When your big day arrives, you want everything to be perfect. The catering, the venue and the theme need to come together in a beautiful orchestration. In your preparation, one of the most important dynamics for the day is your choice of wedding entertainment.

Your wedding entertainment is vital to your reception being the party that you have been dreaming of and choosing the right act to please you and your guests may seem like a challenge. We put together this list of 5 styles of wedding entertainment to help you choose what right for your reception.

There’s something for any sort of venue, theme or budget, just pick the one that speaks to you and make your booking!

 

String Quartets & Harpists

While your guests are filling the chapel for the ceremony, a string quartet or harpist is a perfect touch that breaks the silence and gets everyone chatting with the people next to them. It’s a great ice-breaker that has a mellow, uplifting feel to the sound.

String quartets and harpists need no amplifiers or electric sounds in their performance, making them an ideal entertainment solution that has a class and sophistication about it. Let the beautiful melodies flow out across your guests and set the stage for the ceremony proceedings to come.

Jazz & Swing

After the ceremony, your guests will begin to move to the reception area. As they start filing in, a jazz or swing band is great to set a chilled, relaxing mood that inspires mingling and conversation amongst the tables.

The best thing about jazz and swing are that they offer such a diverse sound, from easy listening to party tunes that get everyone’s feet tapping. A good jazz or swing band will have an escalating feel of excitement as they progress through their set, from smooth sounds to vibey dancefloor tracks, they offer a melodic and vibrant performance that your guests will love.

Jazz fits in at any size venue, unless they have a large band ensemble that requires some room. Most Jazz bands have 4 to 6 members, which can easily fit inside a smaller venue, but swing bands can sometimes have up to 15 members and are probably better suited to larger venues with more room.

Motown & Soul

Motown and soul music come from the era of the late sixties and seventies. This is the only genre of music that was named after the record label that produced the sound. Motown has strong vocal components to it, with melody and synchronicity that makes for deep love songs, or upbeat party tracks.

Soul music was the style that evolved from the Motown sound and its most known for classic vocal tracks that founded the upcoming pop music generation of the Eighties. Soul is great for a first dance and has a passion and loving feel about it that cannot be matched by any other style of sound.

Motown and soul bands thrive off of the crowd’s feedback and enthusiasm, so they will need a stage and dancefloor to allow them to reach their full party potential.

Pop-Rock

Pop and rock music is the modern era of music that has the furthest reach through all age groups. Pop music continues till this day and classics from the Eighties right through to today’s modern era of music. Pop and rock are also the most popular forms of modern music, so you can be sure that your guests will love it and sing along with all their favourites.

Remember to check with your venue regarding any noise level restrictions. Pop and rock bands like to play it loud and if the venue manager comes in after the first song and tells you to turn it down, or even worse, turn it off; then you will be left with a reception that will be cold and boring.

Pop and rock bands are best suited to larger venues that can accommodate a stage and a dancefloor, so booking them to perform at a reception held at a pub or social club room, may not be the best idea.

Hire a DJ

If you are on a shoe-string budget, or you have booked a smaller venue for your reception, then consider, then why not let a DJ save your life? A DJ will have thousands of songs in their archives and can cover a wide variety of music, making them an ideal choice. However, they don’t have the stage presence and ability to create an atmosphere the same way a live band can. A DJ is still a great option, either as a standalone act, or as a filler for between your live bands sets.

Making your decision

Now that you know what’s available, it’s time to make your decision according to your venue and budget requirements. What do you think your guests would enjoy the most? What would you like the most? Remember to consider everyone at your reception and select something that reaches out to the entire room.

 

The final thought

If all this sounds tempting to you, then consider hiring Black and Gold – Wedding Band perfection from Earcandy that gives your reception the party it needs. They have a bespoke track list that covers the most memorable and chart-topping classics of the pop and rock era. For true performance artists that value every opportunity they get to step on stage and bring the house down with a party you will never forget.

Black & Gold are the result of years of refinement and tailoring to produce a wedding reception band that is like no other. They come fully staffed, with a production team that ensures your venue receives the perfect sound that isn’t overly loud, while still getting the party going on the dancefloor.

Book them with Earcandy, the UK’s leading entertainment agents with the experience and talent you need to make your wedding day into the most memorable moment of your life.