How to Be a Wedding Singer

Maybe your first booking was at your friend’s or your cousin’s wedding and it was such a success that you want to go professional. More and more couples are getting wed to a live-performed soundtrack, which only increases your chances of getting some gigs booked during the wedding season. Here, Guestblogger and professional wedding musician Kevin Okkema shares his tips to help you get more requests.

Transpose Your Songs into the Right Key for Your Voice

As the wedding singer, I always allow the couple to pick the songs I’ll play during the ceremony, which does mean that I’ll often be playing a song that I can’t actually sing in the same range as the original artist. I could try, but when you have a baritone voice and force it to sing a song written for a tenor, you’re just going to sound strained and can even risk damaging your voice. The best thing to do is find out the key that best matches your vocal range and then, if you need to, transpose all of the selected songs into that key. This way you can deliver a comfortable and smooth performance during the wedding ceremony and give the bridal couple the best possible send off.

Arrive On Time

It might sound obvious, but it’s still worth mentioning that leaving on time to arrive on time is simple and professional practice. Better yet: leave even earlier than you need to, because traffic is one of the many variables that you will never have any control over – and being early is always better than being late. I was actually a whole hour late to my second or third wedding booking because of a traffic jam but, luckily, the bridal couple was trapped in the same chaos as me so I actually ended up being right on time. As a general rule, I always like to arrive around two and half hours before the start of the ceremony just to be on the safe side. That way, if I run into any trouble on the way, then I always have plenty of time to get changed, have a chat with the registrar and prepare myself before I perform when I finally do arrive.

How to Be a Wedding Singer

Leave the Bridal Couple Alone

Of course, if you do run into the couple before the ceremony, then say hello and tell them how incredible they look, but by no means start asking them any technical questions like “Where’s the nearest power socket?” or “Where do you want me to set up?” Seriously – I’ve witnessed a DJ asking the poor bride exactly this question. The point is, the bridal couple have other things on their mind and are probably off their nuts with nerves, so they don’t have anywhere near the bandwidth required to answer any logistical questions. If you do need something, ask the registrar, the wedding planner or the designated ‘manager’ on site. They will know exactly what needs to happen, when it needs to happen and will be able to find everything you need to set up.

The Sound

Because a lot of weddings are held outdoors and the wedding party is usually at least 60 or so people strong, it makes sense to amplify both your instrument and your vocals. It just creates a nicer atmosphere when everyone can actually hear what you’re playing during the ceremony, and the more subdued mood music you’re likely to be playing while everyone files in and takes their seat. I always use a really simple and portable line-array speaker system. They’re really handy bits of kit and, compared to the separate speakers I used to use, it takes up less space and has a more tight and less imposing look. It also weighs quite a bit less so I have less trouble lugging it from the car to the venue – especially when the venue is up the narrow and well-worn flight of stairs in some castle. The other massive benefit of this kind of system is that it’s battery powered and can run for up to 6 hours without needing to plug it in. Gear like that is ideal for this kind of work because you never know if you’re going to be booked to play in the middle of a field, on a beach somewhere – a remote cliff maybe? You name it.

Extra tip: Even if the couple let you know that there’s already a sound system at the venue, I recommend always bringing your own anyway. You never know for sure if you’ll be able to plug your instrument into the PA provided or what the sound will be like. I once played a booking where they assumed I’d be able to plug my guitar into a Sonos stereo system. So yeah. Be safe, not sorry.

How to Be a Wedding Singer

Your iPad is Your Friend

Of course, you’ll have rehearsed every song you’re going to play, have everything committed to memory and feel fully prepared, but believe me, you never know what might happen during a wedding. Maybe you’re a little nervous when the big day finally arrives and suddenly forget the next chord or the first line of the second verse. It can happen. So, always load the lyrics and sheet music into your iPad and take it with you. Cheating a little bit really won’t matter and, most of the time, people won’t even notice you checking your notes. Just set your iPad up on a stand nearby so you can always glance at it if you need to.

Play With Your Heart, Not Your Head

Getting married is obviously a pretty intimate, (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime event, so being the person responsible for providing the music can be pretty nerve-wracking and there can be a lot going on in your head during the performance. “Do I still remember the lyrics for this one? Is my guitar in tune? Here comes that hard bit!” While it’s easier said than done, it’s far better to just let everything go and really try to be in the moment. It might be a lot of pressure to soundtrack the big moment, but people will only really feel the moment if you’re really feeling it too, rather than just radiating uncertainty. Who cares if you don’t sing that note perfectly? Have you ever heard Chris Martin make it through a whole gig without missing a note?

If you’re about to play at a wedding, then I hope my few words of wisdom have been of help. If you’re already a seasoned wedding singer and have some tips of your own that you’d like to share, please feel free to stick them in the comments!