It’s always such a pleasure to receive a special request for a wedding or event, and create a bespoke music arrangement for us to perform to make a special occasion even more memorable and personal.

Quite often we are approached by a Bride or Groom, and, although they have already chosen a special piece of music to be arranged together, it is such a thrill to arrange a piece of music which will be a complete surprise for their partner.

This could happen during the Signing of the Register, for the couple to both walk out to, or even towards the end of the drinks reception! We were recently asked to play a special song for a Bride, so that the Groom could ask her to dance to it, just before they were due to go in for the wedding breakfast.  We all were so excited that this was a secret request, and the anticipation really mounted up during the drinks reception. We looked out for a nod and a wink from the Groom, who led his Bride over, and we played the Bride’s favourite song for her…

It was such an emotional experience, and very intimate, as the guests were still enjoying their drinks, and the happy couple shared the moment together as we played for them. We are very discrete, and love keeping a secret, so I shall divulge no more!

How do you go about choosing music for your wedding ceremony? This can seem a rather daunting task! At Classical Strings, we have over twenty years of experience in providing music for weddings, so we are always on hand to give advice and help to create a bespoke soundtrack for your special day.

Music to make your Entry to – this piece of music ideally needs to have a good steady beat for you to walk in time to – nothing too fast or slow – so that you can calmly walk down the aisle with ease! The timeless classic – ‘Pachelbel’s Kanon’ is a favourite choice. The Classical Strings Trio recently performed this at the wedding of David and Sam at Watergate Bay Hotel. This traditional piece combines an uplifting melody, with a strong bass line and is a great choice for walking in to – not to worry about timing the length of the music either – we are very experienced at fading out the music and bringing it to a conclusion when you have reached your position.

Our Quartet played for the wedding ceremony of Sera and Francesca at The Green in Liskeard, and this was most definitely a team effort! Our two brides are both professional musicians themselves, having performed with their band for the Royal Wedding of William and Kate at Hyde Park! Their vision was to have us perform the Entry music – ‘A Thousand Years’ alongside their Bridesmaids who would be singing, and some family and friends who would be playing guitar. We arranged the music for us all to play together – and it really was fantastic!

Having a special piece of film music to make your Entry to can make the ceremony very personal and special too. The Classical Strings Quartet performed a special arrangement of ‘When Ginny Kissed Harry’ from the film ‘Harry Potter and the Half – Blood Prince’ for the wedding of Natasha and Gary at Cornish Tipi Weddings recently. This was a very romantic piece of music, with a good steady beat for the Bride to make her Entry to – set against the magical backdrop of the woods, this created a very memorable moment.

Opting for a special arrangement for your Entry music can really make a statement for your wedding ceremony. One of our recent Brides, Claire, wanted an all classical programme, apart from a bespoke arrangement of ‘Dragostea Din Tei’ which was a Romanian folk song made famous in the 1990s by the band ‘Ozone’. This sounded really effective at the start of the ceremony at St Mawes Castle, and created a real personal touch for the ceremony.

We have so many special arrangements coming up – including a mash up of ‘Here Comes the Bride’ with the song ‘A Thousand Years’! Anything is possible…watch this space!