Wedding Music Tip #17

Lighting. You might not think of lighting first and foremost when considering the musical aspects of your event, but sometimes light needs to be taken into consideration just as much as sound. Just as you want your guests to be able to hear the musicians, you want your musicians to be able to see their music and each other.

I was considering this somewhat neglected topic of event production recently when I performed with a classical guitarist for a wedding at a very intimate art gallery in Chelsea, where they seemed to believe the art work was best seen by candlelight and soft dimmers. I was silently grateful I had recently purchased a handful of stand lights from Guitar Center on 14th Street, and we were able to put them to immediate use. No one from the event space had warned me of the lighting situation, or the fact that the couple planned to exchange vows by little more than candlelight, and without our trusty stand lights we would have resembled a couple of octagenarians in need of new bifocals, straining to read the notes on the page. Stand lights are inexpensive but worth every penny. They can make a potentially painful situation quite beautiful, actually, and possibly even avoid an appointment with the opthamologist.

Wedding Music Tip #17: Consider your event space and what type of lighting you plan to use, especially for evening events. If you plan to marry by candlelight, let your musicians know in advance so they can come prepared with stand lights. Then they'll have absolutely no excuse at all for any wrong notes!

Until the next wedding,

Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com