Jessica Wardle is the owner of Jessica Nicole Music. She is an accomplished, award winning pianist and vocalist. We are so excited that she will be attending the Weddings at Lake Chelan Bridal Show. We love listening to her play. Here is a little Q&A from talking with her.
Why choose a live musician over a Dj? Having a live musician at your wedding provides a more refined atmosphere. Although a dj can do a great job with music, there is just something special having a piano playing. There is a lot less gear that needs to be hauled in. A lot of the times the cermemony can be in a tight space, having to deal with a lot of equipment from a DJ can be a headache. A lot of the time the venue already has a piano. Otherwise I have a keyboard that takes very little space. Also, many venues (such as older churches) have a poor sound system to play pre-recorded music. In contrast, these venues usually have amazing acoustics for a live musician.
What types of weddings usually have live music? Any wedding can have live music! Whether it is outdoors on a farm, by the beach, or in a winery I can bring my instrument with me.
What’s the benefit of hiring a pianist verses a band or another instrument? As a pianist, I am capable of providing a variety of styles for the price of one musician. The more musicians you have the higher the price is going to be. The nature of the piano allows me to play anything from orchestral pieces to pop songs, and having a keyboard allows me to play a variety of sounds/instruments.
Can I choose my own music? I provide an initial consultation in which you can pick music from a wide variety of examples such as traditional, classical, pop, etc. I also am able to learn special requests if you have something specific in mind. I choose the prelude and postlude music corresponding to the style desired.
What type of music is usually requested? I have a lot of soundtrack music and light classical requested during the ceremony. Typically postlude music is more upbeat, as well as reception music.
Have you ever had something unexpected happen at a Wedding where you had to think fast? The dress rehearsal provides an opportunity for me to time the music to correspond with how long it takes everyone to walk down the aisle. At one wedding I played for, they had people stand in for the grandparents at the rehearsal. No one bothered to tell me that the some of the grandparents were going to need a lot of time to walk down the aisle. I ended up repeating sections of the piece I was playing until I could see the grandparents were seated. I decided that in the future I would have another backup song in case something unexpected happens!
