WEDDING MUSICIANS HIRING GUIDE 2024

The Best Recommendations For Hiring Musicians

Welcome to London Strings’ guide to hiring wedding musicians! While planning your wedding can be very stressful, we hope to smoothly guide you through the process of booking wedding musicians, what to ask, what to expect, and just generally how it all works. We cover topics from what songs we can play, the styles we perform, how much do musicians charge and more. If you have any queries please feel free to get in touch with us directly! We’ve worked with hundreds of happy customers and know exactly how to help. 

Should I have live music during the wedding ceremony, cocktails, or dinner?

Of course we believe in live music during all parts of your day, but as musicians that is our opinion! You may only wish to have beautiful Bridgerton-style live music during your ceremony, which is the most romantic part of your wedding, and a DJ for the evening meal, or you may choose to have the same ensemble perform for all parts of the day (and thus keep the cost down!) And yes, we are versatile and alternate between classical music and pop, and even offer an upbeat party vibe with backing tracks instead of a DJ!

For example, if you hired the same musicians for the duration of your entire wedding you could curate your day like this:

Before the ceremony, the musicians could perform some romantic and/or classical music to set the mood, as the guests mingle and take their seats. Then, during your ceremony you may ask the musicians to perform your favourite song (or piece of classical music) for your bridal entrance – music that has a lot of meaning for you and your partner! For your signing we recommend choosing two songs or pieces, and then something rather upbeat and jubilant for your exit.

Then you may move to a different location, or stay in the same venue. Whichever option you choose, our musicians would be amenable to relocate, or remain in the same area. It’s up to you! After the ceremony, and during the cocktail hour, we could perform more of your favourite songs or pieces of music, ranging from classical to pop or rock – whatever style you desire, we have the music to suit! If you are after a Bridgerton vibe, that essentially means pop music performed on string instruments – yes, we love it!

Perhaps then you will move on to dinner. For this scene you may either wish to maintain the same style of music, or maybe you would like something a little different – if you’d like to get the party started and the guests up and dancing we can certainly offer that, either acoustically or with our set of popular backing tracks! If you like the backing track idea, we could bring our own portable PA, or connect to the venue’s sound system. As a violin and cello duo, a string quartet, a string trio or a solo violin – any of these are possible, and we can even offer the same set-up on electric instruments. 

For a more intimate wedding reception you don’t need to hire us with backing tracks either – as both an acoustic violin and cello duo and string quartet we’ve had plenty of dancing and singing from happy guests!

Can you recommend songs for my wedding ceremony? I’m stuck for ideas!

What’s the difference between a string ensemble and a wedding band? Can I hire London Strings as a band for my wedding reception or party?

How much will it cost to hire musicians?

The good news is that we offer ensembles that suit all budgets. While a string quartet will start from around £600 for an hour’s booking, a solo violin or cello would cost a lot less, beginning around the £300 mark. Bear in mind that these are starting prices – for a three hour booking, for example, you may only be paying an extra £200 compared to a 1 hour booking, so it is quite cost effective to hire musicians for longer than an hour. 

There is often a difference in price between hiring a professional musician and a music student. While the difference may be as little as £50, we don’t believe in compromising quality, which is why we only work with the best professional musicians. 

Your wedding day is one of the most beautiful and memorable days of your life – and we believe that the music and service offered by the musicians should be only of the highest level.

Is it better to book wedding musicians with an agency?

Not necessarily! While agencies can be very helpful, there are a few reasons why we don’t recommend booking via an agency. The first reason is the hefty commission you will have to pay. Most agencies charge at least an extra 20% fee on top of the musician’s quote. If you can find a way to contact your favourite musicians privately, for example via social media or a Google search, we highly recommend doing so. Also, agencies often do not verify the performer’s standard of musicianship.

As long as your musicians have a solid contract like we do at London Strings, and good reviews and social media presence, there is no reason why it is better to book the same musicians via an agency.

Will there be any extra costs?

What do I need to provide for the musicians?

You don’t need to provide much – we will bring our music stands and equipment. There are only a couple of things we need – chairs with no arms (so that we can perform comfortably without hitting the chair!) and enough space to play. For a string quartet this will be approximately 3×2 metres and half as much for a violin and cello duo or solo violin.

We would also love a glass of water 🙂 A meal is required for bookings of 3 hours or more.

If your wedding ceremony or reception is outdoors then your musicians will require a form of shelter to play under, to protect their instruments from the elements. The sun and rain can damage valuable instruments. An example of sufficient shelter is a simple portable gazebo. They look very elegant too! 

How long can I book the musicians for? How many sets can you perform?

What is Public Liability Insurance and PAT?