A Denver wedding usually needs three sets of musicians: two to four players for the ceremony, a trio for cocktail hour, and a 6- to 14-piece band or a DJ for the reception. Book them from one team and the ceremony and cocktail players come from the same band, so every handoff runs on one timeline.
This guide covers each part of the day: who plays, what they play, the sound each space needs, 2026 prices where we publish them, and a sample timeline. For full band pricing, see our Denver wedding band page.
Written by the Great Family Artists team. The lineups, songs and timeline below come from weddings we have played in Colorado.
Wedding musicians in Denver at a glance
| Ceremony | Cocktail hour | Reception | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical lineup | String trio or quartet, or a duo or trio from your band | Jazz, acoustic or folk trio; brass band | 6- to 14-piece band, a DJ, or both |
| What they play | A prelude as guests sit, then 3 or 4 songs: processional, entrance, recessional | Instrumentals while guests mingle | Grand entrance, first dance, parent dances, dance sets |
| Sound and power | Battery-powered PA outdoors; house sound indoors | Compact setup; lower levels on rooftops | House power and full production |
| Typical investment | Strings $4,000 to $9,000 | Quoted with your band | Bands from about $8,000 (6 pieces) to $30,000 (14 with production); DJ with MC from about $2,500 |
Ceremony musicians
A ceremony set has two parts. The prelude plays while guests find their seats. Then come three or four songs at fixed moments: the processional, the couple’s entrance and the recessional. A string trio or quartet from Por La Paz covers the classical choices. A duo or trio from your reception band covers acoustic and pop arrangements.
Ceremony pieces we play often include Pachelbel’s Canon in D, Bach’s “Air on the G String”, “Here Comes the Sun”, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “A Thousand Years”. For a Colorado feel, couples pick folk songs such as Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” or Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon”. Taylor James String Band arranges that kind of set for strings and guitar.
Outdoor ceremony sites, from the Denver Botanic Gardens to a ranch meadow, often have no outlet nearby. We bring battery-powered sound for those. Indoors at a hotel such as The Brown Palace, the ceremony runs on house power in the atrium or the ballroom.
Want a bigger exit? Horns from Great Family Brass can join for the recessional and lead a New Orleans-style second line to cocktail hour. A couple at Camp Hale did exactly that this September.
Wedding singers in Denver
A wedding singer can come in one of three ways:
- A vocalist in the ceremony lineup, for a processional or a song during the ceremony.
- The band’s lead vocalists. At our weddings they MC the grand entrance, the first dance and the parent dances unless you name someone else, and they sing your first dance live if you want it live. Some couples dance to the original recording instead and have the band play the parent dances.
- A featured singer for dinner, such as Chris Norton, who runs a Sinatra-era dinner set before the dance floor opens.
Cocktail-hour musicians in Colorado
Cocktail hour is background music with a personality. These are the styles we book most, with songs from our charts:
- Classic jazz: “Fly Me to the Moon”, “At Last”, “Moon River”. It suits a hotel atrium or lounge; at The Brown Palace a jazz combo plays beneath the atrium skylight.
- Funky instrumentals of pop songs: “Stand By Me”, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)”, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”.
- Acoustic: “Into the Mystic”, “Free Fallin’”, “Better Together”.
- Folk and strings for ranches, vineyards and gardens. See our guide to choosing a folk string band in Colorado.
- Brass for a cocktail hour guests remember, then the same horns join the reception band.
Match the setup to the space. On the Limelight Hotel Denver rooftop we play an acoustic or compact combo at levels that suit the neighborhood, then move to the full band indoors. The same trios play corporate cocktail parties and receptions; see corporate event bands in Colorado.
The reception band and DJ
The room sets the band size. The Grand Ballroom at The Brown Palace fits 8 to 12 pieces and expands to 14 for large receptions. The Limelight suits 6 to 10 for most weddings. Our Denver bands are The Burroughs, a Colorado-based soul and funk band of 5 to 10 pieces, and Great Family Reunion, an 8- to 14-piece show band with a DJ and MC included.
The full band is on stage and playing instrumentals five minutes before cocktail hour ends, so guests walk into music. A DJ covers dinner and the breaks between live sets. Before the date we double-check your must-play songs with you, so the dance floor gets the songs you asked for.
A sample Denver wedding timeline
An example for a 5:00 pm hotel ceremony. Your venue and planner set the real times, and we build ours around them.
| Time | Music | Who plays |
|---|---|---|
| 4:30 pm | Prelude as guests are seated | Ceremony trio or quartet |
| 5:00 pm | Processional, entrance, recessional | Ceremony trio or quartet |
| 5:30 pm | Cocktail hour instrumentals | Cocktail trio |
| 6:25 pm | Band on stage, instrumentals as guests enter | Full band |
| 6:30 pm | Grand entrance and first dance, MC’d by the band’s vocalists | Full band |
| 6:45 pm | Dinner music | DJ or a soft band set |
| 7:45 pm | Toasts, then parent dances | Full band |
| 8:00 pm to the end | Dance sets, with the DJ between sets | Full band and DJ |
How to plan your wedding music
- Book 10 to 18 months ahead for a peak Saturday in Denver.
- Ask the venue three questions before you ask for quotes: is there power at the ceremony and cocktail spaces, what are the room or tent dimensions, and is there a music curfew?
- Book all three parts from one team, so the ceremony, cocktail and reception musicians work from the same timeline.
- Pick your songs about two months out. That is when we collect your ceremony songs, special dances, must-plays and do-not-play list.
- Expect two planning steps from us: a music planning call four to six weeks out, and a technical advance with your venue six to eight weeks out.
Getting married in the mountains instead? Read Denver or the mountains? How your venue shapes your band.
Why Denver couples book Great Family Artists
We have produced hundreds of Colorado celebrations since 2017 and hold 478 verified five-star reviews (Google 132, The Knot 182, WeddingWire 164). One in-house team covers the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception under one contract, with a GFA manager on site. Call our Denver line at 303-351-2699, read the reviews, or check your date.
Frequently asked questions
What musicians do I need for a Denver wedding?
Most Denver weddings use three groups: two to four musicians for the ceremony, a trio for cocktail hour, and a 6- to 14-piece band or a DJ for the reception. When one company books all three, the ceremony and cocktail players usually come from the reception band, so every handoff runs on one timeline.
How much do ceremony musicians cost in Denver?
A string trio or quartet for the ceremony and cocktail hour typically costs $4,000 to $9,000 in Denver in 2026. If your reception band is already booked, ceremony and cocktail players from the same band are quoted as part of that booking.
Can we hire a wedding singer in Denver?
Yes. You can add a vocalist to the ceremony lineup for a processional or unity song, have the band’s lead vocalists sing your first dance and MC the night, or book a featured singer for a dinner set. Tell us which moments need a voice when you book.
What music works for a cocktail hour in Colorado?
Classic jazz, funky instrumentals of pop songs, acoustic sets, folk and strings, or a New Orleans brass band. Choose by the room: a jazz trio for a hotel atrium, a compact combo for a rooftop, folk strings or brass for a ranch or garden.
Can the same band play the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception?
Yes. Two or three musicians from the band play the ceremony and the cocktail hour, then the full band is on stage and playing five minutes before cocktail hour ends, so guests walk into music.
How far ahead should we book wedding musicians in Denver?
Book 10 to 18 months ahead for peak Saturdays in Denver. Weekday and off-peak dates often have availability closer in.
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