4 Reasons You Should Hire a Jazz Band for Your Wedding
At the Scottish Jazz Collective, we have experience of playing at many weddings, and understand how well jazz music can complement your special day. But every so often, people ask us “why should we book a jazz band for our wedding”? To be fair, it is a reasonable question to ask because bands cost money and weddings can be expensive. Here are our top 4 reasons why you should hire a jazz band for your special day.
Their size means that they can be flexible
Jazz bands for weddings are generally small groups usually between 1-5 people. This makes it easy for them to move around a venue if you want them to play at both the ceremony and reception. This gives you options to make your wedding day more bespoke and memorable. We were once asked to play as a trio at a family-only ceremony in a wedding barn, before quickly moving outside to a marquee to play at the reception where the couple would be joined by the rest of their family and friends. Because of the size of the band, and the fact that we didn’t require a PA system to play, we could do this very quickly with minimal fuss.
2. A smaller sized group has the best ability to create a fantastic atmosphere
There is nothing worse than trying to have a conversation with the bride and groom, a friend, or a family member who you haven’t seen in a long time, and not being able to hear yourself speak because the band is too loud! Jazz musicians usually play acoustically with minimal amplification, so you won’t need to worry about them overpowering the room. If you want the band to play a bit louder, our award-winning jazz musicians will be happy to dazzle your guests!
3. They know 100s of songs
Jazz is a broad genre with lots of different styles and, as a result, jazz musicians generally know several hundred pieces of music by memory. This gives you flexibility as well as potentially saving you lots of money: if you’d like a gentle piece of music as the bride walks down the aisle, but something livelier and groovier for the reception, then you don’t need to book two bands because a jazz band can cover both. This is a very common type of booking request.
4. Jazz musicians can quickly learn special song requests
Being able to memorise lots of music is also an advantage when it comes to learning special requests, as it usually means we can do it quickly! The Scottish Jazz Collective offer to learn special song requests for walking down the aisle or for a first dance as part of the fee for the day. We were once asked if we could play ‘Wish You Were Here’ by Pink Floyd during the ceremony, and the theme from the TV show “Dallas” for when the couple arrived at the reception before playing a set of jazz during the drinks. We were able to do this quickly and made the couple’s day.
To book a live jazz band for your event, simply get in touch.