Hiring a string ensemble? What size do you need?

When you first start looking into booking a form of string entertainment for your big day there are a few factors you need think about before signing on the dotted line and parting with your precious wedding fund pennies.

Apollo Strings has lots of options on offer and the first thing to do is rule out any options (for whatever reason) that aren’t for you.

You can book any of the following from Apollo Strings:

Solo violinist (1)

Solo cellist (1)

Solo Harpist (1)

String duo (2)

String trio (3)

String quartet (4)

String sextet (6)

String octet (8)

String orchestra (12+)

As you can see, you can book any number of instrumentalists, from one to twelve + so there really is an option for every size of wedding and budget.

If your wedding is a small and intimate gathering of up to 30 guests I would recommend an Apollo Strings Soloist or The Apollo Strings Duo. One reason for this is because you don’t want precious space being taken up by an ensemble that’s simply booming over all your guest’s conversations. A quartet takes up around 3×2 metres space where as a soloist or duo will need approximately 2×1 metres. If the space at your venue is limited do ask the venue’s wedding coordinator for advice on where musicians have performed in the past – they should be happy to offer a few suggestions.

If you’re having a larger gathering and there are no space/budget constraints I would recommend one of the larger ensembles on offer. Which one exactly probably comes down to budget as with every added musician the fee obviously goes up.

If you’re having any trouble in deciding which of our options is best for you, you can always get in touch and chat through your ideas with us. Apollo Strings have performed at hundreds of weddings so we have a huge amount of experience in what works and what doesn’t. Remember, you can always book one of the smaller ensembles to start with and then enquire about opting for a larger ensemble nearer the time of your big day – just don’t leave it too late when everyone is booked up!