Traditional wedding entertainment – What’s out there in Sydney

Firstly lets sort out what exactly is traditional wedding entertainment? Over the ages this has certainly varied. Traditions evolve to suit the period of time they are set in. There are a few things however that we can say that stick around. These are outlined below.

Aisle walk song:

Most wedding entertainment Sydney, wether classical or small pop bands will provide for an Aisle walk song. Pachelbel’s canon was used (and still is) for centuries as a staple piece in Traditional wedding entertainment. This is usually replaced these days with something modern and sentimental. Again, can’t help falling in love is a big contender for this and slow enough for the bridesmaids to walk to. Ellie Goulding has made a big impact in this area since the odd movie “50 Shades of Grey. “Love me like you do” has seen many bride stroll to her awaiting groom down the red carpet. The other option of course is to hire a string quartet and walk down to the music.Of classical giants such as Bach, Mozart, Satie or indeed Pachelbel.

The Bridal Dance

Yep this is a standard part of all traditional wedding entertainment packages and has been for hundreds of years. Sure, once upon a time it was strictly a waltz (and is often still called so). However these days it can be any piece of music that floats your boat as a couple. All good Sydney wedding bands provide the option of a live performed Bridal Dance. Sometimes also called the First Dance. The couple usually choreographs this on a basic level. At various Big Thanks Band weddings we have seen couples who were actually close to professional dancers! This is a spectacular moment to see a husband throwing his new bride gracefully around the dance floor. However the opposite is usually the case. A nervous groom with two left feet trying to pace in step with his beloved to an Ed Sheeran Ballad. The new “tradition” in fact is simply; Keep it simple stupid! Some couples will all together opt out of the traditional First Dance out of fear. But a good Sydney Wedding band will always encourage the Bridal dance as a part of the traditional wedding entertainment package. It doesn’t have to be fancy, in fact, most bystanders are encouraged to see two regular folk having a romantic first twirl before joining them on the dance floor. The romance surely is not in the moves but in the mood. Staring into each other eyes never fails to impress. So what are popular Bridal Dance Songs in recent years? Ed Sheehan has blitzed the competition, firstly with Thinking Out loud. This was a famously romantically choreographed video clip that inspired many a couple. To keep the record going he released the romantic (if cheesy)”Perfect”. Which topped the bridal dance charts for 2019. As timeless as Ed Sheerans songs seem to be, the King of Rock n Roll himself has made a solid comeback lately. “I can’t help falling in Love with you” by Elvis Presley has been a huge contributor to first dance moments. This is sometimes a different version which was made popular by the movie “Crazy Rich Asians” in 2019. Kina Grannis was the artist who bought this song back with a bang.

The Bridal Party introductions

This is always part of a traditional wedding entertainment package. Its the tradition of grandly announcing each groomsman and bridesmaid as they enter the reception dinner. A different piece of music can be played for each couple. The other alternative is to have one song that dips and rises in volume as each couple is announced. Bridal couples often like to leave the main hook of the song or the Chorus (the bit everybody recognises) to the moment when they enter. They enter last of course, usually just ahead of the Maid of Honour and the Best Man. Up tempo is usually the choice for the entrance songs. Everything ranging from Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk, to Beyonce – Crazy in Love and even Rock classics like living on a prayer. Stevie wonder is also a common choice with Signed Sealed Delivered at the top of the list. Others might go for a rather more classical approach and have an orchestral song playing over the speaker system. This is from iPod obviously (unless the couple has hired an orchestra!).

Boquet and garter toss music

These are slightly less necessary traditions. Yet often as a part of traditional wedding entertainment they find a place in the later dance sets of a bands repertoire. By far the most common song played for bouquet tosses in recent years has been Beyonce’s “All the single ladies”. It can be a cringe worthy moment as the relevant boyfriends look at their potential brides making a desperate grab for the flowers. The one who catches it may end up with an awkward evening! Are you stringing me along or are we serious? Hmmm? But who said tradition was easy!

Farewell Arch

A traditional wedding entertainment stalwart that has stood the test of time is the farewell arch or circle. Loved ones gather round at the end of a fun-filled evening and farewell the newly weds. Music is a must for this moment and is usually something anthem or sentimental. For an Italian wedding they will play the classic Tarantella Napoletana. Others choose a great anthem like (again) Living on a Prayer or “I believe in a thing called love” by the Darkness. Still other choose classics like “All you need is Love” by the Beatles. The Big Thanks Band has been known to slip in a a cold play anthem classic “Viva la Vida” and have the crowd chant along as the couple exits. Of course the timing of the actual farewell needs to be considered. Is it an arch or circle? No I’m not debating what window on play school, I’m just trying to figure out how long the song needs to be! Lets face it, a circle is hard work. This is tradition where the couple walks around a giant circle of guests and individually face to face thanks each person for coming. By the time they have exchanged pleasantries and short stories with each of a hundred guests, the Tchaikovsky 1812 overture could be played twice! For this reason most people opt for the archway and do a quick run down the gauntlet. Sometimes seen off by sparklers or more confetti. Keen to get away on their honey moon, they happily leave pleasantries and catch ups for a later date.

Tags: , , ,

Categorised in: , , ,