Weddings

[Appenato]

Okay... here's the deal... you wouldn't think of calling the church and asking if you could get married there the next day, would you? Ceremony and all, with 200+ guests?! No. That's unthinkable. Calling the musicians ahead of time (at least a month, but certainly NOT the night before!!!) is not only considerate, but it saves you and them a great deal of stress and frustration. You can rest easy the night before you wed knowing that the ceremony is going to be just wonderful - music and all - instead of losing sleep over something so little as music for the wedding... unless of course you're into music and then music certainly isn't so trivial.

ARGH.

I don't like such last-minute/late-notice weddings. A couple called me last night asking if I'd play for their wedding. The first musician they had booked skipped out for reason that they hadn't told him when rehearsal was or the wedding, what time, etc., so they'd called him last night asking where he was when he didn't show up for the rehearsal (relayed to me by my friend who had spoken to the violinist last night). The wedding is tonight. When the groom asked if I was available to play, I originally declined the offer and gave him the name of my violinist friend. They called her, then she called me and I was talked into doing it for her sake. I was warned about this couple... by my friend that gave my name to them... that's why I said I was unable to do it first off. It's been a whole run-around.... Today my friend received a call from the bride saying she wanted a piece of music changed and told my friend to call the music director at the church and talk it over with him. He gave more dirt on her, saying that music was supposed to have been arranged and set 3 months ago. The bride's been indecisive about everything... and he said he was sorry we're having to play tonight.

Also, we don't even know if we're going to get paid this evening (I'm going to present them with self-addressed stamped envelopes if nothing's given tonight, maybe with a little note saying it's due in the next week... unless that's unprofessional?). I leave in little over an hour... if more complications arise, we'll just... skip out. She can have a nice enough wedding without music, since that seemed to be her mindset in the first place... heh... calling musicians the night before the ceremony.... <_<

Has anyone else dealt with such frustration over playing for weddings? Share your story if you like!

[sonatainfsharp]

My cousin got married and didn't make up their minds about the music until the MORNING of the wedding, no matter how many times I called them ahead of time.

So, I brought my own music. I happened to already know one of the pieces they wanted, but as for the rest, I told them I was going to play what I wanted, and I did.

On top of it, it should have been a $300 gig but they paid me $20 and wanted to keep MY books for nostalgic reasons or something.

On top of the top of it, they had an $80 toy keyboard for me to perform on!!!!!! (It was outside.)

Don't work with family.

On the flip side, I composed a piece especially for a friends wedding and didn't charge a penny, and they gave me $200 in gift certificates.

I had a professor who did a wedding--the kids broke the organ bench the night before, so they brought in a beach chair for him to sit on. Then, the singer got nervous and puked just before the wedding so he had to sing too... and this guy is NOT a singer.

[lau]

I played in a wedding about 3 months ago. I messed up on the Wedding march and everyone looked at me.

[Jacey1973]

So how did it go Appenato? I would like to play at weddings, but i've never really got involved with all that...

[Appenato]

Well, the wedding went okay. We played at the cathedral and the acoustics were awesome... so was the piano.  After playing on steinways at the university and my yamaha and other yamahas, particularly the one at the cathedral... i'm convinced yamahas are the better pianos. 

 my friend and I  rehearsed before the two pieces we were to play, and did our best for the ceremony. Hopefully they thought it was good and worth the late notice and pay. we were presented with checks before it all began so we were set. 

lau -

haha, the last wedding i played for i played the trumpet tune for the recessional and messed up with the octaves. Figured they need to have some spice added in as they leave....


Sonata-
 ack, the morning of?? that would be more stressful! especially the conditions - playing on a keyboard? haha.... i did a wedding like that during the summer, once again with my violinist friend... that's another story. ahh.... the adventures we musicians have when asked to do weddings.... Someone should write a book on them. It would be a highly amusing and hilarious (possibly) read. 

[Siberian Husky]