We love how ceremony music can truly capture the styles, personalities, interests, and traditions of a couple. Whether you want the melodies of an acoustic guitar or string quartet greeting guests or a trumpet heralding you down the aisle, you have all kinds of budget friendly options to have that perfect soundtrack to your wedding ceremony.

1.     Start calling in those favors. Have a friend that plays the cello? Your cousin performs solos in a choir? Your grandma knows an organist? Use these connections to find a talented amateur musician or singer to provide your wedding music. If it is someone you know well, ask them to perform in your wedding as a gift to you or as a way to be involved in the ceremony. Or offer to pay a friend of a friend a small fee for his talents. Either way, you save big on what it would cost to hire a pro.

2.     Getting married in a church? Ask your church organist or pianist to play at your wedding. Typically organists will charge a small fee or will donate their fees to the church, but they are certainly a budget-friendly option. Plus, since they have experience playing at that location, they will be familiar with the church’s acoustics, equipment, etc.

3.     Scope out local high schools and colleges. The music departments there are filled with aspiring musicians, who would love to make a few bucks doing what they love. Plus, although young, many of these students are top-of-the-line performers. Call the music departments and tell them what kind of music you would like, and they will often be happy to connect you with a string quartet/trumpet player/vocalist, etc.  And even better news? Fifty or 75 bucks seems like a fortune to a high school student and means big savings for you!

4.     Forget live music. Go for prerecorded instead. If your venue has a house sound system or speakers, you can hook up your iPod or CD player and play that perfect soundtrack you’ve heard 100 times. A talented friend can even splice a recording for you to make it exactly the right time. Put a friend or relative in charge of starting and stopping and be done with it. Besides being FREE, you know exactly what the music will sound like and you have the benefit of having Philharmonic music playing as you walk down the aisle. How’s that for high-quality?

5.     Bring in the whole choir. How great would it be to have a group of performers singing your favorite hymn or song while you come down the aisle? Choirs and choral groups are often overlooked as a possibility for ceremony music, but they could be absolutely fabulous, and a cheaper alternative to professional musicians. Check with your choir at your place or worship to see if they would be willing to perform at your wedding or look into local choral groups.