Pricing

How do you come up with your pricing/quotes?

There are so many things that go into our pricing decisions. We hire the most professional, full-time musicians in our service regions, and they have put a lot of time and money into their craft. Founder/Cellist Megan has pursued music since grade school so has experience first-hand with the high costs associated with classical music/training. Our continued education, training, instrument purchases/maintenance, materials, high-quality sheet music and arrangements, practice time, event insurance, travel, and time are all factors that we’ve considered as we continue to update our pricing. We love our clients and our musician team. In order to provide the highest level of talent for your event, we have a base rate that must be met for the musicians to hold the date and reserve their time exclusively for your special event.

Regarding travel specifically, we try to prioritize our musicians near your venue. We’ve got musician teams across the southeast- specifically in Atlanta, GA, Knoxville, TN, Asheville, NC, Greenville, SC, Charleston, SC, Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, Greensboro, NC, Hilton Head, SC, and Johnson City, TN. We will do all that we can to keep travel costs down by offering our musician options nearest you.

Special Requests

Do you take special requests?

Yes! We’re happy to learn almost any piece you’d like and take special requests all the time. We do charge an extra $35 (updated 2024) per requested song outside of our repertoire list/setlists (if there is existing sheet music that we’re able to use). If the sheet music costs more than $30, the special request will be the cost of the sheet music.

If existing sheet must is not available, we will quote for a custom arrangement. This quote will be based on the amount of time it will take to arrange, the number of parts we must write, the size of the ensemble, and the difficulty of the piece. Custom arrangements typically start at $75.

Weather

Why are you so particular about weather and rain plans?

We’re not divas, but our instruments can be.

The heat, rain, extreme cold etc can be damaging to the instruments (and our fingers!). We require shade when performing outdoors (no direct sunlight) and if the temperature is too low, we require a heat source. Our contract specifies what we need to ensure that the performance is not effected by “the elements”. We strongly advise a rain plan (this could be a large tent as long as the wind isn't blowing the rain onto the musician/instruments). If you’ve got questions or concerns, please reach out to us.

Gratuity

Is gratuity included in the invoice/pricing? Should we tip the musicians?

We highly encourage our clients to consider paying their musician/ensemble gratuity. They put an exceptional amount of time into the pieces they perform for you and it really makes them feel great at the end of the event. The musicians prefer cash the day-of, but if you’d like to mail a check or Venmo we will be sure that the tip reaches the musician team. Typically, this is somewhere around $40-50 per musician, but there’s no set amount or expectation! Anything is appreciated.

Musicians

Who specifically will be performing for my event? Do we need to select specific instrumentalists/people?

Our instrumentalists all perform the same repertoire based on our setlists. As we have continued to expand, the Carolina Music Planner vision is to provide consistent, reliable, and beautiful performances no matter who is performing. The musician team has been hand picked because they are able to perform our music selections interchangeably, and they are accustomed to performing with one another. We like to think of it as having back-up plan after back-up plan. In the event that one of our team members becomes ill or another emergency situation, we will have alternate performers and options available to you for no additional charge.

Song Selection

How many songs should we select for the ceremony? Do we need to select/hand pick each piece for prelude and cocktail hour?

At the time we contract, we email you a beautifully simple questionnaire to assist as you select songs for your ceremony.

Typically, we ask that you choose (1) of our pre-existing setlists for the prelude music set, music from our existing repertoire/setlists for the ceremony, and if applicable, (1-2) of our setlists for the cocktail hour set. This is the structure included in our base pricing. We have created the setlists based on genre, popular requests, and pieces that seem to be requested time and time again. The musicians are familiar with them, and we build in more than they’ll need so that they can personalize the sets a bit based on the lists you love. Of course, if there are any pieces within the lists that you absolutely want to hear, we will be sure to let them know! Likewise, if there are pieces that you do not like within the list you’ve selected, please let us know so that we can make a note to be sure it is not included in the set.

Regarding how many selections you’ll need for the ceremony, typically less is more. When each party walking has their own piece, it can be a bit choppy, and you often hear a small clip of each piece opposed to the entire song. We recommend something like this:

• Mothers/Grandparents and other honored guests- 1 piece

• Bridesmaids/Groomsmen/Flower Girl/Ringbearer (if applicable)- 1 piece

• Processional- 1 piece

• Recessional- an upbeat, fun piece after the kiss!

CUSTOMIZATION OPTION/PRICING:  

Custom Prelude (30 minute set)- you may mix/match any pieces from any of the setlists on the website. We ask that you select 15 so that in the event you select a few pieces not suitable for the ensemble, we have enough to choose from/work with. If desired, you may select the order of the pieces. 

(Fee: $75) 

Ceremony- Customization included in existing contract pricing- The ceremony processional(s) and recessional may be mixed and matched between setlists as needed.

We send a questionnaire to assist as you work through these selections, and it won't be due until 8/1/2025. 

 Custom Cocktail (1 hour or 90-minute set- see PDF)- you may mix/match any pieces from any of the setlists on the website. We ask that you select a minimum of 25 pieces for the 1-hour cocktail set or up to 40 for the 90-minute set. If desired, you may select the order of the pieces. 

(Fee: $125)

Do you attend the

wedding rehearsal?

No, we do not attend wedding rehearsals. We have performed for hundreds of events and send a questionnaire tailored to your ceremony at the time of booking.

We do not make recordings for individual clients/per event recordings, so we encourage you to find a version of the piece that you love, use that to rehearse timing at the wedding rehearsal, and send the recording to us (if you feel that it is necessary) so that we can time the processional based on the style and tempo you rehearse to. The day-of, there are always surprises! We are trained professionals and will adjust the piece as necessary to ensure timing is perfect. Please see the “Timing” FAQ above.

Insurance

We are insured and can easily provide our venues/planners with a copy of the policy.