How to: Music Appreciation

6. Do your research — and book early.

Shop around — get CDs, attend showcases, ask friends for recommendations — but don’t drag your feet. For music professionals with booked-solid weekends, a year from now is right around the corner.

At the core of it, your wedding isn’t just tradition, it’s a celebration — when else can you have all the people closest to you together for the ultimate fete? — and your music selection sets the tone for just what kind of celebration it’s going to be. So go for what you know will get the party going, don’t be afraid to add a bit of personality to your music choices, and then hit the dance floor and get down with your bad self. Choose wisely and you could get the response the Gaios did. Says Jim, “We had friends who got married after us saying, ‘I still had more fun at your wedding.’”