Wedding Policies

My Approach to Wedding Music

As a musician, I approach planning music for an event with a wide-angle lens. It's about artistic unity - do all the pieces work well together and reflect the mood of your ceremony? I'm always balancing two goals: (1) fulfill requests and (2) create a beautiful set of music.

Ultimately, I genuinely want all couples to look back at their wedding day and be happy, and I will do what I can to make that so. A successful wedding is when the bride and groom say, "That is exactly what I envisioned". I can't ensure that the flower girl will walk the whole aisle and or that the best man will remember the rings, but I can make sure that the music is just what you had in mind.

Worksheet

Please fill out this worksheet and return to Sarah Wannamaker - this worksheet distills the information which is crucial from a music and timing perspective. You can either email or leave the completed sheet in the church office.

Download the worksheet as a word document.

Download the worksheet as a pdf document.

Requests

I encourage couples to bring requests beyond what I suggest on the repertoire page. Typically, requests indicate that a couple has seriously pondered what music is important to them - I always appreciate this thoughtfulness. Sometimes, clients ask if a piece is too unusual - typically the answer is no, but I will always be honest about whether I think a piece is appropriate to the spirit of the day.

I am a classically focused musician, but I will always consider requests that fall outside of the 'classical' genre. Some pop styles translate very well as a keyboard solo. Some do not. If the key characteristic of a piece is the rhythm track or vocal improvisation, it doesn't always sound good as an acoustic solo. I always try to be upfront about whether I think a piece will be successful or not.

Meeting

The resources on this pages are purely a starting point. I request that clients review these pages before we meet in person - that way, you can make the most of the meeting time. I meet with clients in the church sanctuary on Fridays.

Instrumentalists

Inviting friends or family to play at your ceremony is a lovely way to personalize your ceremony. They can play solo or I can accompany them. I do need to rehearse with instrumentalists beforehand - often meeting early on the day of the wedding is sufficient time to coordinate parts. If I meet an instrumentalist on the day of the ceremony, I consider that to be included in the ceremony fee. The fee for additional rehearsals is $40/hr. Whether to meet in advance should be determined by the comfort level of the instrumentalist.

I can refer instrumental or vocal soloists whom I highly recommend. The fee per soloist is $175.

Rehearsals

I typically do not attend rehearsals. The fee for my rehearsal attendance is $60.