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| Ceremony Music Tips | Reception Music Tips | Formal Dance Tips |

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Tips for Selecting Music For Your Ceremony

Future Sounds can provide the music for your ceremony. Depending on the venue, we can use our main music unit for both the ceremony and the reception or an additional music unit that includes one speaker, a wireless microphone for the minister, prelude, ceremony and postlude music. An additional microphone can be set up for the ceremony readings if desired. It is most important for us to have a clear line of sight to view the ceremony. Obstructions in our view could cause timing issues with the music processionals and recessionals. Additionally you can add a microphone to amplify the musicians playing at you ceremony.

The music for your ceremony can be traditional with the classical favorites of Bach, Pachelbel, Wagner and Mendelssohn. We have put together 9 instrument themes of classical ceremony music. You can pick a particular theme or mix and match selections. The classical choices are brass, flute, guitar, harp, organ, piano, strings, symphony and violin. The various songs in each theme can be viewed on the music database on this website. Our ceremony format guide will help you organize the order of music. If you prefer a non-traditional format of music, placement of your selections would need to follow the same template listed on the ceremony format guide. Alternative selections of music have included but not been limited to Enya or Celtic music, classic jazz or easy listening artist and contemporary love songs.

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Tips for Selecting Music For Your Reception

More and more, the marriage of two individuals includes more than just the immediate family and friends. Families are spread across the country and friends are stretched around the globe. In addition to being a centralized social event, nationalities, ethnicities, cultures, theologies and genealogies will converge at one point within a timeframe of 4 to 6 hours. In short, guest list are becoming more diverse and with that in mind; musical preferences and dance styles are becoming just as diverse. You may want to plan for an eclectic selection of music that will offer various levels of entertainment for both you and your guests. Some of your guests may just listen, others may dance. The opportunity to hear familiar songs may offer your guests a feeling on inclusion and encourage participation. It is a nice gesture to keep those who are traveling great distances in mind when developing your music list of request.

The best way to choose musical selections is to think of your home collection or music stations you listen to quite often. Think of particular artist, albums, or song titles you enjoy. Take some time and try to remember movies or TV shows that had a special song played in the background that may be suitable for the mood, theme, or atmosphere you'd like us to create. Think about all of your guests and what they would enjoy listening to and possibly dancing to during the reception. A good variety works well for any occasion; however, you may choose to have a particular type of music throughout the evening. The choice is yours.

A few things to keep in mind as you are organizing your requests. The average song is about 3.5 minutes long. You can play an average of 16 to 18 songs per hour. An average of 60 to 70 songs can possibly be played during a four-hour reception. At a wedding reception, traditional events like the cutting of the cake and the toast take time away from musical playtime. It is not necessary to take a lot of time composing a huge request list. If you wish to make a list, we suggest make a list of some of your favorites and leave room for request from your guest. Again, the choice is yours.

The listing above is a sample of the Future Sounds core library. Not listed are songs that are less popular on the national charts and selected songs seldom requested on particular compact disc. If you do not find something particular you are looking for, please call the office at (210) 945-9601 or email us.

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There are a variety of songs in the world of music that can express the first time you met or that first date. Song lyrics can express your relationship that has developed during the time you have spent together. We feel the song should express who you are to each other and the lyrics should express memories that can help you grow down the road.

A few things to keep in mind as you are thinking about your first dance. A majority of men prefer a shorter song to dance to as opposed to a long song. A few things can be done to reduce the pressure of this traditional dance if neither of you dance. First, you can skip this part and go into the other events of the evening. If you want to dance, you can have your parent's and/or the bridal party join you at some point in the song. This will fill the need for those who want a first dance song but not too much of one. We can edit or remix song selections and make them shorter. There is nothing written that states you must dance to the whole song. So we can end the music at any point or after a particular verse.

Another important factor during this part of the reception is the dance with the parents. Again, one song can take care of this special dance. Traditionally, this dance is for the bride and her father. The groom can dance with his mother during this second dance or choose to have a separate song. If you have more than one set of parents, you may want to include all that are in attendance or depending on your relationships and theirs--avoid this dance. If you have several sets of parents, you can have each set join you on the floor with their significant other. This option invites each parent to be apart of the excitement with one song. This dance and the first dance is a great moment for a formal photo opportunity.

The online Future Sounds Music Database allows you to browse through suggested special dance songs. If you do not find exactly what you are looking for, call the Future Sounds office at (210) 945-9601 or send us an email.

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