Music:

• A DJ is a good choice for music for the ceremony and the reception. The DJ can also be the MC for the reception.
  
  
• You may know of a local band that you like that you could get a good deal from. Make sure they know the songs you want to hear. That especially applies to the song for the first dance.
  
  
• Do not overlook the option of using a high school or college band or orchestra. Many of these young people are very talented and eager to get some real playing time. While the quality may not be that of a true professional band, keep in mind that even the professionals got their start somewhere. If you have a university where you live, call the Admissions office to see if they can make any recommendations.
  
  
• If you or someone you know has a talent for recording music, line up the songs you want and ask that person to burn two CDs – one for the wedding and one for the reception. Typically, the sound is great and by recording the songs in order, nothing is messed up.
  
  
• Another excellent option for trimming your music budget is by choosing to have recorded music for either the wedding or reception and live music for the other. By doing this, you are cutting the time that you would pay for the musicians in half yet still getting the benefit of the live music. Although the wedding is the primary focus, there is little music played during this part that would need to be live. Therefore, you would probably do best to have the recorded music for the ceremony and save the live music for the reception.
  
  

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