This is an issue that affects musicians and guests while playing for outdoor wedding ceremonies.  It might also help to decide how long the musicians should be playing for during the wedding prelude and postlude. 

Although musicians usually have overhead protection for outdoor weddings, most of the time wedding guests do not have such luxury; chairs for them are lined up at the ceremony site, possibly ending up in the hot, afternoon sun, resulting in a situation where most guests sit down for the ceremony just minutes before it starts.  In many cases there is either an outdoor large tent or a building near by where everyone gathers prior to the ceremony, avoiding the sun.

Many brides hire musicians to play twenty to thirty minutes of prelude music before the ceremony to entertain the waiting guests. In this case – this  can be a waste of money, since there are no guests at the site of the ceremony due to the hot weather.

It not that we mind playing outdoors, but the fact is: wedding guests cannot hear us.  Acoustical instruments’ sounds do not travel far in outdoors; we end up entertaining the nature around us!  The same applies to postlude music – guests usually retreat to cool areas immediately following the wedding ceremony, and once again, it us and and nature playing along.

For some weddings clients request us to move inside or in the shaded areas where guests are gathered for the prelude or postlude, hence making our music heard.

If it not the case for your wedding – I would strongly suggest having a very short prelude and postlude, and putting that extra saved money towards a honeymoon!