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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£315

Joe D

  • Liverpool
  • 1-7
  • (11)

An exceptional guitarist and vocalist playing an extremely wide variety of tunes, taking in everything from Neil Young to Nelly, The Coral and The Dubliners. Guitar/cajon duo and 3 to 6-piece band also available.

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from£430

Danny Grey

  • Liverpool
  • 1
  • (2)

A solo guitarist with over 20 years of playing experience, Danny Grey can offer a mixture of classical guitar music and unique finger-style versions of popular songs.

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from£540

Midnight Sax

  • Colchester
  • 1
  • (12)

Vibrant sax player with a vast repertoire of over 250+ songs, from classic pop and Motown to jazz and Ibiza house styles. Midnight Sax can effortlessly accompany DJs in any genre while curating the ultimate setlist for each party.

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from£1,250

Clemenza String Ensemble

  • London
  • 2-4
  • (36)

Experienced & elegant, Clemenza are widely regarded as London’s leading corporate and wedding string ensemble. They’ve performed for royalty, toured with Katie Melua and been headhunted for celebrity weddings! Duo, trio or quartet options available.

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from£585

The Dukes Duo

  • Hertfordshire
  • 2
  • (17)

Featuring a soulful vocals and a repertoire of the biggest pop, soul and funk tunes (plus a touch of blues), The Dukes are guaranteed to entertain, whether you're after provide mellow acoustic background music or the hottest groove.

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from£740

The Slick City Jazz Stompers

  • London
  • 2-7
  • (21)

The Slick City Jazz Stompers play trad jazz in the traditional New Orleans style – perfect for background music to help create a fun, informal and relaxed atmosphere at summer events.

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from£460

Blue Mood

  • London
  • 2
  • (19)

Classy background jazz duo performing jazz standards set to guitar and voice, as well as contemporary material – from Fats Waller and Sinatra to Justin Timberlake and Pharrell. Vocal/piano duo also available.

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from£370

Valentine Duo

  • Brighton
  • 2
  • (11)

With over 30 years of live experience between them, Valentine Duo provide a fun and varied accompaniment to your event and are perfect for entertaining guests at champagne receptions, corporate launches, wedding breakfasts, garden parties or any event where a touch of fun and sophistication is required.

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from£320

Elinor Jane

  • Manchester
  • 1
  • (3)

Award-winning harpist delivering a stunning classical and modern repertoire. Extra musicians available to form a duo or trio.

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from£1,620

The Lederpop Brass Band

  • London
  • 5
  • (33)

Offering the most authentic - and raucous - Oompah experience around! Whether its Oktoberfest, beer exhibitions or recreating the energy of apres ski, this is Lederhosen-fuelled fun and games at its finest! Available acoustic, roaming or with PA system.

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from£1,595

The Wandering Horns

  • Lancashire
  • 4-6
  • (26)

The Wandering Horns play a huge mix of music from classic jazz to contemporary pop, so that you can be assured that everyone will find something to love in their performances!

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from£1,415

April Skies

  • Leeds
  • 5
  • (24)

Elegant and dynamic jazz band with a classy repertoire of jazz standards with an optional female vocalist if desired. Smaller and larger instrumental ensembles are available to cater for the setting.

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from£430

Mike Sax

  • Southport
  • 1
  • (11)

Over his 20-year career as a professional musician, Mike Sax has become one of the most sought-after saxophonists in the North West, gracing hundreds of events with his soaring melodies.

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from£595

Gypsy Street

  • London
  • 2-5
  • (31)

This lively and spirited guitar duo offers a diverse repertoire, spanning jazz and gypsy to Italian music, all reimagined with a fresh, unique twist. They provide the ideal, unobtrusive background ambiance for weddings and parties.

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from£615

The Swing King

  • Warwickshire
  • 1
  • (29)

A finalist on Britain's Got Talent, The Swing King is a hugely popular singer of Rat Pack, jazz & swing standards as well as modern pop hits. Live 6-piece band option available.

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from£400

Island Moods

  • Buckinghamshire
  • 1-3
  • (20)

A modern and fresh steel drummer bringing a taste of the Caribbean to your event! Playing everything from tropical beats to modern songs with a twist of the islands. Expect to hear songs like Brown Girl in the Ring, The Tide is High, Reggae classics and many more! Perfect for any occasion!

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from£555

Samba Brasileiro

  • London
  • 2-5
  • (2)

Samba Brasileiro will take you on an exotic musical journey through Brazil - from upbeat samba to nostalgic Bossa Nova and ending with a healthy dose of Musica Popular Brasileira.

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from£445

Paul James

  • Brighton
  • 1
  • (18)

Refined and brilliant solo piano player boasting a varied compilation of beautifully arranged modern pop and rock tunes from Bob Marley to Bruno Mars as well as classical music.

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from£370

Amelia James

  • London
  • 1
  • (7)

An incredibly gifted singer, pianist and songwriter based in London who regularly provides music for weddings and events performing both at the piano and as a solo singer, as well as with her quartet.

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from£1,465

Son Aché

  • London
  • 5-9
  • (21)

Internationally acclaimed Cuban band with incredible female lead vocals, a driving intensity and irresistible rhythms guaranteed to turn any event into a fiesta!

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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