Yesterday I had the opportunity to play for a wedding at The Brookeville Inn. It was a beautiful setting for a wedding, and the weather, surprisingly, was quite mild for a July evening.
Luckily, during the wait the guests all went into the Inn for drinks so I didn't have to provide music for that whole time. In spite of the delay, I had a fabulous time playing for the wedding. I always enjoy getting out and playing for special events like these.
Food for thought...
At each wedding I play for, I find myself continually surprised at the attitude most couples take toward the music for their big day. It's regarded as a last minute add-on in many cases, and I am often contacted as an afterthought. In this case, the couple decided two weeks beforehand that maybe they did want music after all, so they contacted me. When couples decide they want music, they usually don't have any preferences on music, except maybe a request for the Processional. This leaves me responsible for the selection and order of the music, which I actually prefer, but as a musician I am always baffled at how music can take such a backseat position in such a big event.
Do other musicians out there find this to be true? Have you seen a decrease in the amount of interest couples take in their wedding music? Have you ever had an experience like mine when things didn't go exactly as planned? ;) I've had my fair share, but I'd love to hear your own stories!
I played for a funeral Friday. No one consulted me about what I should play or what the deceased woman especially enjoyed. At the last minute I asked her husband what he thought she would like to hear if she were there. He did have one idea and thank goodness I was able to improvise because I did not have that music with me. Music is so important to memory. Why would you not carefully plan the soundtrack of the most important days of your life?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%! Unfortunately, it seems like many people just don't care. It's really a shame.
ReplyDeleteThaanks for writing this
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