The wedding bands and entertainment industry is highly in demand in the UK and no wonder - not only are we a musical bunch here in Britain (with countless talent past and present enjoying legend status and international success, music runs through our veins) - but music is also the key factor that can have a serious effect on the atmosphere at your wedding. Wedding bands can start a party and keep it going all night whilst other musical artists such as harpists, quartets, and jazz bands can set the right mood for the ceremony itself.
Depending on your couple's style, you may want to make your wedding even more musical and adopt it as a theme for your big day. We are a nation of festival lovers so it’s no surprise that festival weddings have been trending in Britain since the end of the Covid pandemic. However immersed you want to get in the musical theme for your wedding day, we’re on hand to give you hints and tips. Read on and get inspired.
Festival Wedding
Couples getting married in Scotland have a massive advantage in that they can hold the ceremony anywhere as long as they’ve got agreement from the landowner and it is carried out by someone approved to conduct the official elements of the ceremony. Up a mountain? Go for it. In a field? No problem. At a festival…Why not?! Scotland has a wealth of music festivals - from the famous TRNSMT festival in Glasgow, featuring top rock and indie talent, to Celtic Connections which celebrates folk music from around the world as well as the Islay Festvial with its two days of immersive, everything-Scottishness not to mention a multitude of Jazz Festivals all around Scotland. There’s truly something for everyone's musical tastes so why not remove the stress of finding the perfect venue and bring your wedding party to a festival near you?
Subject to getting permission from the festival organisers, you would be able to have a truly immersive experience with catering, entertainment and - if necessary - accommodation (festivals do so much more than tents now) for all of your guests all up for grabs, and all in one place. Once you’ve got the green light to have your wedding ceremony at the event of your choice you can either buy your guests' tickets in lieu of invitations or send out save the dates and get your guests to buy their own instead of wedding gifts. Festivals in Scotland aren’t as pricey as the ones down South (Glastonbury tickets will cost a whopping £335 in 2023 whereas a full, 3 day weekend at TRNSMT is only £200) and of course, you always have the option to buy tickets just for the day of your wedding (around £88 on average for the bigger Scottish festivals). Most festivals will also have VIP experiences where you can escape the crowds for part of the day to enjoy the company of your guests without the intrusion of other happy revellers who are not in your wedding party.
Imagine dancing your first dance to your go-to song, performed by your favourite band live, in the atmosphere and energy created by thousands of people sharing their love of music - what an unforgettable experience that would be for you and your guests.
DIY Festival: Book a Band
Of course, not everyone is a fan of crowds or the idea of sharing their big day with 200,000+ other people. In this case, you can still have a music-themed, festival fiesta but just for you and your wedding party. It all starts with finding the best wedding band Scotland has to offer. This is where things can get tricky - there is an overwhelming amount of talent in Scotland. There are of course also those people who think picking up an instrument and singing a song is enough to provide exceptional entertainment which is just not the case. To create the right atmosphere, a band must be dynamic, gelled, and have the charisma that comes with being a well-honed performer - sadly not everyone possesses such abilities. A poor live band can just as quickly kill the party vibes if they don’t strike the right balance between being professional and charismatic so you need to be careful when choosing the right musicians for you.
Fortunately, that’s where music agencies can help. Music For Scotland for example doesn’t just pull together random, talented musicians, they produce their bands to make sure that the all-important harmony and unity of sound, as well as the dynamism, is present between all of the band members. The result can be seen in the countless reviews that our live music bands have received from happy couples
“Musical dynamite"
“buzzing”
“phenomenal”
are just some of the recurring descriptions for our musicians and customers regularly complain about how sore their feet are having felt compelled to dance all night by the songs performed by the wedding entertainment.
Don’t fall into the trap of assuming that all bands are made alike - they’re not, so if you want to ensure a perfect, party atmosphere book through us and we’ll make it happen.
Find the Right Venue
Finding the right venue for your music-themed wedding - as indeed with any wedding - is crucial. Fortunately, there are loads of options to choose from, from budget-friendly to seriously spendy. The first thing to consider is the licensing and permissions involved in allowing live music to happen at your wedding and whether your venue has everything in place or whether there will be some restrictions as to what you are and are not allowed to do. If, for example, you had access to a large family garden or even a field, you may need to check with the neighbours but that’s about it. Hotels and other venues however will be subject to restrictions when it comes to entertainment - from sound limiters to mandatory end times - so you will need to check with the event organiser to make sure your plans for your big day are viable.
Naturally, you’ll also want to find somewhere with a large enough space to dance and, if you opt for an outdoor venue, for which there are many phenomenal options in Scotland, make sure you’ve got a plan B in mind in case the heavens open in traditional Scottish style - predictably but unexpectedly. Some venues have accommodation on site so you may be able to achieve a true festival feel with guests glamping out after the festivities. The possibilities are endless.
Find the Right Props
You can truly let your imagination run wild with finding props for a music-themed wedding. From ticket-invites, to vinyl record placemats; actual musical instruments that your guests can pose with for pictures (or even play a tune or two if they’re game); table names, favours, and centrepieces - all of these can be musically themed. Consider making paper flowers for your centrepieces using sheet music. And how about having a vinyl record instead of a guest book? Get your guests to scribble their messages on the record and have it framed to display in your home after the wedding. Vinyl records also come in handy as a cake plate while the cake itself can be anything from the Glastonbury Pyramid Stage, to an elegant, multi-layered creation decorated with a piano keyboard or musical notes - the only problem you’ll have is deciding which of the multitude of options to go for.
Anthem Your Vows
If you’re looking to up the ante on your music-themed wedding, how about Anthem-ing your vows? Not all of us are blessed with the gift of the bards so putting into words everything that you feel for your other half can be quite a challenge. How do you go about adequately explaining why you want to spend the rest of your life with someone? Especially when you have to proclaim it in front of all of your family and friends. Fortunately, there are countless songs that can help you articulate your love for your partner and keep you on track with your wedding theme. Here are just some ideas:
- “‘Cause all of me / Loves all of you / Love your curves and all your edges / All your perfect imperfections” - All of Me by John Legend
- “I could spend my life in this sweet surrender / And just stay here lost in this moment forever / Well, every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure” - I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing, Aerosmith
- “So close, no matter how far / Couldn't be much more from the heart / Forever trusting who we are / And nothing else matters / Never opened myself this way / Life is ours, we live it our way / All these words, I don't just say, And nothing else matters / Trust I seek and I find in you / Every day for us something new, Open mind for a different view / And nothing else matters” Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
- “Morning sun is sweet and soft on your eyes / Oh my love, you always leave me surprised / I feel my heart starts to burst, With all my love for you, I know how it rains, I know how it pours, I never could feel this way, For anyone but you” Love Should, Moby
- “I’ve found a reason for me / To change who I used to be / A reason to start over new / and the reason is you” The Reason, Hoobastank
- “If the sun refused to shine / I would still be loving you / When mountains crumble to the sea / There would still be you and me / And so today, my world it smiles / Your hand in mine, we walk the miles / Thanks to you it will be done / For you to me are the only one” Thank You, Led Zeplin
- I love you more than ever / more than time and more than love / I love you more than money and more than the stars above / Love you more than madness / more than waves upon the sea / Love you more than life itself, you mean that much to me / The tune that is yours and mine to play upon this earth / We’ll play it out the best we know, whatever it is worth / What’s lost is lost, we can’t regain what went down in the flood / But happiness to me is you and I love you more than blood” Wedding Song, Bob Dylan
Get Your Guests in The Mood
Music is an inherent part of all of our lives - it punctuates relationships, cements friendships and is inevitably part of many of the best, long-term memories. So to get your friend and family warmed up to your wedding theme set the scene ahead of your big day by asking your guests to submit a request for a song along with their response to your invitation. You can make the whole exercise even more personal by asking the guests to think of a song that either makes them think of you as a couple or reminds them of a special time they’ve shared with you both. You can then collate a set list of the most appropriate songs (there are bound to be duplicates!) and create a playlist for cocktail hour or while your guests are waiting for the arrival of the wedding party.
"Love Actually" It
We all know and love the scene from Love Actually when the guests jump up during the ceremony and start playing “All You Need is Love”. Instrumental surprises are a popular way to keep guests entertained and add a special twist to your big day. Weddings where the waiters suddenly burst into an operatic aria have gone down a storm in the past or you could consider asking your string quartet or jazz band (if you’ve been fortunate enough to book one) to play a pop hit like "Crazy in Love" or a rock classic like "Bat Out Of Hell", defying the guests’ expectations.
An element of surprise is sure to delight both you and your guests so explore some of the musical entertainment options available to you outside of live wedding bands because the amount of variety out there is staggering.
Making your wedding music themed is a great idea that will leave you brimming with inspiration for how to incorporate as much music as possible into the day. You can do it cheaply or go all out as there are plenty of options to choose from but whatever you do, make sure you save enough of your budget for a kick-ass live wedding band because they will pull the whole theme together for you.
At Music For Scotland, we have some of the most talented live wedding bands Scotland has to offer and they’re sure to cater to all tastes, not to mention our live wedding entertainers - acoustic, jazz, blues, and ceilidh groups to name but a few.
Check out our bands’ music videos in HD and make a no-obligation enquiry so we can help you make your music-themed-spectacular wedding your own.