So I guess it makes sense to make this Tip #13. Not always looked upon in a favorable light, that number thirteen. Our topic: What happens if you need to cancel your wedding ceremony?
I suppose this is not a completely alien concept, judging by the wedding insurance online sites which have sprung up recently--namely wedsafe.com--offering coverage against anything from severe weather to illness of a family member.
The one wedding I've played, or in fact DIDN'T play, was canceled due to...cold feet. That's gotta be the worst reason on the list. For everyone involved. I was asked to play with a pianist for the wedding of a close family friend in North Carolina. Still at Manhattan School of Music at the time, the wedding was taking place shortly after our exam period, so I literally had not found the time to book my plane ticket. Procrastination proved to work in my favor, because the weekend before the wedding, the bride decided she just couldn't do it.
The bride happened to be the daughter of one of my mom's oldest friends and her intended was her college beau--they had been together nearly six years by the time they were planning these nuptials. The wedding was the culmination of a year of planning, including numerous engagement parties, bridal showers and the groom's extended family traveling twenty hours from India. The bride and groom had a house full of newly-acquired china, crystal and silver and 250 guests planning to watch them exchange eternal vows before sitting down to a salmon-or-filet dinner.
And then a week before the big day, the bride backed out. Couldn't do it. Realized it was all wrong somehow. I don't know how it transpired, but on Monday I got a call from my mother: don't buy that last-minute plane ticket after all. Apparently the bride's mother and maid of honor phoned all 250 guests to break the bad news. I always wondered if they returned the wedding gifts.
Wedding Tip #13: Discuss with your vendors and wedding site what will happen if you have to cancel or postpone your event. Be sure you understand each vendor's payment policy in the event of cancellation.
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Wedding Music Tip #12
Appropriate attire for the musicians. This seems to be a concern for some brides but not all--I've worked with couples who said they didn't give a flying rip what the musicians were wearing; others requested formal attire. In general, women wear concert black, meaning they're attired completely in black as if they're going to play a symphony concert. Back in the day, men used to wear tuxes, but currently a dark suit is more in vogue.
Inquiring what the musicians will be wearing always seemed like a pretentious question to me when I started my business (do they think we're going to show up in jeans and spandex, or what is it?), but after playing a few weddings with some musicians in New York, I realized it might be a valid fret.
I'm often called to perform with a violinist when her "regular" cellist is not available. The outfits she turns up in are outrageous. Picture Elvira (remember her?) as a violin-toting wedding musician. Nobody wants that in their pictures. She showed up for one wedding and cocktail hour we played at a hotel in Midtown wearing a get-up that I can only describe as several mismatched pieces of black clothing which didn't really cover everything. Then there is another musician with whom I've worked who appears to be always headed on a hiking trip immediately following the ceremony. I mean, she wears black, but it seems to be very casual and in desperate need of a little ironing. I think her shoes were black Timberlands.
So, I began to understand why brides ask what the musicians will be wearing. I no longer feel taken aback when this concern pops up but answer immediately and concisely.
Wedding Tip #12: Feel free to ask the musicians what they plan to wear to the event. Their answer should be along the lines of "concert black". If you want the musicians to be ultra formal, with the men in tuxedos, make that clear in your negotiations. Also, if you want the musicians more casually attired, let them know what you had in mind.
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
Inquiring what the musicians will be wearing always seemed like a pretentious question to me when I started my business (do they think we're going to show up in jeans and spandex, or what is it?), but after playing a few weddings with some musicians in New York, I realized it might be a valid fret.
I'm often called to perform with a violinist when her "regular" cellist is not available. The outfits she turns up in are outrageous. Picture Elvira (remember her?) as a violin-toting wedding musician. Nobody wants that in their pictures. She showed up for one wedding and cocktail hour we played at a hotel in Midtown wearing a get-up that I can only describe as several mismatched pieces of black clothing which didn't really cover everything. Then there is another musician with whom I've worked who appears to be always headed on a hiking trip immediately following the ceremony. I mean, she wears black, but it seems to be very casual and in desperate need of a little ironing. I think her shoes were black Timberlands.
So, I began to understand why brides ask what the musicians will be wearing. I no longer feel taken aback when this concern pops up but answer immediately and concisely.
Wedding Tip #12: Feel free to ask the musicians what they plan to wear to the event. Their answer should be along the lines of "concert black". If you want the musicians to be ultra formal, with the men in tuxedos, make that clear in your negotiations. Also, if you want the musicians more casually attired, let them know what you had in mind.
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Wedding Music Tip #11
Outdoor weddings.
...Outdoor weddings and sound projection.
There's a reason people always recommend woodwind or brass instruments, particularly flutes, for outdoor weddings. It has to do with timbre, spectra of sound and acoustics and other things I cannot explain, but I gather the general idea is the same as placing winds and brass behind the strings in the orchestra. If they were in the front, you would never hear the strings. Bottom line: winds and brass are LOUD.
So, given that they're so loud, fairly safe choices for outdoor events would be the following in no particular order: solo flute, flute trio, brass quintet, woodwind quintet and flute with any other instrument (harp, cello, violin...).
But sometimes even the presence of a woodwind or brass instrument isn't enough to project in an outdoor setting. Take the wedding my flute trio played at Crest Hollow Country Club on Long Island two years ago. The wedding was outdoors, at the end of a sort of promenade, beside a body of water with a very noisy fountain.
The event planner wanted us to play at the start of the promenade-walkway thingy for some reason--behind all the seats and practically a football field away from the designated altar space. We agreed, but generally we prefer to sit facing the guests and closer to the ceremony action for a variety of reasons: If our instruments are facing the guests, they are going to hear us better. If we're sitting near the ceremony action, the officiant, bride and groom can hear us, and it's usually the most advantageous spot visually.
The trio set up where directed and started the prelude music. It quickly became clear that we were facing more than the usual difficulties associated with the great outdoors. The fountain in the water beside us was--to be quite frank--loud as hell. Niagara Falls comes to mind. We continued to play, struggling to project our sound over the deafening gush of water. Once in awhile the flute would break the sound barrier with a very high note or two, but otherwise, it felt like we were a trio of pantomime artists. We contemplated asking the management to turn the fountain off for the ceremony, or whether or not they could set up microphones for us, but it was time to begin the processional before we spotted the event planner rushing from station to station in manner of tazmanian devil.
The bridesmaids proceeded without hitch, but when the bride entered, the guests stood--as is customary--and there was no way for us to see when she reached the altar area. We had to guestimate when it was time to cut off, coupled with backwards looks from a few guests indicating that she was in place and the music should halt.
Luckily the officiant wore a microphone so we could hear the ceremony from our position--all important when getting the cue for the recessional music to begin. The bride thanked the trio afterwards for our performance, but commented that it was hard to hear us. I'll say it was! We were seated miles from the action and competing with the adjacent thundering rapids! In this scenario, we needed to be placed closer to the guests and altar, and we probably needed to be amplified as well.
Wedding Tip #11: Consider the instruments you want when planning an outdoor wedding. Winds and brass work best for obvious reasons, but strings can play outdoors if they're seated close to the guests and ceremony action (preferably facing the guests). Classical guitar will most certainly NOT be heard outdoors unless amplified. Inquire at your venue if sound amplification can be set up for the ceremony musicians if they feel they will need it.
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
...Outdoor weddings and sound projection.
There's a reason people always recommend woodwind or brass instruments, particularly flutes, for outdoor weddings. It has to do with timbre, spectra of sound and acoustics and other things I cannot explain, but I gather the general idea is the same as placing winds and brass behind the strings in the orchestra. If they were in the front, you would never hear the strings. Bottom line: winds and brass are LOUD.
So, given that they're so loud, fairly safe choices for outdoor events would be the following in no particular order: solo flute, flute trio, brass quintet, woodwind quintet and flute with any other instrument (harp, cello, violin...).
But sometimes even the presence of a woodwind or brass instrument isn't enough to project in an outdoor setting. Take the wedding my flute trio played at Crest Hollow Country Club on Long Island two years ago. The wedding was outdoors, at the end of a sort of promenade, beside a body of water with a very noisy fountain.
The event planner wanted us to play at the start of the promenade-walkway thingy for some reason--behind all the seats and practically a football field away from the designated altar space. We agreed, but generally we prefer to sit facing the guests and closer to the ceremony action for a variety of reasons: If our instruments are facing the guests, they are going to hear us better. If we're sitting near the ceremony action, the officiant, bride and groom can hear us, and it's usually the most advantageous spot visually.
The trio set up where directed and started the prelude music. It quickly became clear that we were facing more than the usual difficulties associated with the great outdoors. The fountain in the water beside us was--to be quite frank--loud as hell. Niagara Falls comes to mind. We continued to play, struggling to project our sound over the deafening gush of water. Once in awhile the flute would break the sound barrier with a very high note or two, but otherwise, it felt like we were a trio of pantomime artists. We contemplated asking the management to turn the fountain off for the ceremony, or whether or not they could set up microphones for us, but it was time to begin the processional before we spotted the event planner rushing from station to station in manner of tazmanian devil.
The bridesmaids proceeded without hitch, but when the bride entered, the guests stood--as is customary--and there was no way for us to see when she reached the altar area. We had to guestimate when it was time to cut off, coupled with backwards looks from a few guests indicating that she was in place and the music should halt.
Luckily the officiant wore a microphone so we could hear the ceremony from our position--all important when getting the cue for the recessional music to begin. The bride thanked the trio afterwards for our performance, but commented that it was hard to hear us. I'll say it was! We were seated miles from the action and competing with the adjacent thundering rapids! In this scenario, we needed to be placed closer to the guests and altar, and we probably needed to be amplified as well.
Wedding Tip #11: Consider the instruments you want when planning an outdoor wedding. Winds and brass work best for obvious reasons, but strings can play outdoors if they're seated close to the guests and ceremony action (preferably facing the guests). Classical guitar will most certainly NOT be heard outdoors unless amplified. Inquire at your venue if sound amplification can be set up for the ceremony musicians if they feel they will need it.
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wedding Music Tip #10
Outdoor Weddings
...Outdoor Weddings and Wind.
Okay. So wind should be less fearsome than rain, but you'd be surprised.
I know I was.
My string quartet played a wedding last spring at the Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows. I don't know if you've ever been to Terrace on the Park? It's near the big globe erected for the 1939 New York World's Fair which took place in Queens (of all places). If you've seen the movie 'Men in Black' you'll know what I'm talking about. The ceremony was held outdoors on a rooftop patio, which I believe they termed an "outdoor reception chapel area in a garden setting", but where I come from that's called a patio.
The views were pretty spectacular and it was a bright sunny day. The only teensy problem was that it was chilly and very, very windy. They call Chicago the Windy City, but I'm telling you: New York can compete. The quartet set up and, knowing we were playing outdoors, brought clothespins to attach our music to the stand. Unless you want sheet music swirling around like wedding confetti, you have to pin your music to the stand when you're playing outside.
Fair enough.
It was so windy that it quickly became apparent that we needn't worry so much about the music flying off as the actual music stands taking flight. It was practically a scene out of Mary Poppins. We continued with the prelude music but grabbed the legs of our stands with our feet and tried to hold them in place in a bi-ped sort of way. I was at a disadvantage performing this maneuver with my legs already wrapped around a cello. To make things even more amusing, the temperature seemed to be dropping by the minute. I found myself trying to time the chattering of my teeth to the movement of music at hand.
One thing I feel I should mention, and quite frankly, should probably be taken into consideration before booking an outdoor wedding at this particular site: it is VERY CLOSE to LaGuardia airport. So, not only were we hypothermic and fighting to keep our stands from flying off the deck like kites, but we also had to compete with the noise of jets roaring by left, right and center. They come very close and they are very loud. There were times when I couldn't hear the other string players and had to just assume we were all still on the same measure.
Finally, when it was time to begin the ceremony, the bridesmaids appeared in short, strapless gowns. I felt for them--they must have been absolutely freezing. The ceremony lasted all of ten minutes. I am not kidding. It was the shortest wedding ceremony I have ever witnessed. Not sure whether they planned that or decided to abbreviate things due to the wind and the temperature. The bridesmaids were starting to look a little like human ice cubes and the lips of our second violinist were turning a bluish tint, so I was thankful the ceremony was succinct.
Tip #10: Wind, as well as rain, can be an issue with outdoor weddings. Make sure your musicians plan to bring accessories to hold their music in place (ie clothespins).
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
...Outdoor Weddings and Wind.
Okay. So wind should be less fearsome than rain, but you'd be surprised.
I know I was.
My string quartet played a wedding last spring at the Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows. I don't know if you've ever been to Terrace on the Park? It's near the big globe erected for the 1939 New York World's Fair which took place in Queens (of all places). If you've seen the movie 'Men in Black' you'll know what I'm talking about. The ceremony was held outdoors on a rooftop patio, which I believe they termed an "outdoor reception chapel area in a garden setting", but where I come from that's called a patio.
The views were pretty spectacular and it was a bright sunny day. The only teensy problem was that it was chilly and very, very windy. They call Chicago the Windy City, but I'm telling you: New York can compete. The quartet set up and, knowing we were playing outdoors, brought clothespins to attach our music to the stand. Unless you want sheet music swirling around like wedding confetti, you have to pin your music to the stand when you're playing outside.
Fair enough.
It was so windy that it quickly became apparent that we needn't worry so much about the music flying off as the actual music stands taking flight. It was practically a scene out of Mary Poppins. We continued with the prelude music but grabbed the legs of our stands with our feet and tried to hold them in place in a bi-ped sort of way. I was at a disadvantage performing this maneuver with my legs already wrapped around a cello. To make things even more amusing, the temperature seemed to be dropping by the minute. I found myself trying to time the chattering of my teeth to the movement of music at hand.
One thing I feel I should mention, and quite frankly, should probably be taken into consideration before booking an outdoor wedding at this particular site: it is VERY CLOSE to LaGuardia airport. So, not only were we hypothermic and fighting to keep our stands from flying off the deck like kites, but we also had to compete with the noise of jets roaring by left, right and center. They come very close and they are very loud. There were times when I couldn't hear the other string players and had to just assume we were all still on the same measure.
Finally, when it was time to begin the ceremony, the bridesmaids appeared in short, strapless gowns. I felt for them--they must have been absolutely freezing. The ceremony lasted all of ten minutes. I am not kidding. It was the shortest wedding ceremony I have ever witnessed. Not sure whether they planned that or decided to abbreviate things due to the wind and the temperature. The bridesmaids were starting to look a little like human ice cubes and the lips of our second violinist were turning a bluish tint, so I was thankful the ceremony was succinct.
Tip #10: Wind, as well as rain, can be an issue with outdoor weddings. Make sure your musicians plan to bring accessories to hold their music in place (ie clothespins).
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Wedding Music Tip #9
Outdoor weddings
...Outdoor Weddings and Rain.
What can I say. I have to admit that although outdoor weddings can be stunning events, they're a bit of a nightmare for the musicians. For starters, wedding vendors generally desire having as few elements as possible that are completely out of their control, and weather is a pretty big one. Possibly second only to colossal waves rocking a cruise ship event. Nothing like mother nature to remind one of one's human frailty.
Last September I played a wedding at Alba Vineyards in New Jersey near the Delaware River. I knew ahead of time that this was an outdoor event. The ensemble booked was a classical guitar & cello duo, and we had a good two hour drive from New York City, during which time it thundered, lightninged and rained. Experiencing the meaning of irony first-hand, I realized that I never discussed with the bride her back-up plan in case of inclement weather. Surely they would move the wedding indoors. Right?
As we got closer to Milford, the rain stopped, but the sky still looked like the thunder god Thor might descend at any moment with a lightning bolt in one hand. The guitarist and I found the ceremony set up under the vines...it appeared they planned to go on with the ceremony outside. Despite the wetness and potential for more torrential downpours. Hmm. I informed the guitarist that at the first drop of rain, we would make a mad dash with our instruments to his car, which was parked a few vines back from the ceremony site. We managed to get through the ceremony without the need to leg it to the car--the rain threatened to return but, like the resurrection of the Spice Girls, the threat was idle.
I have since added a rider to our contract requiring a back-up plan for outdoor events in case of inclement weather. Professional musicians have rather expensive instruments which really shouldn't be outside even on a good day. Rain and excessive heat or cold is like kryptonite to us.
Tip #9: If you're planning to get married outdoors, discuss with your musicians ahead of time what will happen in the event of rain. The last thing you want is for your ceremony musicians to refuse to perform because there is not adequate cover for their instruments in the case of inclement weather.
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
...Outdoor Weddings and Rain.
What can I say. I have to admit that although outdoor weddings can be stunning events, they're a bit of a nightmare for the musicians. For starters, wedding vendors generally desire having as few elements as possible that are completely out of their control, and weather is a pretty big one. Possibly second only to colossal waves rocking a cruise ship event. Nothing like mother nature to remind one of one's human frailty.
Last September I played a wedding at Alba Vineyards in New Jersey near the Delaware River. I knew ahead of time that this was an outdoor event. The ensemble booked was a classical guitar & cello duo, and we had a good two hour drive from New York City, during which time it thundered, lightninged and rained. Experiencing the meaning of irony first-hand, I realized that I never discussed with the bride her back-up plan in case of inclement weather. Surely they would move the wedding indoors. Right?
As we got closer to Milford, the rain stopped, but the sky still looked like the thunder god Thor might descend at any moment with a lightning bolt in one hand. The guitarist and I found the ceremony set up under the vines...it appeared they planned to go on with the ceremony outside. Despite the wetness and potential for more torrential downpours. Hmm. I informed the guitarist that at the first drop of rain, we would make a mad dash with our instruments to his car, which was parked a few vines back from the ceremony site. We managed to get through the ceremony without the need to leg it to the car--the rain threatened to return but, like the resurrection of the Spice Girls, the threat was idle.
I have since added a rider to our contract requiring a back-up plan for outdoor events in case of inclement weather. Professional musicians have rather expensive instruments which really shouldn't be outside even on a good day. Rain and excessive heat or cold is like kryptonite to us.
Tip #9: If you're planning to get married outdoors, discuss with your musicians ahead of time what will happen in the event of rain. The last thing you want is for your ceremony musicians to refuse to perform because there is not adequate cover for their instruments in the case of inclement weather.
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wedding Music Tip #8
Are you conservative or radical?
No, this isn't about Election 2008. (Although I have noticed an alarming trend of mentioning favored candidates or political parties during the exchange of vows, between scripture readings...is it me or is that weird?) Some self-examination comes into play when choosing the selections for the wedding ceremony. I wish I could offer one of those self-illuminating quizzes so abundant on the internet these days which seems to be able to determine the inner workings of your personality and destiny based on your favorite color or whether or not you wear heels or sneakers most days, but a few simple questions should suffice: Do you want your wedding to portray a respect for the time-honored traditions of Wagner and Mendelssohn made popular by Queen Victoria? Or do you want to express your individuality with an arrangement of your favorite Foo Fighters song for string quartet?
If the latter is the case, you want to find musicians who have experience making arrangements for various ensembles. Not all wedding musicians are going to have someone on staff who can make arrangements from a soundtrack, mp3 clip or video game, for that matter. Yep, that's right. Video games. My string quartet played a wedding several years ago where the bride and groom asked to have the music from The Legend of Zelda arranged for the recessional. I guess nintendo was dear to their hearts. Or perhaps they met at GameStop.
Pop songs are probably the most common request as non-traditional ceremony music. I've played anything from Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" for the recessional to the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" for the bridal entrance. Not every song request is going to work with the instrumentation you have chosen, so you will need to ask the musicians far in advance if the song(s) you want will work with the ensemble contracted for your event. Most musicians will also charge for special arrangements, so ask beforehand what the additional fees will be for a made-to-order ceremony score. Non-traditional requests require a bit more preparation on the musicians' part but can result in a very satisfying, unique backdrop to your all-important day.
Tip #8: Consider your personal style and how you want your ceremony to be remembered when choosing the concept for the ceremony music. If you want music selections which fall in the category of "Unusual", make sure your musicians can accommodate the preparation involved.
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
No, this isn't about Election 2008. (Although I have noticed an alarming trend of mentioning favored candidates or political parties during the exchange of vows, between scripture readings...is it me or is that weird?) Some self-examination comes into play when choosing the selections for the wedding ceremony. I wish I could offer one of those self-illuminating quizzes so abundant on the internet these days which seems to be able to determine the inner workings of your personality and destiny based on your favorite color or whether or not you wear heels or sneakers most days, but a few simple questions should suffice: Do you want your wedding to portray a respect for the time-honored traditions of Wagner and Mendelssohn made popular by Queen Victoria? Or do you want to express your individuality with an arrangement of your favorite Foo Fighters song for string quartet?
If the latter is the case, you want to find musicians who have experience making arrangements for various ensembles. Not all wedding musicians are going to have someone on staff who can make arrangements from a soundtrack, mp3 clip or video game, for that matter. Yep, that's right. Video games. My string quartet played a wedding several years ago where the bride and groom asked to have the music from The Legend of Zelda arranged for the recessional. I guess nintendo was dear to their hearts. Or perhaps they met at GameStop.
Pop songs are probably the most common request as non-traditional ceremony music. I've played anything from Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" for the recessional to the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" for the bridal entrance. Not every song request is going to work with the instrumentation you have chosen, so you will need to ask the musicians far in advance if the song(s) you want will work with the ensemble contracted for your event. Most musicians will also charge for special arrangements, so ask beforehand what the additional fees will be for a made-to-order ceremony score. Non-traditional requests require a bit more preparation on the musicians' part but can result in a very satisfying, unique backdrop to your all-important day.
Tip #8: Consider your personal style and how you want your ceremony to be remembered when choosing the concept for the ceremony music. If you want music selections which fall in the category of "Unusual", make sure your musicians can accommodate the preparation involved.
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
Monday, March 24, 2008
Wedding Music Tip #7
Should you tip the ceremony musicians who perform at your wedding? Is that really a question? OF COURSE you should tip the musicians!
I may be somewhat biased on this subject.
But seriously--if you feel the musicians braced and made an effort of a lifetime with their service, preparation and performance, by all means fatten their payment as you see fit. This is generally not expected, but, like a winning scratch-off lotto ticket, delightful when it occurs. Take for example a wedding my guitar-flute-cello trio recently performed at a club on Manhattan's East River. Although not contracted to do so, the trio agreed to arrive early to rehearse with their singers (family members of the bride) before the ceremony. The guitarist and I arrived super-early, just as the wedding director was lining up the wedding party to run a swift rehearsal. Discerning that their trial laps would probably be more productive with music rather than silence, and at the beckoning of the mother of the bride, the two of us whipped out our instruments to provide the processional/recessional accompaniment. Coupled with the additional rehearsal with their singers, this wedding would be an instance where a gratuity would not exactly be a freakish aberration.
But I digress. Whether or not we should have gotten a tip is not what I originally planned to expound on. At the aforementioned wedding, the point person for the musicians was the mother of the groom. We did not really discuss the logistics of payment beforehand, so when the ceremony came to an end it was up to me to go root out our payment. ASAP. Once the musicians pack up, they usually want to leave quickly. Think bats out of hell.
Nine times out of ten, the doling out of payment for the musicians is delegated to one of the groomsmen. Tuxedo jackets are handy for keeping envelopes full of Benjamin Franklins. In this particular case, no groomsmen approached us with his hand to his pocket, so I went to look for my point person--the mother of the groom. The wedding party and guests moved to the adjoining room and I had to pick through the crowded cocktail hour to find the mother of the groom. Trust me: you do not want your wedding musicians going through the receiving line to shake your hand and ask for their check! It's an awkward moment for everyone, but unless planned beforehand, a detail easily overlooked.
Tip #7: Choose a family member or groomsman to be responsible for dispensing payments to vendors at the time of the service.
And make someone's day--tip the musicians!
(But only if you want to)
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
I may be somewhat biased on this subject.
But seriously--if you feel the musicians braced and made an effort of a lifetime with their service, preparation and performance, by all means fatten their payment as you see fit. This is generally not expected, but, like a winning scratch-off lotto ticket, delightful when it occurs. Take for example a wedding my guitar-flute-cello trio recently performed at a club on Manhattan's East River. Although not contracted to do so, the trio agreed to arrive early to rehearse with their singers (family members of the bride) before the ceremony. The guitarist and I arrived super-early, just as the wedding director was lining up the wedding party to run a swift rehearsal. Discerning that their trial laps would probably be more productive with music rather than silence, and at the beckoning of the mother of the bride, the two of us whipped out our instruments to provide the processional/recessional accompaniment. Coupled with the additional rehearsal with their singers, this wedding would be an instance where a gratuity would not exactly be a freakish aberration.
But I digress. Whether or not we should have gotten a tip is not what I originally planned to expound on. At the aforementioned wedding, the point person for the musicians was the mother of the groom. We did not really discuss the logistics of payment beforehand, so when the ceremony came to an end it was up to me to go root out our payment. ASAP. Once the musicians pack up, they usually want to leave quickly. Think bats out of hell.
Nine times out of ten, the doling out of payment for the musicians is delegated to one of the groomsmen. Tuxedo jackets are handy for keeping envelopes full of Benjamin Franklins. In this particular case, no groomsmen approached us with his hand to his pocket, so I went to look for my point person--the mother of the groom. The wedding party and guests moved to the adjoining room and I had to pick through the crowded cocktail hour to find the mother of the groom. Trust me: you do not want your wedding musicians going through the receiving line to shake your hand and ask for their check! It's an awkward moment for everyone, but unless planned beforehand, a detail easily overlooked.
Tip #7: Choose a family member or groomsman to be responsible for dispensing payments to vendors at the time of the service.
And make someone's day--tip the musicians!
(But only if you want to)
Until the next wedding,
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
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