Question 1

When do you require our ceremony song choices?

Accepted Answer

We ask for ceremony song choices to be submitted via email 8 weeks before the wedding and finalised at the very latest 6 weeks before the wedding. It's just that after the 6 week mark, changes to the ceremony song list may not be possible.

Question 2

Is it possible to request a song that is not listed in your Ceremony Song Collection PDF?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely. However we can commit to only one new ceremony song request per wedding. We also ask for the new song* request to be submitted for consideration at the very latest 10 weeks before the wedding. Unfortunately not every song would be doable by us but we always endeavour to do our best with new requests. 
Note: For all new song requests we have to charge an add-on fee for the time and work required. Generally speaking, there is a minimum of 4 hours work involved in transcribing a song for our duo but this does vary depending on the particular song. Transcribing music is an entirely different skill to performing music. And to transcribe music takes a lot of time and effort so hopefully this is understandable.
Also, we do update our Ceremony Song Collection PDF quite regularly with new songs and our most up-to-date Ceremony PDF will always be found at the link directly below:
(Click here to view our most up-to-date Ceremony Song Collection pdf) (https://www.thehoneyvoomduo.com/song-library)

*When submitting a new song for consideration, please forward a YouTube link of the particular song to us.

Question 3

Do you play music before the ceremony begins? And how long before the ceremony start time do you arrive?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as part of our ceremony music package, we perform background music as guests take their seat in the ceremony room / church. Any music performed prior to the entrance song is always chosen by us as we have to be conscious of guitar tunings and be prepared for the actual entrance song. However, all ceremony song choices, from entrance to exit (and all chosen songs in between), are of course all yours.
We always aim to arrive at the ceremony location one hour before the expected ceremony start time. This one hour gives us plenty of time to set-up our equipment, perform a sound-check, and liaise with the celebrant/priest. We then start performing some light background music of our choosing as guests take their seat.

Question 4

Can you also provide a singer for the ceremony?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! We work with professional singers quite regularly for ceremony music and we can provide package add-on options of singers with varying styles to suit.

Question 5

Can you accompany a family-member/friend/external singer who will sing at our ceremony?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We often accompany a family member/friend/external singer for ceremony music. For all accompaniments we arrange to meet the singer approx. 30 mins before the ceremony start-time and we all have a run-through of the song at the ceremony location. We can provide accompaniment for one song only and we will need advance notice of a minimum of 10 weeks before the wedding that accompaniment is definitely required along with the song choice (and ideally where the song will take place in your ceremony). One thing to be aware of is that not every song key is available for accompaniment as there is no transpose function per se on a guitar. Depending on the song, the only song key available for the singer will be the key in which we already perform the song. 
Note: We have to charge a small add-on fee for the additional time and work required for all accompaniments we provide. Included with this fee will be the option of us providing a microphone, mic stand, and amplification for the singer.
Also, we can provide accompaniment for singer only. We do not provide accompaniment for a musician playing another instrument.

Question 6

Do I need to send you a PDF of our final ceremony script?

Accepted Answer

Though it is not a requirement, if you have a PDF copy of your ceremony script then yes, please, by all means do forward a copy.

Question 7

Do you have a sample 'Church Ceremony' Song Selection?

Accepted Answer

The template below will outline where songs are usually placed in a church ceremony along with some popular song choices. 
Note: The template below is for a Catholic Church wedding ceremony. For a Church of Ireland wedding ceremony, feel free to omit the sections not required. Also, if the wedding ceremony is not a full mass then generally speaking the Offertory and Communion sections would be omitted.

Entrance*
A Thousand Years (Christina Perri)
 
Lighting of Individual Candles
Air On The G String (Bach)
 
Responsorial Psalm
N/A (The Psalm should be read by a guest or priest)
 
Gospel Acclamation**
Alleluia
 
Lighting of Marriage Candle
She Moved Through The Fair
 
Offertory / Presentation of the Gifts
Gabriel’s Oboe (E Morricone)
 
Sign of Peace
The Cloud's Veil
 
Communion
Ave Maria
The Voyage (Christy Moore)
 
Signing of the Register
Arica (Toto)

Exit
L'Amour Toujours (Gigi D'Agostino)

*Note: No matter the number of people in the wedding party (bride, bridesmaids, flower-girl, etc) or entrance duration, one song always works well and covers the entire duration of the entrance. On the day, if the entrance song needs to be extended or reduced in duration we can adapt it in the moment so you don't need to worry about the chosen entrance song being too short or too long. 
We always strongly advise against the use of more than one song for the entrance. The only way we can have such an extensive and varied repertoire is by utilising many different guitar tunings. And it is not possible to retune the guitar in between entrance songs as there is simply not enough time to do so. For further explanation, please refer to Ceremony FAQ No. 9.
Also, any music performed prior to the entrance song is always chosen by us as again we have to be conscious of guitar tunings and be prepared for the actual entrance song. However, all ceremony song choices, from entrance to exit (and all songs in between), are of course all yours.
**Note: This is a fixed song choice so we don't require an alternative (Gospel Acclamation = Alleluia)
Additional Note: For all of the listed ceremony sections, one song choice is required. If guest numbers are 100 or above then a second song choice for Communion would be appropriate.

Question 8

Do you have a sample "Civil Ceremony" song selection?" (ie.: non-church based ceremony)

Accepted Answer

The template below will outline where songs are usually placed in a non-church based ceremony:
 
eg.: civil, spiritual, humanist, etc.
 
Entrance*
A Thousand Years (Christina Perri)
 
Lighting of Candles
I Need My Girl (The National)
 
Between Readings (stand-alone song)**
Dreams (The Cranberries) 
 
Signing of the Register
Africa (Toto)

Exit
L'amour Toujours (Gigi D'Agostino)

*Note: No matter the number of people in the wedding party (bride, bridesmaids, flower-girl, etc) or entrance duration, one song always works well and covers the entire duration of the entrance. On the day, if the entrance song needs to be extended or reduced in duration we can adapt it in the moment so you don't need to worry about the chosen entrance song being too short or too long. 
We always strongly advise against the use of more than one song for the entrance. The only way we can have such an extensive and varied repertoire is by utilising many different guitar tunings. And it is not possible to retune the guitar in between entrance songs as there is simply not enough time to do so. For further explanation, please refer to Ceremony FAQ No. 9.
Also, any music performed prior to the entrance song is always chosen by us as again we have to be conscious of guitar tunings and be prepared for the actual entrance song. However, all ceremony song choices, from entrance to exit (and all songs in between), are of course all yours.
**Note: A stand-alone song (usually performed in between or after readings) is a great place to have an additional song performed. This section is optional but tends to work well. Song duration is approx. 1.5 - 2 mins.
Additional Note: For all of the listed ceremony sections, one song choice is required

NB: Most celebrants (and priests) have their own customised formats for ceremony so it’s always best to chat with your celebrant when choosing your ceremony songs.

Question 9

Should I choose more than one song for ceremony entrance?

Accepted Answer

The TLDR answer is no. One entrance song only is always best. I will elaborate on this below.

No matter the number of people in the wedding party (bride, bridesmaids, flower-girl, etc) or entrance duration, one song only always works well and covers the entire duration of the entrance. On the day, if the entrance song needs to be extended or reduced in duration we can adapt it in the moment so you don't need to worry about the chosen entrance song being too short or too long. We always strongly advise against the use of more than one song for the entrance. The only way we can have such an extensive and varied repertoire is by utilising many different guitar tunings. And it is not possible to retune the guitar in between entrance songs as there is simply not enough time to do so for a smooth transition from one song to the next.
Performing two entrance songs is only manageable when the two separate entrances are formally announced by a celebrant or an MC.
Performing two entrance songs only works well if both entrances (bride and bridal party) are announced separately by the celebrant (or priest or an MC) and if there is a pause (minimum 10 seconds) in between songs.
Unless the two entrances are formally announced, both entrances can end up crossing over each other and you are left with barely a snippet of the second song being played.
If there is no pause or announcement, what tends to happen is that the bride will start walking immediately after the bridal party (having all eyes on you can be a little overwhelming and walking pace almost becomes a jog) and we the musicians don’t have a chance to stop the first song and start playing the second song. And it is incredibly difficult to halt a song mid-verse and make it sound good. Plus, we have to perform seated whilst most guests will be standing and it can be next to impossible for us to see what is happening at all times.
From experience, the average duration of a full ceremony entrance (both bride and bridal party), even with a very long aisle, is approx. 2 minutes. And even with a bridal party consisting of many bridesmaids plus page-boy, flower-girl, etc, one song is more than enough to cover the full entrance.
If couples insist on using two entrances songs, unfortunately it can be very difficult to stand-over the timings of the two songs.
 
If I can offer one piece of advice, I would run with one song only for the full entrance. We always adapt the chosen entrance song on-the-fly to suit the entrance duration and we endeavour to make the song peak as the bride is nearing the top of the aisle. So you don’t have to worry about the song not being long enough, etc. We always make it work.

Note: We don't play snippets (ie.: 10 seconds or 15 seconds) of a song for fun prior to the actual chosen entrance song being performed. In practice, all this does is make it appear like we have started the wrong song and then attempted to quickly transition to the actual Entrance song (which again may not be possible due to guitar tunings, etc - see explanation above). Instead, simply choose the fun song for your Entrance. This is a much better option.

Question 10

Is it okay to have a song performed while a guest or celebrant/priest is speaking? (Eg.: For Hand-Fasting, or Sand-Ceremony, or Post-Communion Reflection, etc)"

Accepted Answer

I always advise couples not to have a song performed while a guest or the celebrant/priest is speaking. Unless a sound engineer is present to live-mix both music and spoken word, the overall sound can get a bit muddled and both audio sources can be a little unclear. Songs are performed best when accompanying non-spoken actions (eg.: Candle Lighting, Signing of the Register, Offertory Procession, Communion, etc)
If there is a particular song that you wish to have performed but can't fit the song into your ceremony layout, I always advise couples to run with the song as a stand-alone song (generally in between or after a reading works best)

Question 11

How many songs should I choose for each ceremony section?

Accepted Answer

As a rule of thumb, it would be one song per ceremony section. Though for a church ceremony with guest numbers above 100, a second song for Communion would be appropriate.

Note: In the event of an additional song being required on the day (for any ceremony section), rest assured we always have a few songs at-the-ready to cater for this.

- See Q7 for Church Ceremony Song Template
- See Q8 for Non-Church Ceremony Song Template

Question 12

Are there any restrictions on what type of music can be performed at a church ceremony?

Accepted Answer

As a rule of thumb, the Alleluia is always performed for the Gospel Acclamation (so this song choice is fixed). 
Note: Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley/Leonard Cohen) is not a substitute for the Alleluia. So Hallelujah or any pop song cannot be used for this section. The Alleluia we perform is Seinn Alleluia.
Then, occasionally the priest may insist on using a hymn/classical song for certain mass sections eg.: Responsorial Psalm, Offertory Procession, and/or Communion. However, this is very dependant on the individual priest’s wishes. If in doubt, for these sections, I always advise to couples to run with the following:
 
Responsorial Psalm
As I Kneel Before You
 
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia
 
Offertory Procession
Gabriel’s Oboe 
 
Communion
Ave Maria
 
Other than the above, most priests are generally okay with whatever song choices are chosen for the remaining ceremony sections. Some priests can be very open minded and will leave ALL music choices up to the couple and musicians. 
 
FYI: Generally speaking there are no song restrictions on the Entrance, Signing of the Register, and Exit song choices as these sections are not part of the mass per se. 
Also, if you were to encounter difficulty with your priest when choosing your songs, it might be worth mentioning that we are instrumental music only so there is zero risk of any “offensive” lyrics.
 
(See Q7 above for Church Ceremony Song Template)

Question 13

Can you briefly explain what songs work best for the various ceremony sections?

Accepted Answer

There’s no hard-and-fast rules with the type of song used in each section though as a general rule-of-thumb the Entrance song will be a soft, gentle, and emotive piece whereas the Exit song will be an upbeat and energetic song.
The Signing of the Register can also be an upbeat song though the tendency is to run with something mid-tempo.
For Candle Lighting, something soft and emotive is generally chosen. Note: for candle lighting the song duration requirement is approx. 45 to 60 seconds.

Note: For church based wedding ceremonies, some song restrictions may apply (see Q12)

Question 14

Where do you set-up in the church / ceremony room?

Accepted Answer

We always prefer to set-up at the top of the aisle (as opposed to being at the back of the ceremony room or being up in the gallery in a church).
Being positioned at the top of the aisle is a great vantage point for us and also helps with the cues for song starts. We pride ourselves in being music performers too so we have no problem in being both seen and heard :)

Of course, not all ceremony rooms or churches have enough space to facilitate this but where possible, somewher enear the top works perfectly for us.

Question 15

I don't see my question listed. How do I get in touch with you?

Accepted Answer

For all additional questions/concerns, feel free to email us on:
thehoneyvoomduo@gmail.com

Frequently Asked Questions