Question 1

How much does it cost to hire a cellist for a wedding in Cape Town?

Accepted Answer

Packages start at R4,500. Past that I won't pretend there's a fixed menu: what you pay depends on how long you want me playing, which moments you want covered, and where the venue is. Send me your date and venue on WhatsApp and I'll come back with a real number rather than a guess.

Question 2

Can you learn the song we want to walk down the aisle to?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it's genuinely my favourite part of this job. If a song has a melody, I can usually have it learned and arranged in a day or two: your aisle song, the signing, the first dance. Send me the track and I'll tell you honestly how it'll sound on a cello.

Question 3

Do you only play classical, or can you play modern songs too?

Accepted Answer

Both, and at most weddings it's both. Pop, film scores, orchestral arrangements, the classical repertoire: about 95% of what couples send me works beautifully on cello. The exceptions are heavily percussive, techno, or piano-driven tracks, where there's simply no melody for the cello to sing. I'll always tell you straight if a song won't work.

Question 4

Will everyone actually be able to hear you outdoors, on a lawn or in the vines?

Accepted Answer

For an intimate ceremony the cello carries on its own: it's a loud instrument, people are always surprised. Up to around a hundred guests I bring my own speaker. Beyond that, a big lawn or a marquee needs a PA suited to the space, which the venue provides and I plug straight into, working with their sound engineer. Tell me your guest count and I'll tell you exactly what's needed.

Question 5

What happens if it rains?

Accepted Answer

I need shelter; that one isn't negotiable. Rain damages a cello and it damages the equipment, so I can't play out in it. If the weather turns we move under cover or inside, and any decent venue already has that plan ready. Worth checking yours does.

Question 6

What happens if there's load shedding?

Accepted Answer

For a ceremony or a reception of ordinary size, nothing at all: the cello is acoustic and load shedding has zero impact on it. It only matters at the bigger venues, where we're relying on their PA and sound desk: no electricity there means no amplification, so the venue's backup power becomes the thing to ask about. For most weddings, it simply isn't a problem.

Question 7

Do you travel to the Winelands — Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl?

Accepted Answer

Regularly. Anything within 30km of Cape Town is included in the price. Past that I add the standard AA fuel rate for the driving distance: the industry rate, nothing invented for the occasion. If you're more than 100km out or outside the Western Cape, let's talk it through properly first.

Question 8

How far in advance should we book you?

Accepted Answer

A week is genuinely enough for me to take a booking. But if you want custom arrangements, a set built around your family, or a venue out past the Winelands, a month gives me room to do it properly. The popular Saturdays do go first, so if you've got the date, send it now and find out.

Question 9

What if you get sick? You're one person, not a band.

Accepted Answer

I have never missed an event. Not one, in twelve years. I travel with spare strings, a second bow, and backup equipment, so the ordinary disasters never reach you. If something ever did happen you'd hear it from me immediately, and I'd move mountains to put the right player in my chair, but it hasn't happened yet, and I intend to keep it that way.

Question 10

What if the timings slip on the day?

Accepted Answer

They will. The bride runs late, the speeches run long, guests take an age to sit down: this is normal, and absorbing it is my job. I keep playing and I move with the night. I very rarely charge for overtime, and never unless we're running more than an hour past what we planned.

Question 11

We're planning from overseas — can we book you without meeting first?

Accepted Answer

Plenty of couples do exactly that. We sort everything over WhatsApp, I send you recordings so you know precisely what you're getting, and travel and accommodation are built into a single price up front. Destination bookings need more than a month's notice and are settled in full before the day.

Cello for yourWedding day

Add a cello