musicians, you're not only paying for them to give you a private performance. You're paying for their rehearsal time, travel time, their 10-20+ years of expertise, their insurance and instrument costs, their professionalism, and so much more.
What Styles of Music Should I Plan For Luncheons and Wedding Ceremonies?
Artiva offers an unrivaled variety of music choices for your luncheon, cocktail hour, and/or wedding ceremony. Depending on what vibe you want to bring to your wedding, you may to choose modern pop songs like Olivia Rodrigo’s Driver's License, or classic romantic love songs, like The Beatles' I Want To Hold Your Hand, and Elvis Presley's Can’t Help Falling In Love. Do you want your guests to sing and dance along? Feel free to request all your favorite movie music soundtracks from the Song List page on our website. Prefer a more traditional ambience? We have a massive catalogue of classical music choices you can choose from, too!
The music we play at your wedding is totally customizable and up to you. Be sure to browse our full Song List to see each of the different genres and songs that are available for you to choose from. If you have a specific song request that you do not see in our list, feel free to contact us and we can arrange a custom song for your wedding day.
Choosing Times and Set Lists
You may have already decided you want to hire a string quartet at your wedding, but feel unsure as to when would be the best time to bring them in. Should you have live musicians during your rehearsal dinner, or your ceremony? Is it better to bring them in for the luncheon or the cocktail hour?
Here are some of the options you might consider...
- Hiring musicians for your rehearsal dinner
- Bringing in a soloist for your midday luncheon
- Inviting a quartet to play your ceremony music (Prelude/Interlude/Postlude)
- Performing music while the bride walks down the aisle
- Inviting a group to play cocktail hour music
- Hiring background music for your wedding reception
Most couples like to start with classical music or slow, romantic love songs for their ceremonies and luncheons. Once they are ready to pick up the energy, they'll usually transition to playing more of their favorite songs. If you're planning to hire our quartet for your cocktail hour or reception, you'll have the option to fully customize your set list!
So, How Do I Book A String Quartet For My Wedding?
If booking string players for your wedding sounds like a fun addition to your special day, you'll want start by requesting a quote on our website.
From there, we will reply within 24-48 hours with your custom quote and a booking agreement that we'll ask you to sign.
Don’t forget to tell us the date, time, and location of your wedding, what songs you'd like us to play, and any other details regarding your budget and/or preferences!
We can't wait to help make your special day as perfect as it can be.
Artiva String Quartet is a professional string quartet serving Utah along the Wasatch Front. Whether performing as a string quintet, quartet, trio, or duo, Artiva Strings is sure to provide the best quality service and live music for your wedding!
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