I am a wedding singer, but not the type you might be thinking about.
I am not Adam Sandler, and I don't sing with a band.
I sing with either a piano or an organ, because I sing in the church, during the wedding ceremony.
I don't work all the time, which is fine.
I don't advertise, but I get a lot of work.
People hear my voice and recommend me to others, and that's how I get my gigs.
I feel good about that because it shows that people appreciate what I can bring to their wedding.
Like everything else, there are misconceptions about those of us who sing in churches.
Some are minor, some not so minor.
Let's talk about the minor things first.
We are not necessarily religious.
I'm not religious at all.
I've sung at probably 100 or more churches over the years, but I don't go to church all that regularly.
If it weren't for weddings or funerals, I would never be in a church.
I've always sung inside, and I've rarely used a microphone.
I don't have a plethora of songs in my repertoire that I can just pull out for people to listen to, though I do have some.
Everyone's tastes are different, so I'd rather the people give me an indication of what they want to hear.
There really is no one standard for songs to be sung in a wedding, just how you style it.
I've sang wedding songs that were rock songs, but changed up so that it was appropriate for the wedding.
I've altered lyrics somewhat so they would be appropriate also.
Not a single couple has ever noticed when I've changed a lyric, though I'm sure someone in the congregation probably has.
Couples almost never listen to what you're singing, but there are always critics in the congregation; to date, they've been very nice to me.
The major misconception is that all I do is just sing a song, therefore I don't need to be paid all that well.
People tend to miss the fact that I'm a professional, and that means I practice and rehearse a lot.
Every single song gets at least 3 to 5 hours of rehearsal.
If I have to play the piano during the ceremony, tack at least another hour onto that.
Even songs I've performed before I have to practice.
The real life of a musician is that the bulk of the work is done in practice, just like it is in sports.
And music isn't my full time profession, which means I use a lot of my personal, down time to practice whenever I have a wedding coming up.
I do weddings because I want to get paid, but also it allows me to really belt out a song, because churches sound wonderful, and I get a kick out of it.
But I still want to get paid, and deserve it because of the time I put into it.
No one ever comes away short changed.
So, the next time you've been to a wedding and the singer has performed well, go up and thank that person, and let them know you appreciated their talent.
There's a lot of bad singers out there; praise the good ones.
I am not Adam Sandler, and I don't sing with a band.
I sing with either a piano or an organ, because I sing in the church, during the wedding ceremony.
I don't work all the time, which is fine.
I don't advertise, but I get a lot of work.
People hear my voice and recommend me to others, and that's how I get my gigs.
I feel good about that because it shows that people appreciate what I can bring to their wedding.
Like everything else, there are misconceptions about those of us who sing in churches.
Some are minor, some not so minor.
Let's talk about the minor things first.
We are not necessarily religious.
I'm not religious at all.
I've sung at probably 100 or more churches over the years, but I don't go to church all that regularly.
If it weren't for weddings or funerals, I would never be in a church.
I've always sung inside, and I've rarely used a microphone.
I don't have a plethora of songs in my repertoire that I can just pull out for people to listen to, though I do have some.
Everyone's tastes are different, so I'd rather the people give me an indication of what they want to hear.
There really is no one standard for songs to be sung in a wedding, just how you style it.
I've sang wedding songs that were rock songs, but changed up so that it was appropriate for the wedding.
I've altered lyrics somewhat so they would be appropriate also.
Not a single couple has ever noticed when I've changed a lyric, though I'm sure someone in the congregation probably has.
Couples almost never listen to what you're singing, but there are always critics in the congregation; to date, they've been very nice to me.
The major misconception is that all I do is just sing a song, therefore I don't need to be paid all that well.
People tend to miss the fact that I'm a professional, and that means I practice and rehearse a lot.
Every single song gets at least 3 to 5 hours of rehearsal.
If I have to play the piano during the ceremony, tack at least another hour onto that.
Even songs I've performed before I have to practice.
The real life of a musician is that the bulk of the work is done in practice, just like it is in sports.
And music isn't my full time profession, which means I use a lot of my personal, down time to practice whenever I have a wedding coming up.
I do weddings because I want to get paid, but also it allows me to really belt out a song, because churches sound wonderful, and I get a kick out of it.
But I still want to get paid, and deserve it because of the time I put into it.
No one ever comes away short changed.
So, the next time you've been to a wedding and the singer has performed well, go up and thank that person, and let them know you appreciated their talent.
There's a lot of bad singers out there; praise the good ones.
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