If you are looking to enhance your wedding drinks reception and wedding breakfast, why not add some live music? Subtle background music during these stages of your wedding day will help to create a celebratory atmosphere, whilst also relaxing and entertaining your guests.

As part of wedding band the Moon Loungers (www.themoonloungers.com) I have lots of experience in this field, and here are a few tips on the type of music you might choose to select:

During the Drinks Reception

With the formalities of the wedding ceremony completed, it’s time for the wedding party to relax and enjoy a glass of bucks fizz, perhaps some pimms and lemonade. Live music can add the perfect accompaniment to this part of the wedding day, enhancing the atmosphere and entertaining your guests as they mingle and chat.

Jazz and swing numbers will always fit the bill, but a selection of laid back acoustic tunes can also create the perfect chilled out mood. It’s a nice opportunity for the bride and groom to pick something that reflects their own taste in music.

We find the time of year tends to influence our set list: when we’re playing outside for summer weddings, songs such as Daydream (Lovin’ Spoonful), Sunny Afternoon (The Kinks) and Summertime (Gershwin) work really well; for Christmas-time weddings, we’ll set up next to the fire and replace these songs with the likes of Let it Snow (Dean Martin), White Christmas (Bing Crosby) and Last Christmas (Wham).

During the Wedding Breakfast

Live music can also create the perfect atmosphere for the wedding breakfast, and keeps your guests entertained between courses. A continuation of the style of music selected for the drinks reception works well here.

We always try to cater for all ages and tastes, and have a set list containing a mixture of tunes from the 1950s right up to the modern era. Going from Fly Me to the Moon (Frank Sinatra) into something by Coldplay ensures that everybody is kept happy! We try and stay in the background, but every now and then we’re taken by surprise and receive a welcome round of applause as guests start to really relax and enjoy the occasion.