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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£450

The Pan Master

  • Brighton
  • 1-2
  • (1)

With a wide-ranging repertoire spanning Caribbean favourites to classical music, pop classics old and modern, The Pan Master is sure to captivate and delight at weddings, garden parties and other occasions.

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from£380

Stephanie Blue

  • Brighton
  • 1
  • (10)

Soulful singer guitarist who covers contemporary and classic RnB, pop and soul. She performs with an acoustic or electric guitar at private and corporate events including weddings, award ceremonies, birthdays, product launches and staff parties. Second guitar, cajon and drums also available.

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from£370

Isha Steelpan

  • Manchester
  • 1
  • (20)

From pop to rock, reggae, Afrobeat, and more, Isha has all your favourite tunes covered, arranged for steel pan. She also offers the unique feature of improvising live alongside DJs in club-style settings.

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from£360

The Swan Cello Duo

  • Manchester
  • 2
  • (4)

Refined cello duo playing a range of classical, popular, jazz, folk, traditional and Bollywood music. The duo have played with orchestras and bands, in theatres, at festivals and on TV and radio all over the world! Cello quartet also available.

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from£555

Sultans of Swing

  • London
  • 2-5
  • (21)

Versatile jazz trio bringing mellow jazz vibes to any occasion, perfect for background ambiance or jazzing up a themed party. The trio can expand to include a singer or drummer on request.

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from£555

Trio Luna

  • London
  • 2-3
  • (22)

Uplifting Latin band featuring acoustic guitars, vocals and percussion and performing a heady mix of Latin music from across The Caribbean and South America.

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from£360

Boutique Sax

  • Wakefield
  • 1-2
  • (10)

Electrifying female saxophonist with a captivating repertoire spanning soul, chart, Motown, Ibiza, dance, and more.

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from£1,845

The Mobiles Roaming Band

  • Manchester
  • 5
  • (17)

The Mobiles are a completely unplugged roaming band featuring sax - they'll wander around your event playing golden oldies as well as fresh hits, bringing an intimate, one-on-one performance to your guests.

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from£615

Nick Pauli

  • Southampton
  • 1
  • (11)

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£615

Dolphin Dance Duo

  • London
  • 2-7
  • (24)

From the smooth sounds of classic jazz to the upbeat rhythms of swing and Latin, this talented saxophone and keyboard background duo are happy to tailor their performance to your exact preferences.

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from£615

The Sunshine Strutters

  • London
  • 3-7
  • (17)

Inspired by the jazz of the 1920s and 30s with a few interesting numbers from other eras thrown in to spice things up, their trade-mark is the variety, freshness and fun that they imbue all their performances with.

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from£950

The Twelve O Clock Highs

  • Nottingham
  • 2
  • (21)

Laidback acoustic duo with both male and female lead vocals, playing soulful covers from the likes of Al Green and Marvin Gaye through to Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and Adele.

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from£1,355

Scotch and Soda

  • London
  • 3-5
  • (18)

Focusing on the vibrant music of the roaring twenties and capturing the era's glitz and glamour, Scotch & Soda stand out as the premier 1920s jazz band on the boardwalk.

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from£295

Sean McConnell

  • Bristol
  • 1
  • (12)

Experienced and talented singer and guitarist playing pop and rock hits for a wide range of events. Laptop DJ service and additional musicians also available.

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from£1,255

Golden Hour

  • London
  • 2
  • (34)

Transport your guests to golden hour at the beach club with this sophisticated live DJ and live trumpet duo, offering chilled lounge music at afternoon and early evening reception.

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from£565

Acoustical

  • Warwickshire
  • 2
  • (15)

Cool and contemporary acoustic guitar duo, performing live lounge style arrangements of modern pop songs by artists such as The Foo Fighters, John Legend and Coldplay. Ideal for chilled afternoons as well as evening parties.

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from£615

Mersey String Ensemble

  • Liverpool
  • 3-4
  • (17)

Formed at Paul McCartney's music college, the quartet have been performing at weddings and events around the UK for many years and have recorded at Abbey Road Studios with Nile Rodgers!

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from£485

Quintessence Sax

  • Weston-super-Mare
  • 1-2
  • (10)

Quintessence Sax, the award-winning wedding saxophonist, is widely acclaimed for her exceptional performances that encompass a range of musical styles and moods. Her repertoire effortlessly spans from classic love songs for weddings to the vibrant Ibiza style, soul, Motown and more.

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from£370

Tommy B Magic

  • Wiltshire
  • 1
  • (13)

Professional magician with a personable approach, your guests will witness the impossible whilst feeling relaxed, excited & entertained... it's the perfect magical ice-breaker!

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from£435

Georgia T

  • Brighton
  • 1-2
  • (6)

Versatile and adaptable singer with a repertoire of over 500 songs and two duo options also available.

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.

All wedding reception musicians

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.

All wedding reception musicians

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.

Top Wedding Musician Genres

Sax player header

Wedding Saxophonists

Hire a solo saxophone player for mellow mood music during a wedding reception or meal.

String Quartet Hire 2

Wedding String Quartets

An elegant, timeless addition to a wedding ceremony, drinks reception or garden party

Acoustic Duos Bands For Hire

Wedding Acoustic Duos

Ideal for afternoon receptions, garden parties and venues with noise restrictions.

Steel Band Hire

Wedding Steel Bands

Laid-back, tropical steel bands for garden parties and outdoor wedding receptions.

Singers For Hire 2

Wedding Singers

Wedding singers, Rat Pack style crooners, guitar vocalists and vocal groups

Pianist Hire

Wedding Pianists

Background pianists and singer pianists playing jazz, classical, film music and pop.

Guitarist For Hire

Wedding Guitarists

Classical, flamenco and pop guitarists for weddings and parties, with or without vocals.

Wedding Jazz Bands for Hire

Wedding Jazz Bands

Swing, blues, dixieland or bebop – hire a jazz band for mellow background music or dancing.

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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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