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"I received so many compliments from my guests and we were so happy we chose you guys.
Thank you so much!" 

- Emma Daly

Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of frequently asked questions divided up into three different categories:

- Ceremony Music FAQs

- Reception Music FAQs

- General FAQs

Click on the category tab to browse through each selection.


 

 

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General FAQs

In relation to your set-up, what requirements do you have from our venue?

Two armless chairs and a nearby mains power socket. (Note: If ceremony or reception is being planned for outdoors, adequate shelter will be required. See next question)



Do you perform outdoors?

Though we prefer to perform indoors, if adequate shelter can be made available, yes, we can perform outdoors (weather permitting from May - September incl.). Most venues have portable shelter so it is always best to check with your venue for its availability for your wedding day. The shelter is not for us per se; it’s very much for the instruments and amplification. If rain (even momentary light drizzle) or direct sunlight were to hit the instruments or equipment, it could potentially damage them. Ideally the shelter should be a pop-up gazebo/tent, however a parasol/canopy with a wide (cantilever) umbrella will suffice. In the wickedly unfortunate event of it starting to rain mid-ceremony, it really is peace-of-mind having shelter/protection in place (rather than trying to dash and seek shelter mid-ceremony). If you are planning on having your ceremony or reception outdoors, we kindly ask to be informed well in advance of the wedding (at the very latest 6 weeks beforehand). Note: As we all know the Irish weather can be very unpredictable so we do request that on the wedding day, the final decision to perform outdoors for ceremony or reception is made in conjunction with our wishes. As a general rule of thumb, if the risk of precipitation is greater than 50%, temperature below 14 degrees celsius or winds greater than 30km/h, performing outdoors should be avoided. An indoor option should always be at the ready.



Do you perform in the rain / momentary light drizzle?

Unfortunately we do not. See previous question for explanation.



Can your equipment run on battery power or does it require mains power?

Yes, our ceremony / reception amplification can run on battery power, however if the venue can provide mains power (230V AC) to where we will be set-up this will always be ideal.



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

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



Ceremony Music FAQs

When do you require our ceremony song choices?

We ask for the final ceremony song choices to be submitted via email 8 weeks before the wedding (6 weeks at the very latest).



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

Yes, however we can only commit to one new ceremony song request per wedding. We also kindly ask for the new song request to be submitted for consideration at the very latest 10 weeks before the wedding. Ideally the more popular/well-known the song is, the greater likelihood of sourcing sheet music for the song. If the sheet music is not available for the song, we may not be in a position to perform the song. We do update our Ceremony Song Collection PDF quite regularly with new songs and our most up-to-date PDF will always be found at the link directly below: ( Click here to view our most up-to-date Ceremony Song Collection pdf)



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

Yes, as part of our ceremony music package, we perform background music as guests take their seat in the ceremony room / church. 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.



Can you also provide a singer for the ceremony?

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.



Do you mind accompanying a family-member/friend who will sing at our ceremony?

Not at all! We often accompany family members/friends of the couple at weddings. The way we work this is closer to the date, we ask for the singer’s email address to be forwarded to us and we get in touch directly with the singer to co-ordinate song key and song arrangement in advance of the wedding day. Then on the day we ask the singer to meet with us approx. 30/40 minutes before the expected ceremony start time and we have a run-through of the song. If necessary we can also provide a mic and speaker for the singer.



Should I choose more than one song for ceremony entrance?

I always recommend using one song only. Two separate songs for entrance seldom works well. 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 (ideally 5 - 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) is approx. 2 minutes. 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 do 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 for the full entrance. We always adapt the chosen entrance song on-the-fly to suit the entrance duration and 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.



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

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



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)

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)



Can you explain a little as to what songs work best for the various ceremony sections?

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)



How many songs should I choose for each ceremony section?

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 and Signing of the Register 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



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

As a rule of thumb, the Alleluia is always performed for the Gospel Acclamation (so this song choice is fixed). 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)



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

The template below will outline where songs are usually placed in a Church Ceremony (along with some popular song choices): (Religious Ceremony) eg.: Catholic Church Wedding Ceremony Entrance A Thousand Years (Christina Perri) Lighting of Individual Candles Air On The G String (Bach) Responsorial Psalm As I Kneel Before You 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 Can’t Help Falling In Love (Elvis P) Here Comes The Sun (The Beatles)

Exit
Everywhere (Fleetwood Mac)



Do you have a sample "Non-Church Ceremony" song selction?

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) In Between Readings (stand-alone song)
Dreams (The Cranberries) Signing of the Register Can’t Help Falling In Love (Elvis P)

Exit
L'amour Toujours (Gigi D'Agostino)

Note: 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.



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

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.



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

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



Reception Music FAQs

Do we need to choose drinks reception / cocktail-hour songs?

Nope, you don't have to worry about these as we always work from our Reception Song List PDF for all reception performances (ie.: afternoon drinks reception, dinner music, evening music entertainment, and Day 2 music). Certain songs are grouped together depending on guitar tunings, tempos, etc to facilitate a smooth transition from one song to the next.
Contained in the PDF is a wide variety of tried-and-tested upbeat songs which we keep rehearsed and prepared, and they always go down a treat!
(Click here to view our most up-to-date Reception Song-List pdf)



Do you use your own speakers / amplification for receptions?

Yes, we always bring and use our own speaker system for all reception performances.



When should we let you know the start time of our drinks reception?

Ideally if you could let us know at the very latest 3 weeks before the wedding.



How long before the reception start time do you arrive at the venue?

We always arrive 45-60 minutes before the expected reception start time. This time period gives us pelnty of time to set-up our equipment and perform a soundcheck, and we are always ready to go 5 to 10 minutes before the expected start time.



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

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