Wedding Performer

Weddings are among the happiest moments of people's lives and music has long played a role in making these occasions memorable and fun. The most common groups for traditional western weddings include organ, piano, brass quintet, string quintet, and four-piece rock/pop bands.

Classical instrument families and vocalists are most commonly heard during the ceremony portion of the wedding, contemporary ensembles play during the reception and after party. The seasonal nature of weddings often makes this work just one portion of a musician’s income, but there are some musicians that are able to specialize in weddings as their primary career. Classical chamber ensembles in particular are some of the most in demand wedding performers, and many professional groups take on at least a few weddings per season.

Beyond needing to be a confident and skilled performer, a wedding musician must have strong entrepreneurship skills to source and get gigs. Skills in building an online presence and networking will go a long way toward securing future performances. If the idea of performing in a small chamber group in a variety of venues sounds interesting and engaging, wedding performances can be a fun and rewarding income source as a professional musician.

Note: This entry describes typical weddings in the U.S., but music plays an integral role in the wedding ceremonies of many cultures. Musicians who perform traditional instruments of other cultures are often in high demand for these events.