Got a Question?
We've pulled together some questions and answers which have come up over the years. Hopefully this helps, but we still want to chat, so please get in touch any time!
Before you book
We’ve also booked a piper - Can you play at the same time, or does it clash?
We play with pipers all the time! Often they will be playing outside a venue welcoming guests while we are inside, so it’s never been a problem and it's always nice to have us playing in the run up to the ceremony starting to set the scene.
Can you play at a church?
Yes of course. We regularly play in places of worship, but please run it past the person in charge to make sure they are ok with everything.
Can we pick all the music on the day?
From our existing repertoire, you can choose as much or as little of the music which we play during your wedding.
As well as for during the ceremony, please send us a list of your favourites to play at other parts of the day such as your guests arriving to the ceremony and drinks reception.
Can you play Taylor Swift / specific requests?
We’re card-carrying Swifties for a start, so a big ‘YES’ to Taylor Swift! But we do include 2 original arrangements if your choices aren’t in our current repertoire. Most things can work, but please give us as much notice as possible as these take a good amount of time to write. For any more than two requests, we need to make an additional charge.
What’s the difference between a string quartet and a string trio?
A string quartet includes two violins, a viola, and a cello - whereas a trio is the same, but without the viola. The quartet is a slightly fuller and louder sound, and better for larger events, while a string trio is perfectly suited for weddings and events with up to around 100 guests, or those in smaller venues.
Will you play outside?
We do play outside fairly often, but our instruments are very old, fragile and usually pretty valuable! So if there’s any chance of rain, then we won’t perform outside. During the summer, most of the weddings we play at are outdoors, and we just need a shaded area in which to play - this could be cover from a tree or shade from a building - but it’s really important!
Our ceremony is quite far from our reception - do you travel between venues?
Of course! We can’t promise to beat your guests from one place to another, but we can travel between venues no bother. Our travel time is included in the timings of your booking, and we would still need to agree a start and finish time at the point of booking.
How far do you travel?
We’ve played a number of times around mainland Europe over the years, so happy to travel all over!
How far in advance should I book?
Some people book years and years in advance, while others are planning weddings and events in much tighter timescales. It’s a good idea to get in touch as early as you can, so we can check availability for your date.
What’s the process for booking?
Once you’re happy to go ahead book Capella String Quartet for your wedding, we will send you a performance contract detailing the terms and conditions of your booking. If that’s all agreed, we require £100 as a non-refundable booking fee to confirm your event in our diary.
What if players are unwell / unavailable?
We’re lucky to work with an amazing pool of top professional players, and in 30 years of playing at weddings and events we’ve never had to cancel a booking. Things can happen of course, but we will always have a suitable replacement, and can fulfil your booking without any drop in quality.
After you book
How far in advance do we need to choose music?
We can put songs together really quickly if needed, but generally it’s best if we can have everything squared away around a month before your wedding.
Do you need chairs?
For our string quartet we will need you to provide 4 straight-backed, armless chairs, for a string trio we will need 3. The venue will always provide these, usually the the banqueting chairs used for dinner are perfect.
Arrival time / set up?
We would normally arrive half an hour before we are due to start playing. For example - if your wedding ceremony is scheduled for 2pm, we would arrive at 1pm and be set up and ready to play from 1.30pm for your guests arriving.
The Music
We have also booked a singer / other musicians - can you play together?
We love to play and collaborate with other professional singers and musicians, and have put together some amazing performances in the past. We usually have to charge more for this due to the extra time involved, but it’s something we absolutely love to do.
How many choices do we need to make for the ceremony?
Every ceremony is slightly different, but at a typical wedding ceremony we would need 1 piece of music for the processional (walking in), 2 pieces while you’re signing the marriage schedule (if it’s a legal wedding!), and another song as the crowd goes wild while you walk out (the recessional)
Should we pick a separate song for my wedding party and then for my entrance?
In our experience, we normally find it flows better for us to play one piece of music to accompany you and your wedding party. It’s your choice though, and we can be fully flexible!
Can you play hymns?
Yes we are able to accompany popular hymns or other religious music, and have done this many times over the years. We use the organ or piano sheet music for this, so that we play in the right register for people to sing along!