Once the Ceremony is over, there is often a period of about an Hour (sometimes longer, sometime shorter) when Bride, Groom, and the Wedding Party are taking pictures somewhere else and the wedding guests are socializing.
During this period of time known as The Cocktail Hour, there is light music played in the background to provide an upbeat start to the Wedding Reception. It is quite common for the Bride & Groom to hire Musicians for this period of time, or to have their DJ play light background music.
Generally-speaking, Cocktail Hour Music is light “Conversation Music”: Soft Background Music which is Easy to hold a conversation to.
The Most Popular Option for the Wedding Cocktail Hour Music is to hire a Live Pianist who can play Jazz Music, or selections from Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Elton John, and other artists associated with a “Piano Bar” scene. If you are planning to hire a Band for your Wedding Reception, then the Pianist in the band could also be your Cocktail Hour Musician. Some pianists also sing, but most do not. Many pianists will have a Digital Piano keyboard they can provide if your Wedding Reception does not already have an acoustic piano available or if the Cocktail Hour is held outside.
