Date: Fri 05-Mar-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: JAN

Quick Words:

brides-bagpipes-nuptials

Full Text:

BRIDES: Music Choices To Set The Day's Tone

(with cuts)

BY JAN HOWARD

Music is an integral part of a wedding ceremony and reception, and decisions

about it must be made early, sometimes up to a year and a half in advance of

the nuptials.

There is a wide variety of musical possibilities available to today's bride

and groom, from bands, disc jockeys and band/DJ combinations for the

reception, to single instrument performers, such as strolling violinists or

specialty performers such as bagpipers, for the ceremony and cocktail hour.

Bands

A band should be booked anywhere from eight months to a year and a half in

advance, depending on how much in demand it may be, according to Phil Thomas,

the lead singer in the band Solid Gold, and Joe Costelli of the Elm City Band.

Both groups are based in New Haven.

This should be kept in mind, Mr Costelli said, especially if a wedding is

planned for the more popular months, such as April, May, September and October

or around Christmas.

There is a wide variety of bands and varying prices, Mr Costelli said.

Most bands will play for four hours, plus a cocktail hour.

The number of musicians and vocalists varies, from as few as four with one

vocalist to as many as 12 with two or three male and female vocalists.

Marty Markiewicz, of Success Entertainment in New Haven, manages several bands

of various sizes, such as Success, a six-piece band, and the 12-piece Marty

Party, and others that also offer a disc jockey.

Some bands will split into a smaller group of performers, others won't.

"We have seven people in the band, and we don't split them," Mr Costelli said.

"We've been together for ten years."

Mr Thomas said his band's flute and keyboard players can be booked for the

cocktail hour and the entire band for a reception.

Most bands offer a variety of music, from Big Band sounds to '50s and '60s and

ethnic music. They often provide their own arrangements.

"We play everything from Big Bands to rock 'n roll," Mr Thomas said.

Costs also vary, depending upon the number of hours, location of the wedding

and special effects the bridal couple might want.

The cost for the Elm City Band, which has seven members, for four hours plus a

cocktail hour would be about $1,850, Mr Costelli said.

Mr Markiewicz said his costs range from $350 to $500 per musician for four

hours with an option for the cocktail hour.

Instruments also vary, depending on the band's size. Most smaller bands

consist of a keyboard, guitar, drums, sax and a vocalist. Larger bands add a

trombone and trumpet and additional vocalists.

Some bands offer entertainment. Mr Thomas does impersonations of singers, such

as Frank Sinatra, Louie Armstrong or Neil Diamond. "Entertainment sets us

apart from other bands," he said.

Mr Markiewicz said his 12-piece Marty Party band provides a decades show for

the 1950s, '60s and '70s, with costume changes."

In most cases, a band member will serve as master of ceremonies and take care

of introductions of the bridal party and announcements of the first dance, the

blessing and toast, and teach various dances, such as line dances, if needed.

"We make sure everything runs smoothly," Mr Markiewicz said.

Most bands will provide a packet that includes a photograph, a partial song

list, a CD or tape and information about special entertainment or effects they

can provide. They will meet personally with the couple.

Some bands, such as Solid Gold, offer another option, a band and vocalist plus

a disc jockey. "This provides continuous music for five hours," Mr Thomas

said. "The DJ performs at the cocktail hour and when the band takes a break."

Disc Jockey

A disc jockey can offer a personal, professional touch, according to Josh

Lidsky, a/k/a Mr Music Man, of Hamden, who has been in the business for ten

years.

The cost for a disc jockey can range from $650 to $1,200, depending on what

the bridal couple wants extra, such as a confetti blast, bubbles or light

shows, he said.

He said price is often a big factor in making the decision between a band and

a disc jockey.

With a five-hour package, Mr Lidsky said he offers a two-man show -- a DJ and

an emcee -- who will do all introductions and coordinate events during the

reception, including working with the photographer and the caterer.

A disc jockey can provide props and costumes, he said, such as tamborines and

"YMCA" policeman caps. A very positive facet to the two-man team is that the

entertainment doesn't need to stop for a moment.

Mr Lidsky said the bride should be sure the person she talks to is the DJ who

will perform at her wedding, so she will know exactly what will be offered.

"If the food is good and the entertainment is bad, people won't have a good

time," he said. "But if the entertainment is good and the food is bad, they'll

still have a good time."

String Ensembles

Another option is a string ensemble.

Kate O'Brien, of O'Brien Strings in Orange, said her ensembles can perform for

wedding ceremonies and cocktail hours. The ensembles consist of string

quartets, with two violins, a viola and a cello, or a trio with one violin.

In addition, Ms O'Brien also offers a violin or guitar player to stroll and

play during a cocktail hour or a reception where there is no dancing.

Costs for a wedding ceremony could be from $500 for the trio to $650 for the

quartet. There would be an additional cost for a cocktail hour, Ms O'Brien

pointed out.

The cost for a violinist at the reception or to accompany the organist during

the ceremony could be about $175, she said.

A string ensemble "adds a wonderful classy touch at a ceremony," she said.

"The sound of strings in a church is transcending."

Bagpipes

Jonathan Henkey, a bagpiper from Brewster, N.Y., offers piping outside a

church and processional and recessional music for a bride and groom at the

ceremony. He can also play during the receiving line and at the reception

before the band or disc jockey begins playing.

"I'm the ceremonial music, the fanfare," he said. "I can pipe the bride into

the church and follow the bride and groom out during the recessional. When I

play at a reception, it is a fanfare instrument. I play as people are coming

in and pipe the newlyweds onto the dance floor."

A bagpiper can also play all the music at a church wedding and provide

background music at a reception if space allows or if it is outside, because

the bagpipes are very loud. Some people will try some dancing to the pipes,

"but it's more for ethnic background music," he noted.

The price for bagpipes depends on travel distance and time spent at the

wedding.

The Music That Is Performed

With all the choices of how the music is performed, disc jockeys and planners

continue to see some of the same choices in what is played at the reception.

Bridal couples often request music from the 1950s, and even the '40s,

according to Mr Costelli. "Ironically, women are not asking for up-to-date

music. We know a lot of current tunes, but don't get special requests for

them." The theme from Titanic was one exception, he noted.

"There are a lot of older tunes that are traditionally picked," he said,

especially for the couple's first dance and the father-daughter dance.

"Daddy's Little Girl," "Butterfly Kisses" and "Wind Beneath My Wings" are

popular choices for the father-daughter dance, Mr Thomas said.

Of course, there are the usual requests for the macarena, electric slide and

other line dances.

"Swing is very big right now," Mr Markiewicz said. He also receives requests

for old standards, such as "Fly Me To The Moon.

"Usually one song a year is a real big hit," he said. "But more people are

going to '50s and '60s music."

He said "Song For My Son" is currently popular for the mother-son dance. Then,

there are some songs that "keep going," he noted, such as "Through The Years"

and "Through The Eyes Of Love."

Mr Henkey said a couple might have favorite tunes, but "they usually leave the

choice to [the disc jockey]."