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Wedding reception musicians

Your party gets started at your drinks reception, so don’t forget the music! Hire weddings musicians for your drinks reception or breakfast to create a magical atmosphere and help break the ice.

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from£595

Marcel and Matt

  • London
  • 2
  • (57)

Stylish and soulful acoustic guitar and vocal duo combining high calibre musicianship with an uplifting set spanning James Brown to Beyonce. Incredible value and guaranteed to appeal to all ages! DJ service available.

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from£615

The Steel Panthers

  • London
  • 3-4
  • (28)

Authentic steel pan band playing classic calypso, Motown, pop, reggae and more and featuring some of the best Caribbean musicians from around the UK.

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from£750

Midnight Blue

  • London
  • 3-5
  • (77)

Experienced, sax-led jazz trio, performing jazzy takes on pop music from The Beatles to Sam Smith as well as classic jazz. Suitable for mellow background music at weddings, corporate events and more!

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from£710

The 12th Street Swingers

  • Surrey
  • 3-6
  • (39)

Upbeat, Dixieland jazz band playing songs in the classic New Orleans style. Great for toe-tapping background music. Also available as a marching band line-up is available for parades and funerals.

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from£490

Sean and Guy

  • London
  • 2
  • (38)

Exceptional semi-acoustic duo featuring guitar, keyboards, vocals and the use of a looper to create a full-band sound without the cost! DJ set available.

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from£380

Jack H

  • Birmingham
  • 1-2
  • (20)

A house pianist at Jools Holland’s Birmingham jazz club, Jack is a soulful piano vocalist with an enormous repertoire of pop, rock, reggae, soul and blues. Also available with a full band.

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from£735

Django’s Jive

  • London
  • 3-5
  • (22)

A traditional gypsy jazz and acoustic swing band, these folks masterfully play Django Reinhardt classics, along with swing-style covers of modern artists. Available as an instrumental line-up or with female vocals.

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from£550

Steel Pan Power

  • Birmingham
  • 3
  • (39)

Add some spice and a ray of sunshine to your event with this West Midlands-based steel pan band serving up a lively taste of the Caribbean! The band’s song list includes a colourful mix of reggae and modern styles.

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from£659

The Indie Buskers Duo

  • London
  • 2-4
  • (25)

A guitar, violin and vocal harmony duo with a repertoire that covers everything from Ray Charles to Oasis, The Beatles to Beyoncé and Frank Sinatra to Britney Spears.

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from£330

Andres G

  • London
  • 1-3
  • (21)

Highly skilled guitarist performing an eclectic mix of flamenco, latin, jazz and world guitar styles, rich and exciting enough for the more attentive listeners, but mellow enough to be used as background music during receptions or dinners.

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from£595

Starlight Strings

  • London
  • 1-4
  • (17)

Starlight Strings is an experienced and versatile acoustic and electric female string ensemble that provide tailored performances at any event in any location.

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from£990

The Wandering Lights

  • London
  • 3-4
  • (59)

Charismatic roaming band performing upbeat, catchy covers with a folksy, festival feel. Expect to hear artists as diverse as Avicii, Blackstreet and Lionel Richie. Also available as an evening party band.

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from£600

Gold Duo

  • Hampshire
  • 2
  • (26)

Contemporary & stylish ‘live-lounge’ covers duo with eight years of experience; performing at UK Festivals including, Hyde Park for the London 2012 Olympics and The Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone. Party duo with backing tracks also available.

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from£515

Gwynedd String Quartet

  • North Wales
  • 4
  • (22)

Young and lively corporate and wedding string quartet who were recently shortlisted in the Welsh National Wedding Awards. Duo, trio and quartet options available.

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from£860

The Postmodern Jazz Cats

  • London
  • 3-7
  • (24)

An intoxicating blend of swing, jazz and contemporary pop performed by experienced, world-class musicians. Additional musicians and afternoon sets also available.

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from£615

Nick Pauli

  • Southampton
  • 1
  • (10)

Virtuoso singer guitarist, with a distinctive, unique and unforgettable voice who can perform a wide variety of instruments and genres.

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from£580

Tempo Latino

  • Leeds
  • 3
  • (16)

Latin flavour to soul, funk, pop and reggae classics, as well as hip-shaking Buena Vista salsa and Latin jazz/soul favourites! Ideal for filling dancefloors, or to add cool, background sophistication.

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from£430

Tropical Sounds

  • London
  • 1
  • (5)

An incredibly talented steel pan player providing the best sounds and Caribbean flavour for your event. You can expect to hear reggae, calypso and also modern pop tunes with a tropical twist.

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from£580

The Real Steel Band

  • Manchester
  • 3
  • (21)

Vibrant steel band playing the sounds of turquoise seas, sunshine and swaying palm trees! Huge repertoire of traditional Caribbean music as well as reggae and pop from The Beach Boys to Bruno Mars. Available in larger line-ups.

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from£750

The Soft Steppers

  • London
  • 2
  • (15)

Contemporary acoustic duo with a flamenco, swing style, breathing a new life into songs you already love!

Guide to booking wedding musicians

Weddings are unique events. Each wedding drinks reception or wedding breakfast will have a different combination of guests, venue and entertainment requirements, so finding the perfect wedding background music can take some time!

The choice you make depends on what you would like live music to do for you. Do you have a lot of very young guests who would love some entertainment while they’re waiting for the cake? Would you like some gentle wedding background music as a soundtrack to a formal wedding breakfast or drinks reception? Or would you just like to hear your favourite sounds and share them with your friends?

You might be wondering what kind of live music your guests would enjoy, and how you can make that work with your budget and venue. Fortunately there are a huge number of options available, so we’ve written this guide to take you through some of the most popular and more unusual ideas.

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Choosing a genre

For some old-fashioned glamour, hire a jazz band; they make the perfect soundtrack for a classy, vintage wedding. For the full vintage experience, see if they can stay on for the reception party and play a swinging set with drums and a vocalist, to get the dancing started.

If your venue is tight on space, a solo guitarist can fit in almost anywhere – choose between flamenco and classical or acoustic pop with or without vocals. Likewise a solo sax player can squeeze into most spaces.

Classical musicians are a wonderful complement to an elegant wedding reception and the perfect enhancement to a grand Georgian wedding venue. And don't forget, while all string quartets, harpists, wind trios and other classical groups will have a repertoire of classical favourites, most can extend their range to include pop hits, medleys of folks songs and even Bollywood material.

For outdoor receptions, nothing beats a steel band or dixieland jazz band for creating an upbeat, joyful atmosphere.

All wedding reception musicians

Wedding reception musicians on a budget

Want live background music without compromising on the dress, the food and the drink? Rather than hiring a cheaper act, the best way of saving money on your wedding background music is to ask the band if they can reduce the number of musicians in the line-up. That way you still get the best quality, but won’t have to break the bank.

The cheapest option is a soloist. A wedding pianist, harpist or classical guitarist, or sax player can provide gentle sophistication and a musical background to your wedding reception or wedding breakfast without being intrusive. Some even play with backing tracks for a fuller sound.

If you've already booked a wedding band it's worth checking to see if they can provide a smaller line-up for earlier on in the day, such as an acoustic guitarist/vocalist, a cocktail pianist or a jazz trio. Using the same musicians for wedding background music earlier in the day could save you money and help keep stress levels to a minimum!

After booking

Make sure you get in touch with your wedding musicians well before the actual day, so that you can explain the arrangements to them and they can make sure you’re happy with the music they plan to play, giving you the chance to specify any special favourites.

Wedding musicians always have to work around the rest of the day’s events, so will be keen to hear about your plans and what you’d like them to do. They usually provide all their own equipment, so you won’t have to worry about organising this - though it’s always worth checking with them beforehand!

Some venues are designed with live music in mind, and some can easily accommodate it. Others might be a little more difficult because of noise or space restrictions, but you can work around these kind of problems. It’s easy to keep the volume down by using an adjustable backing track, or save space (and money) by using fewer people.

Good wedding musicians will have experience of many places, and will be able to adapt to your requirements with enough notice, so make sure you tell them as much as you can about your venue.

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How much do wedding musicians cost?

You will always be able to find musicians to suit your budget: live wedding background music ranges from very simple and inexpensive solo acts and duos to 10-piece show bands with brass, backing vocals and percussion.

If you want one of the bigger bands, but can’t afford the full show, there are bands available in all genres who offer compact versions of their full show, perhaps playing to a backing track or using fewer members.

Jazz trio: from £545

String quartet: from £465

Steel pan duo: from £480

Acoustic rock/pop guitar/vocalist: from £250

Acoustic rock/pop guitar/vocal duo: from £415

Rat pack singer with backing track: £330

Solo male or female pop singer to backing tracks: from £250

Harpist: from £255

Cocktail pianist: from £230

Solo guitarist: from £230

We keep our rates as low as possible – but if another agent offers you one of our acts at a lower price, or on better terms, we’ll match their offer. The price we quote for an act includes all costs, (such as travel, VAT, and any accommodation necessary), unless we say otherwise.

The easy way to book wedding reception music

Function Central is a wedding music agency specialising in wedding musicians who have been hand-picked for their talent, professionalism and reliability. We take over 600 wedding music bookings a year and get great feedback from our clients. We make choosing and booking your wedding entertainment easy, providing support and advice right up to the day, and even a 24-hour helpline.

Choosing wedding background music doesn’t need to be a chore – we hope you enjoy browsing the site and listening to our bands! If you’d like more information and suggestions, get in touch.

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