Image by Leesa Mealing

Rosie + James are an acoustic covers duo and DJ service based in Sydney, and they also happen to be partners in life, too! Combined they’ve been active in the music industry for almost two decades, which means they’ve worked very closely with countless engaged couples on planning everything music-related for weddings. Over this time, Rosie + James have become real experts at helping engaged couples to plan their weddings and today, Rosie is sharing her handy hacks on how to truly enjoy yourself on your wedding day. 

Our best advice for couples planning their day is to delegate day-of responsibilities to someone you can trust, so that all you have to do is turn up and be in love! Whether that person is the MC, a bridal party member or a hired planner, make sure they have the contact information of each vendor so that you don’t need to be bothered and pulled out of your moment and into stress!

When James and I are consulting with couples, we try to get an idea in advance of who best to speak to and how the day will run, so that we can best anticipate timing and tone, and construct our set lists accordingly. We use this time to collect as much information as we can about the venue, key contacts, the running order, style of the event and the tastes of the couple themselves, so that we know we’re arriving fully prepared! I would also suggest making requests for special songs in advance. We love the challenge of learning new songs and adding our creative touch to them, but even more, we love that we can help to make your day even more special and personal.

I am always extremely honoured when a couple asks that we perform as the bride walks down the aisle. I consider it such a huge responsibility to be part of that crucial element of one of the biggest moments of their lives. If that isn’t incentive to stay on top of my vocal game I don’t know what is.
Our final piece of advice is this; the best and most memorable weddings we’ve been to are the ones where the bride and groom are relaxed and just enjoy themselves and each other! The time flies by so quickly and before you know it the night is over. Check in with each other regularly, stay in the moment, have a dance and don’t sweat the small stuff!

While the next piece of wisdom from Rosie isn’t planning related, I love her honest account of what it is like to work with your partner… 

We’ve had the opportunity to play at events across NSW, from Narooma to Mudgee and everywhere in between. We’ve met the most beautiful couples, seen some of the most breathtaking backdrops, been invited onto the wildest dance floors and included in some very special memories, and we get to do it all with our best friend by our side.
Obviously, running a business with your partner has its difficulties. James can sometimes get stressed and solemn in the lead up to events, because he wants to make sure everything runs perfectly and on time. He is passionate about audio quality and is always researching and wanting to discuss the best and latest gear to upgrade our collection, an area which I’ll admit I have very little expertise and can struggle to keep up!

During rehearsals in our very tiny Surry Hills apartment, I can tend to get a little bossy about choosing harmony parts or deciding which songs to add to our repertoire, but James handles my moods like the seasoned professional that he is and we’ve gotten better and better at switching between professional mode and relationship mode. Going through these experiences together has taught us so much about each other, and how best to communicate and be supportive of one another’s strengths and weaknesses.

About Rosie + James Music: Rosie and James are an acoustic duo and dj services team, as well as a real life couple living and working together! We love to play weddings and events together all over Australia.