Help me decide: organ vs guitar

[sunnygirl]

Hi girls!

I have a dilemma and I was hoping you all could help me decide....

We are getting married in a cute, small church. We have the option of hiring an organist to play the organ for the ceremony music. Another possibility is having a solo guitarist play. We are already having him play Spanish guitar at the cocktail hour and he also plays classical guitar and has performed at many ceremonies. They are two totally different sounds. I kind of think of guitar as more of an outside wedding thing but our church is small and light and airy. So on the one hand, I am worried that an organ will be to church-y and scary sounding and, on the other hand, a guitar will not be enough. What do you think? I need to make a decision pretty soon because someone else is asking about our day.....

Here is a link to some of his music samples - he has many other songs in his repertoire and can play all of them on solo guitar.

http://www.ybarramusic.com/index-ybarra-music.htm

Thanks!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Organ. Save the guitar for later.

 

[sunnygirl]

Ok so after listening to some samples of organ music, I am just not that into the sound. I did a little research and I found a reasonably priced string duo/trio and I think they would provide beautiful music for the ceremony. They are, however, more classical which I think is perfect for the ceremony but for the cocktail hour, I was hoping for something along the lines of Spanish guitar. Would it be weird to hire both?

 

[eks6426]

I like the guitar idea. Organ music is just very churchy and formal to me.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

The organ and a classical guitar are two VERY different sounds. To me an organ is about as formal and traditional as it gets. There is really no way to control the volume on an organ, so the music doesn''t have as much range, but when you think "organ" you think "church" and probably "wedding". A classical guitar is pretty much on the opposite side of the spectrum. Very informal, usually for small weddings (because the sound isn''t usually magnified). When I started planning I knew that I wanted to walk to my favorite Bach Cello Suite, but even a cello seemed too formal for our small, outdoor wedding, so we decided to have a classical guitar play the cello suite and I loved it. It really fit the whole feeling of our wedding better.

So when you think about the general feeling of your wedding, do you think of it as being more traditional and formal, or do you think it''s more untraditional and informal? Or somewhere in between? When you think about walking down the aisle, which do you think you''d prefer?

 

[Sha]

I LOVE guitar music. I agree that the organ would give a very formal feel to your wedding. If you would like a bit more of a modern touch, I would go for the guitar. I don''t think you can go wrong there.

 

[HollyS]

I''m prejudiced. We had a classical guitarist before, during and after the ceremony; in a chapel, not outdoors. We had light jazz CDs at the buffet reception. Ours was a small wedding (58 total), so a band or DJ would have been overkill. Personally, I never even considered an organ or piano; a string quartet was our second choice.

Everyone loved the guitarist; he got loads of compliments and received lots of requests for his website where he sells his CDs.

 

[justageek]

I vote for the guitar -- organ music is heavy and, as NewEnglandLady said, you can''t adjust the volume. No buildup and no way to be subtle... and plus you said you didn''t like the sound much. I think you''ve already made your decision

 

[MMM]

i vote guitar. i am actually looking to hire a classical guitarist for our ceremony as well. do you mind saying how much the guitarist you are considering is charging? i''ve gotten one quote so far and it was for $200 + travel. just wondering how this compares to prices you''ve come across?

 

[sunnygirl]

He quoted me $350 for first hour, then $250/hr after that. Another quote I received was $300 + 50 for travel fee.

BUT....basically the guitarist just pulled one on me. We had been emailing for several weeks. I knew for sure that I wanted him to play at the cocktail hour but I wasnt a hundred percent sure about the ceremony. He was available on my day and I was very excited. So he was going to send me the contract for the cocktail hour with the amount for deposit and then some time went by and I got busy with work and sort of forgot about it. I emailed him back twice and finally he emailed me back saying "someone else contacted me about your day but since you were first, i am holding it for you. let me know if you want me to send the contract." Which I already said I did. So I emailed back yes and he emailed me today basically saying the other person wanted him for more time and more players and they overnighted a deposit to him and "sorry for the inconvenience."

i was pissed and also sad because I had heard that he was the best Spanish guitarist in the area. Am I crazy or did he just basically wait for something bigger and better to come along?

 

[mrchips]

I''d say you go for the guitar.

IN particular the classic guitar.

But hate to throw you a curve ball but maybe you should look for a talented Violin player for the church and use the guitar for receiving line.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Ugh, Sunnygirl, I''m so sorry! I don''t need to tell you how completely unprofessional this is, I''m really surprised that a musician who probably regularly plays at weddings has such shady business practices. It''s isn''t uncommon for two couples to be interested in a vendor on the same day, but it should NEVER come down to who will be paying the most--any professional vendor will say that it is only fair to book the couple who has their deposit in first. How upsetting!

That being said, I really think you can find another guitarist who is equally good--there are MANY fantastic musicians out there. You might be able to save some money, too. I spoke with several guitarists and the most expensive one I considered was $250 for the first hour (including travel costs). The one we booked was $150 for the first hour including travel expenses and he was amazing (he also played Spanish guitar)--I definitely gave him a big tip. What I did was use the website www.gigmasters.com and sorted through guitarists in my area based on the reviews.

Good luck, I''m so sorry this happened! I''d be livid! (This happened with my photographer, btw, so it does happen. Unfortunately).

 

[sunnygirl]

Thank you for all your suggestions!

So I think in the end I decided on a string duo or trio for the church ceremony which I think will sound very nice. I just couldn''t imagine the guitar inside that church for some reason and I don''t like the organ''s heaviness. And then Spanish guitar for the cocktail hour. And I haven''t thought too much about the music afterwards....I would love some Sinatra/Big Band for dinner time. I know it is kind of the standard wedding thing but, man, he sounds good when he sings. And then later there will be Greek and Persian music for dancing and then later later a little prince and justin timberlake! It will be a musical extravaganza/chaos

Thank you NewEnglandLady for your words of sympathy - it will all work out in the end, I know it!