Ceremony Music - Live or Pre-recorded?

Pre recorded music lists may be the idea for now since you can save on the costs and have your favourite songs played along with other great variety. A DJ is willing to play songs for the ceremony part of the cost to service the reception later, its great news. I had this done as a part of the cost which was excellent and him being the MC as well. Inquiring within the professional may help to know they will do this for you or be added as an extra cost to towards your budget.

View quoted message Thank you Layla!! 🙏🏾😁
Ohhhhh yes, definitely easier once rehearsed and it only takes a few minutes to do the walking down the aisle. Thank you so much and all the best to you too! 🥳💐

View quoted message Hey Rayanne,


That’s an excellent point! I agree, with the way things are now, I think pre-recorded might be the way to go and keep that extra body. I think I’m definitely starting to lean towards pre-recorded!

View quoted message That’s really great, Amanda! We’re deciding if we should book our DJ for the ceremony as well, so we might do that. I’m thinking it might be easier to rehearse with pre recorded music

View quoted message Hi Tunisha,


Thank you and congratulations to you too!! 🎉🎉Oh that sounds like a great idea! Haha we’re figuring out if we should book our DJ/acoustic duo for the ceremony or just cocktail hour and onwards. That sounds like a great idea to have a family member push the button! Lol we might do that too, and might be easier to rehearse it with pre recorded music. Thanks for the tips!! And best wishes🥳

I do love the feel of live musicians at a wedding (for ceremony anyway) but I don't think I would have live right now. Definitely once things are a little more normal but I'd rather an extra loved one than a harpist....

My fiance and I are having our DJ do our music for the ceremony. The package that we chose with him includes ceremony so we don't have to worry about figuring out that part of the wedding

Congratulations 🥳 Layla!


We do not have a wedding planner either. Well, my sister is assisting but she’s my MOH. We’re not hiring a DJ. My sister loves to play music and was planning it, but she also planned to be a bridesmaid. Haha. So we have someone from my fiancé’s family that will be the emcee and try to do both since he loves to play music as well.
In this case, we are definitely playing a song and having the emcee or someone to push the button. 😂😂 But yes, rehearse the plan of walking down the aisle while the music plays in the background.

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Find a good friend who's tech savvy. Or if you have a DJ hired, let them do it. And yes, definitely rehearse it!

View quoted message Thanks! This is really helpful. We’re leaning towards pre-recorded but I’m a bit concerned about assigning it to someone (don’t have a wedding planner) and making sure we’re on beat lol! I guess that’s what rehearsals are for.

We're going with pre-recorded. A laptop or Spotify won't count towards your gathering limits. Members of a band will.

Live will feel more cohesive, especially if you're intending on using songs from different genres. You also won't have to adjust volume on each track since it'll be consistent.

With a recorded track, you'll just have more possibilities because you can use obscure songs that bands may not know, or songs from your own culture if applicable. You can also find a ton of cover versions of songs you like to use. The sound will feel more varied since it's not all being played by one instrument or voice.

Depending on the type of band, you may need to amplify them in order to be heard whereas a pre-recorded track will play into speakers.

With a live band, the members can see everything going on and adjust speed or start and stop accordingly. They can also shorten pieces with ease (play only first verse and chorus). With a pre-recorded track, you'll need a DJ or someone to work the cues or have the technical know-how to mix your own shorter versions so songs don't end abruptly mid-sentence.

A live band will likely be more expensive.

Some live bands may not be allowed due to covid (ie singers and brass instruments have to be isolated from everyone else behind a barrier).