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Frequently Asked Questions
How can I incorporate the quartet into my wedding ceremony?
There are several traditional moments in weddings which can include music, listed below:
- Prelude (as guests enter and are seated)
- Seating of the grandmothers / mothers
- Bridal Procession (bridemaids, groomsmen, ring bearer, flower girl)
- Special Music or Prayer (meditative moment)
- Postlude (as guests leave)
You
may also have a unique moment in the wedding in which you would like
the quartet to play. You can allow us to choose the music, or make the
musical selections yourself.
How long should the quartet play?
Music
generally begins as people start to arrive, approximately 10-15 minutes
before the ceremony. You may also want the quartet to play as your
guests leave. Depending on how many guests you have and how you decide
to dismiss them from their seats, this could take anywhere from 5-10
minutes. Our standard wedding includes 15 minutes of prelude music, a
30-45 minute ceremony, then 10 minutes of postlude music. For
receptions and other types of events, the musicians will take a ten
minute break each hour (50 min. on / 10 min. off). Breaks will be
reasonably timed so as to work well with the flow of the event.
The
quartet at my cousin’s wedding stopped playing right in the middle of
her bridal procession. We still don’t know what happened, because the
rest of the time they were fantastic. How can we be sure something
like this won’t happen at our wedding?
The
string quartet’s unique and beautiful sound can help make your grand
entrance elegant and memorable. There is a slight element of “danger”,
however, in having four people try to coordinate live music with
something as unpredictable as a bridal procession. There are several
things you can do to help avoid any problems:
- We
need to be well informed concerning every aspect of the procession.
This includes making us aware of everyone who will be walking down the
aisle during the procession (justice of the peace, ministers, priests,
bridesmaids, flower girls, ring bearers, parents, grandparents,
readers, ushers, groomsmen, groom, bride, etc.), making sure we know if
and when an aisle runner will be pulled, who will be lighting candles,
and when and what music you desire.
- Choose music that allows the musicians to come to an easy stopping point. We can assist you in making this decision.
- Try
to place the musicians where they can see the procession at all times.
Choir lofts and balconies work very well, but if we’re working with an
organist, we need to be able to communicate with each other.
- Make sure your wedding party understands their musical cues.
- If you plan to do anything unusual, let us know!
How much space is required for the quartet?
We
need approximately 10' X 10' of floor space to give us room to
perform. We also require four armless straight-backed chairs and
adequate lighting.
Can the quartet attend my dress rehearsal?
As
long as things are well communicated prior to the ceremony, and you
inform us of any changes that occurred at the rehearsal, attending the
dress rehearsal is unnecessary. If you feel strongly that you want the
quartet to attend the dress rehearsal we will try to do so, for an
additional fee, if our calendars permit. Another option, for a lesser
fee, is to have just one member of the quartet attend the rehearsal and
they can communicate with the other members.
My favorite piece is Ravel’s “Bolero”. Can the quartet play this for my bridal procession?
We
will make every attempt to honor your requests. If the piece is not in
our library, we can try to locate a string quartet arrangement. If an
arrangement is not available, we can arrange your favorite piece for an
additional fee. Since we are limited to the quartet instrumentation,
some pieces won’t sound “right”. Also, some pieces don’t work well as
processions; the piece may have particularly long cadences that do not
allow us to come to a stopping point without sounding too abrupt or
“cut off”. We can aid you in making this decision.
I have a friend who is singing/playing an instrument at my wedding. Can the quartet accompany her?
We
often collaborate with vocalists or other musicians on commonly
performed wedding music, but much depends on the piece selected. The
piece must be arranged for quartet, or can easily be arranged for
quartet. Even if the piece is already in our library, it may be
necessary to make a new arrangement if the singer's voice requires us
to play the piece in a different key. An added rehearsal may be
necessary. For commonly performed, simpler pieces, the rehearsal can
usually be done immediately before the wedding at no additional cost.
If you are choosing multiple pieces for us to perform together, if the
pieces are very difficult, or if we will be performing with an amateur
who needs more practice time with us, we may require an extra rehearsal
for which there will be an additional fee.
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