Wedding string quartets for London couples: compare ceremony plans

Compare London Strings and Halo before booking

London Strings includes one out-of-repertoire ceremony song with at least 14 days’ notice; Halo expressly agrees to move between rooms. [2][1] Compare those commitments alongside the booked instruments, live ceremony cues and outdoor requirements—not headline playing time alone.

London Strings

• Ensemble and requested-song scope: London Strings primarily performs as a duo but also offers trios and quartets. One out-of-repertoire request is included at no extra charge with at least 14 days’ notice. Additional requests incur an unspecified fee and need the same notice. [2] Request the exact instruments and confirmation that your song is available for the lineup booked.
• Ceremony timing and room changes: Coverage includes guest arrival and departure, the processional, register signing and recessional. London Strings says it tries to be flexible and asks customers to notify it of slight timing changes before the event. [2] Agree live cues, room moves and any moving-time charge separately.
• Outdoor requirements: London Strings requires cover against sun or rain, armless chairs, storage space, adequate light and sufficient performance space. [2]

Halo

• Ensemble and requested-song scope: Halo advertises quartets, trios and duos. It normally organises the playlist four weeks before the event and says it is happy to take last-minute music requests. [1] Confirm availability of your specific song for the chosen lineup and whether sourcing or arranging it carries a charge.
• Ceremony timing and room changes: Halo agrees to move between rooms and arrives one hour before the start. [1] Ask it to specify the ceremony cue procedure, relocation allowance and any moving charge.
• Outdoor requirements: Halo’s string quartet setup includes approximately 2m × 3m of space, preferably flat and adequately lit, and four armless chairs. [1]

London Strings includes London travel, with extra travel charges outside London included in the quotation. [2] Halo Strings Ltd gives a registered address on City Road, London; ask it to confirm coverage of your venue and any travel charge. [1] Obtain written event-date availability from either ensemble.

Compare the four players and the requested arrangement

A provider’s name does not tell you which instruments you are booking. A conventional quartet comprises two violins, viola and cello. A smaller ensemble can reduce cost and space requirements, but may offer less repertoire, volume and fullness rather than reproduce all four musical parts. [4][5][6] Ask for the instruments on both the quartet and duo quotations, then check whether your requested song is available for each.

Compare the song as well as the players. Specify the version you mean, not simply a title. London Strings’ included request is a defined inclusion subject to its notice requirement, not an agreement to unlimited bespoke arranging. [2]

Sourcing an existing score or commissioning playable music for the selected instruments is separate from paying musicians to perform, travel or remain on site for additional time. [2][3][6] Keep those items separate in the quotation so a lower performance price does not obscure different arrangement work.

Before paying a deposit, request a written song specification covering:

• Song and version: title, artist or recording reference, and any passage you want included.
• Exact lineup: the instruments booked and confirmation the music suits them.
• Score and charge: existing sheet music or a new arrangement, what the inclusion covers, and any additional fee.
• Approval and revisions: the approval deadline, what you can hear or inspect beforehand, and permitted changes.
• Responsibilities and remedy: who handles arrangement rights and permissions, and what happens if the agreed music cannot be supplied.

Write one agreed cue for every ceremony transition

Put responsibility for musical signals in writing. London Strings’ list of ceremony stages describes what it covers, rather than how each transition is signalled. [2]

Premier, a North West England ensemble, provides a documented example of how cues can work: its musicians consult the priest or registrar, then start the entrance music on a nod or other cue when the entrant arrives, and confirm cues for signing and exit. [3] Use it as a model to discuss with your London ensemble, not as an available option.

Proposed cue sheet—not a provider’s published procedure. Complete each entry with the ensemble and registrar or officiant, choosing cue-givers other than yourselves:

1. Guest-arrival music ends: name the cue-giver, visible signal and receiving musician. Agree how the music closes before the ceremony begins.
2. Entrance music starts: name who confirms the entrant is ready, their signal and the receiving musician. Specify the piece, starting point and intended endpoint.
3. Signing music starts: name the cue-giver, signal and receiving musician. Record when the piece begins and the endpoint it should reach.
4. Signing music finishes: name who signals readiness to continue. Agree how the music closes and where it stops.
5. Recessional starts: identify the piece, its starting point and endpoint after your exit.

Have the ensemble and registrar or officiant approve the sheet, following the latter’s current directions for ceremony-specific restrictions.

Test an entrance that takes longer than rehearsed

Worked planning example: the agreed signal starts the processional, but the entrance takes longer than rehearsed. The planned passage is nearing its end and the entrant has not reached the agreed endpoint. Use this scenario to test the cue sheet with the musicians before booking.

A starting signal answers when to begin; the song also needs an agreed response if the entrance outlasts the planned passage. London Strings’ flexibility for slight timing changes does not by itself settle that response. [2]

Work through these checkpoints for the selected song:

• Who starts it? Name the cue-giver and exact signal rather than leaving “when everyone is ready” open to interpretation.
• Who watches progress? Ask who tracks the entrance once playing begins, and whether that person can see the route and agreed endpoint.
• What happens as the passage ends? Ask whether this arrangement permits repeating a suitable passage, continuing into another section or making an agreed musical ending. These are possibilities for the booked musicians to assess, not promised techniques.
• Where should it stop? Agree the stopping point and whether the musicians respond to a signal or visible event. Record what they should do if no further signal is visible.

Put the agreed musical contingency in writing, then address the booking time separately: does a delayed ceremony remain within the reserved period, and what charge applies if it exceeds the finish?

A useful answer names the responsible person, gives a response suited to the song and identifies the stopping point. “We’ll follow you” leaves those decisions unresolved.

Build the indoor fallback and room move into the booking

For a weather-driven move, agree who decides, where the musicians go and how relocation affects the booking. Record the outdoor position, indoor fallback, decision deadline, access route, relocation allowance and any moving fee.

Halo expressly agrees to move between rooms; ask how long the proposed move needs and whether it carries a charge. [1] With London Strings, request explicit room-change terms rather than treating flexibility on slight timing changes as agreement to relocate. [2]

Ask the venue and ensemble to approve both performance positions against the booked lineup’s outdoor requirements listed above. For Halo, also allow somewhere for cases and, if possible, a nearby power socket; outdoors, provide shade from direct sunlight and adequate cover against inclement weather. [1]

Have the ensemble approve the actual cover and fallback location rather than assuming tree shade or an available canopy will suffice.

Compare quotes by reserved time, not playing minutes

Give each supplier the same schedule and request separate lines for guest arrival, ceremony coverage, moving or waiting time, and additional playing. Ask for a reserved start and finish around London Strings’ listed ceremony inclusions. [2]

Use this booking-scope checklist:

• Guest-arrival music: when playing starts and how it gives way to the ceremony.
• Ceremony: the included stages, cue sheet and reserved finish.
• Moving and waiting: whether delays and relocation consume the booking, attract a charge or require an extension.
• Additional music: what falls outside ceremony coverage, its price and who may authorise it.
• Access and breaks: setup access, break allowances and any overtime rate and charging increment.

London Strings provides personalised quotations rather than a fixed booking price; VAT is included, as is any quoted travel fee outside London. It usually arrives at least 30 minutes before performance. For bookings over an hour it requires a 10–15-minute break each hour, and for bookings over three hours a 30-minute break. [2]

Halo arrives one hour before the start and normally performs 50-minute sets with 10-minute breaks. [1] Distinguish arrival from the start of booked music and ask whether setup or unusually early access affects either quotation.

On-site pricing can include waiting time, so playing minutes alone are not a reliable comparison. [4][6]

Request cancellation, postponement and refund terms alongside the itemised quote. Halo’s published deposit-transfer provision applies specifically to postponement forced by COVID-19 restrictions, not postponement generally. [1]

Choose on the complete written booking: exact lineup, accepted song, cue sheet, longer-entrance contingency, reserved time, indoor fallback and agreed charges.

References

1. FAQs — Halo Strings – Wedding string quartet (halostringsuk.co.uk)
2. Faqs | London Strings (londonstrings.co.uk)
3. FAQ – String Quartet | Manchester Liverpool Chester (premiermusicians.com)
4. The Essential Guide To Booking A String Quartet For Your Wedding (entertainment-nation.co.uk)
5. Ultimate Guide To Booking A String Quartet! | Alive Network (alivenetwork.com)
6. The Complete String Quartet Booking Guide: Tips, Costs and FAQs (bandsforhire.net)