St. Augustine, Florida

Wedding Music in St. Augustine
From the First Chord to the After-Party

Ceremony sound, cocktail hour, the reception, and what happens at 10 PM when downtown's outdoor music has to stop. Written by the guy who runs it most Saturdays.

Ceremony Sound Done Right • Battery-Powered, Set Up Anywhere • DJ + Live Sax

The part of a St. Augustine wedding most people wing is the ceremony sound. COS Celebrations runs every ceremony on a small-footprint satellite speaker, an omnidirectional lapel mic that picks up both of you during the vows, a wireless handheld for the officiant and readers, and a second lapel when someone speaks softly. Guests tell us almost every weekend it is the best ceremony sound they have heard.

Live violinist playing a wedding ceremony at the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine

Ceremony

The Part Everyone Overlooks

A lot of people wing the ceremony with average gear. Not us. We take a ton of pride in ceremony sound, and it starts with a satellite speaker small enough to set up in any of the odd-shaped spaces downtown.

The mic default is an omnidirectional lapel on the officiant. It's a 360-degree microphone, so it picks up both of you for the I do's and the vows. Officiants who prefer a handheld get one, and a handheld on a stand off to the side covers the friend reading a poem or scripture.

Writing your own vows and you talk quietly? We either have the officiant hold the handheld close, or we clip a second lapel on you so every row hears it.

You get at least 30 minutes of prelude music before start time while guests arrive. And the ceremony itself does not run off Spotify. It runs on real DJ software, so if you want a section looped, a lyric cut, or the kiss landing on a specific part of the song, that's exactly what happens.

Cocktail Hour

Live Music That Still Lets People Talk

Cocktail hour gets its own satellite speaker too, tucked out of the way. Almost everything we run is professional battery-powered sound, and the pieces that aren't plug into our own battery packs. That means a saxophonist, a keys player, or a musician running tracks can set up anywhere the venue lets us stand, including the spots with no outlet within fifty feet.

30 min of prelude music, guaranteed, before every ceremony
2 lapels when the vows are soft-spoken, so every row hears them
10 PM outdoor music cutoff downtown. Inside runs later.

Reception

There Is No Number One Wedding Song

Couples ask. The honest answer: no such thing. There are classics that still land with every age in the room, and we use them to open the floor. Celebration. September. Ain't No Mountain High Enough. Dancing Queen. Stayin' Alive. Get Down On It.

After that it's reading the room, which is the actual job. The St. Augustine wedding DJ page covers the reception in full. When the DJ is joined by live sax and drums, that's Pulse!, our hybrid band.

What live music adds to the price depends on three things: how many musicians, which part of the day, and how long you want them. A DJ is $1,500. DJ plus sax runs $2,000 to $4,500. Pulse! starts at $3,500. The live musicians page covers who plays what, and the wedding saxophonist page covers the sax specifically.

Live saxophone on a packed wedding dance floor in St. Augustine

A Typical Saturday

What the Music Day Looks Like Downtown

Every couple is different and we build the timeline around you. This is the shape most St. Augustine weddings take.

1

4:00 PM - Guests Arrive

Prelude is already playing. Nobody walks into silence.

2

4:30 PM - Ceremony

Lapel on the officiant, handheld for readers, your processional edited to land where you want it.

3

5:00 PM - Cocktail Hour

Sax or keys on battery power, wherever the view is. Volume that leaves room for conversation.

4

6:15 PM - Introductions

Into the reception, usually straight into the first dance, then a welcome speech or blessing.

5

6:30 PM - Dinner, Cake, Toasts

About an hour of dinner music, the cake cutting, a few toasts.

6

7:30 to 10:00 PM - The Floor Opens

Open dance set until the cutoff. Outdoors downtown that's 10 PM, sharp.

When the Music Has to Stop

Downtown Cutoffs, and Where the Party Keeps Going

Any outdoor music downtown ends at 10 PM. Inside is a different story, and it changes by venue.

Fountain of Youth

The patio is done at 10. Move into the Magnolia Room and you can keep going. Our Fountain of Youth page has the layout.

Outdoor 10 PM

The White Room

Same rule on the rooftop: 10 PM outside. Inside at the White Room, you can go late.

Rooftop 10 PM

Lightner Museum

Weddings at the Lightner typically end around 11:30.

About 11:30 PM

Treasury on the Plaza

Your end time is set by your package with the Treasury. Indoors, so the 10 PM rule doesn't apply.

Per Package

River House

Indoors at River House. Check your package for the end time; ours generally wrap around 10.

Check Your Package

After 10: The After-Party

Prohibition Kitchen is the go-to. Big room, and a band plays 10 to 1 on weekends. Tradewinds works. Call ahead and Barley Republic will hold the upstairs or the deck, Ann O'Malley's will hold space, and the White Lion has room indoors.

Downtown

One Opinion

Be Uniquely Yourselves

Every couple is different. You'll get input from Google, Instagram, TikTok, ChatGPT, friends, family. Never feel obligated to do anything you don't want to do. What makes one couple comfortable makes another couple uncomfortable. Every venue here has its own vibe. Pick the one that reflects what you're going for, then have the most amazing time.

Corey Peterson, founder, raised in St. Augustine

Questions

St. Augustine Wedding Music, Answered

Where can I find live music for a wedding in St. Augustine?

We bring it to you. Sax, violin, keys, drums, or the full Pulse! hybrid band, set up anywhere from the Fountain of Youth patio to the Lightner courtyard on battery power. You are not limited to a venue's house band.

Do you play ceremony music from Spotify?

No. Ceremonies run on professional DJ software so we can loop a section, cut a lyric, or land the kiss on the exact bar you want. Streaming apps cannot do that, and they drop out.

What time does wedding music have to stop in downtown St. Augustine?

Outdoor music downtown ends at 10 PM. Move inside and most venues run later: the Lightner usually wraps around 11:30, the Treasury sets it by your package. Always check your contract.

Where does the after-party go in St. Augustine?

Prohibition Kitchen is the big one, with a band from 10 to 1 on weekends. Tradewinds, Barley Republic, Ann O'Malley's, and the White Lion all work, and a call ahead can hold you the upstairs or the deck.

What is the number one song played at weddings?

There isn't one. There are classics that still work for every age in the room: Celebration, September, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Dancing Queen, Stayin' Alive, Get Down On It. We use them to open the floor, then read the room.

How much does live music add to the cost?

It depends on how many musicians, which part of the day, and how long. A DJ is $1,500. Adding sax runs $2,000 to $4,500. Pulse!, the hybrid band, starts at $3,500.

Do you handle ceremony sound if the ceremony is somewhere else?

Yes. A small-footprint satellite speaker goes wherever the ceremony is, with an omnidirectional lapel mic for the couple and a handheld for the officiant and readers. Soft-spoken vows get a second lapel.

How do you keep guests entertained between the big moments?

Music that fits the moment, not a wall of noise. Prelude for a half hour before the ceremony, cocktail sets that leave room to talk, dinner at conversation level, then the floor opens and stays open.

Tell Me About Your Ceremony Space

Patio, courtyard, rooftop, or a church with its own rules. Check your date and I'll tell you exactly how we'd run the sound.

Check My Date