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Q. Will the musicians come to my rehearsal the day before?
A wedding rehearsal involves assembling a group of people and organizing the way they make their entrances, the way they stand, and the way they make their exits. Because of our extensive experience with wedding ceremonies, we do not need to attend the wedding rehearsal. Our coordinator normally arrives early on your wedding day to be sure the last minute details are in place. If you do wish the musicians to attend the rehearsal, the same rate schedule for performances applies to the rehearsal as for the actual ceremony, with a 90 minute minimum. Most couples opt not to hire the musicians for the rehearsal, since this will generally double the price of your event.
Q. How is the seating of special people (V.I.P.s) handled?
This is an area that deserves thoughtful planning. If you have not devised a plan of your own, may we recommend one? The musicians will be playing prelude music from the time your first guests arrive until the start of the ceremony. It would be a very nice touch if the seating of the special people in your lives did not just blend in with the prelude music. This can be done in as follows: At five minutes before the beginning of the ceremony, you can have a special song selected for the seating of your V.I.P.'s. This song, along with the purpose for which it is being played, can be listed in the wedding program. Ushers could escort these special people in, either by couples or one at a time. At this point, if there is to be a Unity Candle in the ceremony, the mothers would go up and light the candles surrounding the Unity Candle. Once the mothers have returned to their seats, the special entrance song would draw to a close.
Q. How would you like to treat the entrance of the groom, officiant, and the groomsmen?
About half the time, the choice is made that the men go to their places silently, and once they have assumed their positions properly, the music begins for the entrance of the bridesmaids. The other half of the time, the decision is made that the music should begin before the men make their entrance. Of course, this is assuming that the men are coming in separately from the bridesmaids. The officiant and the groom usually enter separately. Most of the time, the men enter with them. Sometimes, the bridal party enters as couples.
Q. How do we provide you with our musical selections?
When you book with us, we will send you a Wedding Music Inquiry Form to complete. Fill out this form to tell us who is in the bridal party, and in what order they will enter. Most often, the ring bearer and flower girl enter last, just before the bride. Sometimes, they are in the start or the middle of the processional. In addition, you can list your musical selections for each portion of the ceremony and the cocktail hour and reception, if we will be performing for those portions of your event. Our wedding music planner form makes it easy to plan and organize all of the music for your wedding. You can fill out this form electronically, and then just email it back to us!
Q. I really want a certain piece to be played at my wedding, but it is not listed in the Repertoire...
With advance notice, we can create an arrangement of most musical selections as long as we can get a piano score. We charge a modest fee for this because of the time involved in creating the appropriate arrangement.
Q. What can I do to make my wedding even more special?
The addition of a trumpet can create a marvelous regal tone. We can provide a trumpeter for an additional fee (contact us for quotes). We can also work with your vocalist, pianist or organist.
There is an additional fee to work with your soloist, due to the extra preparation time involved. If we will be working with a soloist, you will need to extend your booking time by 1/2 hour to allow for a 1/2 hour rehearsal prior to the start of the prelude.
Q. How long should I book the music for?
Most ceremonies require at least 90 minutes to 2 hours, which ensures that you have enough time for the entire Ceremony, and allows for any unexpected delays. If you wish music for the cocktail and/or dinner hour, you might need 2 to 4 hours. Since we often book more than one event in a day, it is sometimes not possible for us to stay longer than the contracted time (note that overtime charges in 1/2-hour increments apply your event requires us to stay beyond the contracted time, even if only by a few minutes). Be sure to allow plenty of time for your event when making the decision about how long to book. It is a good idea to allow at least an extra 15 to 30 minutes to account for any unexpected delays, since many weddings run a few minutes late. A full Catholic mass requires a 2 hour minimum; more if there will be soloists that need to rehearse with us.
Q. How do I book my wedding?
After we confirm availability for your date (fill out our Inquiry form, or call us at 301-695-8868, or Email us), we will ask you if you wish us to mail you a contract to review. Once you return the signed contract with a 50% initial payment, your event is booked (we'll hold your date for 2 weeks)! Balance is due 2 weeks prior to your wedding. You can send your deposit and your final balance payment either by check or by using PayPal (we accept all credit cards or debit payments through PayPal). See our Booking Your Event page for more information and for a link to send a payment via PayPal.
Q. Will I need to meet with the musicians before the wedding to plan the music?
A face-to-face meeting is not usually necessary (here's one less thing for you to worry about!). All of the necessary details can be worked out by phone and Email. We are happy to provide advice and assistance whenever you have a question, so feel free to call or Email at any time.
Q. Can you make our public announcements at the wedding reception?
Please respect our desire to make your event the most memorable possible experience for you and your guests by not distracting us from our primary focus of providing you with beautiful live music for your event. Therefore, please do not ask us to provide public voice announcements, which we are unable to do since we simply cannot perform and talk at the same time. These announcements are much more appropriately made by your wedding coordinator or disk jockey (if you have one). If we are asked to provide voice announcements at the event, please understand that we have to refuse.
Q. What other questions do you have?
Our ensembles have been playing for weddings and parties for many years. We will be happy to provide you with information and to offer our expertise and experience as you plan and prepare for your special day. You can reach us in the Frederick, MD area at (301) 695-8868, and via e-mail at FredStrings@att.net.
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