Planning a wedding can be very stressful: There’s tons of elements to make perfect, lots of vendors to coordinate, and sometimes, you don’t even know what questions to ask! Below is a step-by-step guide for what the booking and performance process for Quattro Voce Strings (that’s us!)
Step 1: Check Facebook or Instagram for our available dates.
About once a month, our administrator, Jenna, will make a post announcing our available dates. These get scheduled to be posted to Facebook and Instagram. Of course things can change quickly, so you can also send Jenna an email at jenna@jennamichaelviolin.com to inquire about your date.
Step 2: Check your location in comparison to ours.
We travel about an hour in any direction from Grand Rapids. All of our quartet members are in a stage of life where we are starting families, so we are no longer able to accommodate large travel times. Occasionally we can provide string duet music in the Detroit area. Please send Jenna an email our use our contact form to inquire about whether your venue is in our travel radius.
Step 3: Talk with our administrator, Jenna, about your custom performance agreement and pay a 50% retainer fee.
When you book with us, Jenna will write up an agreement for your wedding. We must agree to terms like what temperatures we can play in, that we absolutely cannot be in the rain, how long we play, what the travel fee is if necessary, etc. Then, you’ll receive an email from Square with a link to pay your 50% retainer fee, which goes towards your final balance. Your date is not secure until you send back the performance agreement and pay the retainer fee.
Step 4: Get Jenna the numbers of your wedding party and parents/grandparents being seated during the processional, and pick out your music selections at least 60 days prior to your wedding.
Our administrator, Jenna, works full time as a violin teacher, plays for a local community orchestra, and organizes 20 gigs a year for Quattro Voce Strings. This does not include any responsibilities at home! In order to ensure that your wedding is well organized and the music is flawless, we need your music selections 2 months prior to the wedding. That gives Jenna time to find the music, put it together, distribute it to her quartet members or duet partner, practice it, rehearse it, and then perform it at your wedding.
As far as what you pick, you’ll need to select the music for your processional, music for a unity ceremony if you are having one, and music for your recessional. Jenna can put together a list of music based on your preferences for the prelude and cocktail hour for you, or if you would like, you can compile a list and send it to her. Most couples elect to have Jenna put together a setlist for them, but plenty of couples plan each song, as well!
Step 5: Pay the remaining 50% of our performance fee 2 weeks prior to the wedding.
We handle all payments before the wedding, so we don’t need to track down family members on the day of the event. This ensures a seamless arrival and departure for your big day!
Step 6: Ensure the quartet (or duet) has chairs for the ceremony.
Violinists can stand in a pinch, but our cellist cannot. It will look more uniform and professional if we all have matching chairs.
Step 7:
Focus on your future spouse and enjoy the music!
(Optional) Step 8: Leave us a review!
If you enjoyed our music on your wedding day, it would mean a lot to leave us a review on our Facebook page!
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