Wedding ceremony musicians
Live musicians, for your ceremony and your song.
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Get my availabilityAbout Elevate ceremony musiciansWedding ceremony musicians from Elevate Entertainment are live musicians from the top tier of the local symphony, for your ceremony and cocktail hour. Pick a string duo, trio or quartet. A music director on staff writes sheet music for your songs, and your DJ cues the players. Behind that are 20+ Elevate-Certified™ DJs, 4,000+ events, 18 awards, a 9.7 NPS and 4.9★ across 1,058 verified reviews.
4.9(379)
4.9(218)
5.0(305)
5.0(156)
Ratings as of August 4, 2026 · Photo: Integrity Hills, 2026, Madison Thompson Photography
What is included
What are wedding ceremony musicians, and what comes with Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians?
Wedding ceremony musicians are live players who perform the music for your ceremony, and often your cocktail hour, in place of recorded tracks. Elevate Entertainment’s wedding musicians are string players and pianists from the top tier of the local symphony, booked as a duo, a trio or a quartet, and the five things below come with every line-up. They cover the music, not the microphones: ceremony sound is sound production, a separate add-on.
What comes with Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians?
- Players picked carefullyFrom the top tier of the local symphony, deeply educated and deeply experienced.
- Sheet music for your songsA music director on staff writes custom sheet music for the songs you pick.
- Thirty minutes of preludeEvery line-up includes thirty minutes of prelude.
- Cued by your DJYour DJ cues the players from the timeline, so they finish the phrase they are in and go quiet before anyone steps to the microphone.
- Dressed for the roomAll black, the way a symphony player dresses for a concert, so they read as part of the room.
String duo
Two players, melody and harmony: cello with violin, or cello with piano.
Big Cedar, 2020 · photo Eugene Grace Photography
String trio
Three strings, enough to fill a bigger room without overwhelming the vows.
Integrity Hills, 2026 · photo Madison Thompson Photography
Moment by moment
What do Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians play on the day?
Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians play the prelude as guests arrive and the processional as you walk in, go quiet before your vows, and, if you book them for it, play the cocktail hour after.
Big Cedar · Eugene Grace Photography As guests arrive
Every line-up includes thirty minutes of prelude while your guests find their seats.
Haseltine Estate · Jessica Yahn Photography The processional
You walk in to live strings, even to a song that has never been arranged for strings, because a music director on staff writes the sheet music.
Haseltine Estate · Jessica Yahn Photography The vows
Your DJ cues the players to finish the phrase they are in and go quiet before anyone steps to the microphone.
Greenhouse Two Rivers · Andrew Edwards Photography The cocktail hour
Live players can carry on through the cocktail hour, cued by your DJ from the same timeline.
Who plays
Who are Elevate Entertainment’s ceremony musicians, and who keeps them on cue?
Elevate Entertainment’s ceremony musicians are string players and pianists from the top tier of the local symphony, and your Elevate DJ keeps them on cue from the timeline. Ceremony musicians are booked with your Elevate DJ, never on their own.
Who plays, and who keeps Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians on cue?
We pick our ceremony musicians very carefully. A music director on staff writes the sheet music for the songs you pick, and your DJ cues the players from the timeline.
- The playerstop tier of the local symphony
- The music directorwrites sheet music for your songs
- Your DJcues them from the timeline
- Your songslearned, even ones outside our library
Your Elevate-Certified™ DJ and MC runs the same timeline for the rest of your day, from the ceremony to the last song.
If something changes
What if a musician is sick, and how does booking Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians work?
If a musician is sick, we find and guarantee a replacement. Your Elevate DJ booking carries the guarantee below: a matched backup DJ and backup equipment. Booking is one date check, one 60-minute design session and one exact number.
The guarantee
Performance & Show-Up Guarantee
We guarantee we show up and perform your event. Every booking, on every tier, is matched with a backup DJ and backup equipment. Our show-up record is 100%, and the guarantee is in your contract.
How does booking Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians work?
Check your date
Enter your date above. You get a first answer on the page, then a proper check against the calendar for your city and your event.
Design the night in one conversation
Your free Entertainment Design Session: 60 minutes, video or phone, with the team behind 4,000+ events. Bring what you have pictured, and leave with a complete plan.
Get your exact number
A real, itemized quote for exactly what you choose. Or skip ahead and build your quote online any time.
Pricing
What does a full Elevate Entertainment wedding cost, with live ceremony musicians in it?
Experiences begin at $1,500
Prices start at $1,500. Most couples spend between $2,500 and $7,500. Highly produced events can run up to $25,000. Where your day lands depends on how much of it you hand to one team, and your ceremony musicians’ own number comes from your quote, built around the line-up you choose.
Your exact number comes out of your session, built around what matters most to you.
Which line-up
Which Elevate Entertainment line-up should I book: a wedding string quartet, a trio or a duo?
Book a wedding string quartet for the full sound most ceremony music was written for, a string trio to fill a bigger room without overwhelming the vows, and a string duo for melody and harmony in a smaller space. Bigger rooms take more players to reach the back, not more volume. Ceremony players read charts; the DJ-Band Hybrid is a different set of players for the dance floor, and if you want both, both get booked.
| Line-up | String duo | String trio | String quartet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who plays | Two players, melody and harmony: cello with violin, or cello with piano | Three string players | Two violins, a viola and a cello |
| The sound | Melody and harmony | Fills a bigger room without overwhelming the vows | The ensemble most of this music was written for |
| Room it suits | A smaller space | A bigger room, without overwhelming the vows | A bigger room still: more players reach the back |
What sets Elevate apart
What is different about Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians?
Three things are different about Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians: who the players are, the sheet music written for your songs, and one timeline shared with your DJ and your ceremony sound.
Players from the symphony
Your players come from the top tier of the local symphony, and they dress in all black for the ceremony, so they read as part of the room.
Your song, arranged for strings
A music director on staff writes custom sheet music for the songs you pick, so you can walk in to a song that has never been arranged for strings.
One timeline with your DJ
Your DJ cues the players from the same timeline that runs your ceremony sound and the rest of the day, so the music stops before anyone speaks.
Sound production →Where we perform
Where does Elevate Entertainment provide wedding ceremony musicians?
Elevate Entertainment provides wedding ceremony musicians across Kansas City, Springfield, Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas from offices in Springfield and Kansas City, and from 2027 in St. Louis and Phoenix, Arizona. The map shows how far we travel for your venue, the ZIP check under it tells you whether yours is in range, and each market below names rooms we know well.
We serve your venueThree hours and beyond, available on request
- Missouri: Kansas City, Springfield, Southwest Missouri, St. Louis (booking 2027)
- Kansas: the Kansas side of the Kansas City area
- Arkansas: Northwest Arkansas
- Arizona: Phoenix, Arizona (booking 2027)
Venues we know
Kansas City
Elevate Entertainment has performed 1,145 events in Kansas City.
- The English Barn
- 1890 Event Space
- White Iron Ridge
Springfield
Elevate Entertainment has performed 1,498 events in Springfield.
- Greenhouse Two Rivers
- Southern Charm Estate
- Haseltine Estate
Southwest Missouri
Elevate Entertainment has performed 1,293 events in Southwest Missouri.
- The Atrium
- Sycamore Creek Ranch
- Big Cedar
Northwest Arkansas
Elevate Entertainment has performed 34 events in Northwest Arkansas.
- Olive View Events
- Crescent Hotel & Spa
Keep reading
What else does Elevate Entertainment offer for your wedding?
Beside ceremony musicians, Elevate Entertainment offers the wedding services below, each with its own page, and guides that go deeper on ceremony music, cost and the running order of the day.
Which other wedding services does Elevate Entertainment provide?
Which ceremony music guides should I read next?
How much do ceremony musicians cost?This guide explains what changes the price of live ceremony music: how many players, how long they play, and whether they carry the cocktail hour as well.Read the guide →
Wedding ceremony music order: prelude to recessionalThis guide walks the ceremony in order, from the prelude through the processional to the recessional, and what each moment asks of the music.Read the guide →
The wedding reception timeline, hour by hourThe reception in order, from the entrance to the last song.Read the guide →
How pricing worksThis is Elevate Entertainment’s own pricing page: what a booking includes, what moves the number up or down, and the two ways to get an exact price for your night.Read the guide →
Straight answers
Does Elevate Entertainment provide ceremony musicians near me, and what else do couples ask?
Yes, Elevate Entertainment provides wedding ceremony musicians near you if your wedding is within about three hours of Kansas City or Springfield. Couples also ask about the line-ups, their own song, the cocktail hour, the microphones, a sick musician and cost.
Does Elevate Entertainment provide wedding ceremony musicians near me?
Yes, if your wedding is in Missouri, Kansas or Arkansas: we serve your venue. We serve a 3-hour drive around each of our offices, and further by request. Our markets are Kansas City, Springfield, Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas. For anywhere further, checking your date with Elevate Entertainment is the fastest way to ask.
Which Elevate Entertainment line-up should we book: a string duo, trio or quartet?
A string duo plays two parts, melody and harmony: cello with violin, or cello with piano. A string trio fills a bigger room without overwhelming the vows. A string quartet, two violins, a viola and a cello, is the ensemble most ceremony music was written for. Compare the three line-ups side by side.
Can Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians play our song, even if it was never written for strings?
Yes, a music director on staff writes custom sheet music for the songs you pick, so you can walk in to a song that has never been arranged for strings. You pick the songs, and we learn them.
Do Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians also play the cocktail hour?
Yes, Elevate Entertainment books live players for the ceremony and for the cocktail hour. Tell us both in your Entertainment Design Session, and your DJ cues the players from the same timeline.
Do Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians provide the microphones for our ceremony?
No, the musicians cover the music, not the mics for your officiant and your vows. Ceremony sound is sound production, a separate add-on.
What happens if one of our Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians is sick?
If a musician is sick, we find and guarantee a replacement. You do not need to find anyone yourself.
How much do Elevate Entertainment ceremony musicians cost?
Your ceremony musicians’ own number comes from your quote, built around the line-up you choose: build it online, or talk it through in your Entertainment Design Session. How much do ceremony musicians cost walks through what moves the price.
Claim your time
How do I book my Entertainment Design Session with Elevate Entertainment?
You book your Entertainment Design Session with Elevate Entertainment in the short form here, or by checking your date first. One free conversation, 60 minutes, video or phone, about your ceremony musicians and the rest of your day. You leave with a complete plan and an exact price, without any pressure on the call. From the first note of your ceremony to the last song, our promise is Your Event Made Perfect.
Complimentary · real numbers. A real person will text you within the hour.
★★★★★“My husband and I booked Elevate Entertainment for our wedding. After discussing our options with Ian during our consultation, we decided to book with Elevate and with Ian specifically. He made us feel at ease, and we could sense that he would create a lively and enjoyable atmosphere…”
Call or text(816) 477-4077
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