How to choose the music for your wedding

When to start looking

Musicians who work well book far in advance, especially during the Riviera Maya high season (November through April) and on long weekends. If your wedding falls in that window, start looking eight to twelve months ahead.

Off season, four to six months is usually enough. What rarely works is leaving it to the last month — not because you won’t find anyone, but because you’ll be choosing from whoever is left instead of from who you actually like.

The four musical moments of a wedding

Thinking of the music as a single block is the most common mistake. A wedding has four moments with different needs, and they don’t all call for the same format or the same number of musicians.

• 01Ceremony: the most emotional moment and the one that needs the least volume. Guitar and voice, or a duo with violin or cajón, is more than enough. What matters here is the lyrics and that every word is heard.
• 02Cocktail hour: the music accompanies, it doesn’t lead. People are greeting each other, having a drink, exploring the venue. Soft repertoire, bossa, standards, acoustic versions.
• 03Dinner: similar to the cocktail hour but slightly more present. A good moment for the songs that mean something to you both.
• 04Party: everything changes here. You need energy, volume and, almost always, a band or duo combined with a DJ so the music never stops.

Solo, duo or band: how to decide

The decision depends less on budget than people think, and more on guest count and the kind of party you want.

A solo act works perfectly for ceremony and cocktail hour up to around a hundred guests, and brings an intimacy a band simply can’t. A duo adds body without losing that closeness, and it’s the format that delivers best if you’re covering several moments. A band makes sense when the party is the center of the wedding and there are more than a hundred and fifty people.

One option many people don’t consider: hiring different formats for different moments. Solo for the ceremony, duo for the cocktail hour, band or duo with DJ for the party. It usually costs less than a band all day and sounds better at every stage.

Live music and DJ are not competitors

The classic false dilemma. Live music gives you the unrepeatable moment and the connection; the DJ gives continuity, even volume and the hits everyone expects to dance to at three in the morning.

The combination that works best: live for the ceremony, cocktail hour and the start of the party, then DJ from there on, with the musician joining in on a few songs. Nobody waits around between sets and the party never dips.

What the quote should include

A serious quote spells all of this out without you having to ask. If it doesn’t, ask before putting down a deposit.

• 01How many hours of music and how many sets, with the breaks specified.
• 02Whether sound is included and what guest count it’s sized for.
• 03What an extra hour costs, decided the same night.
• 04What happens with music between sets.
• 05How many songs outside the repertoire can be requested.
• 06Travel and per diem if the wedding is outside their home city.
• 07Deposit, balance, and what happens if the date is cancelled or moved.

The mistakes I see most

• 01Choosing on price alone without hearing live material. A studio video says nothing about how someone sounds at a wedding with wind and background noise.
• 02Not asking about the rain plan. On the coast this happens, and you need to know in advance who moves the gear and who covers it.
• 03Building a list of fifty mandatory songs. It removes the musician’s ability to read the room, which is exactly what you’re paying for.
• 04Forgetting about crew meals and a shaded spot to set up. It sounds minor, but a musician who played four hours without eating shows.
• 05Not defining who gives the cue to start each moment. Usually it’s the wedding planner; if there isn’t one, assign someone you trust.