No marriage celebration in Bangladesh is ever complete without music and dance. Wedding music is an integral feature at every wedding celebration, whether big or small. An interesting thing that I noted in many Bangladeshi weddings was that the music is being played out not only on the day of marriage but also when performing some rituals held before the marriage and after it. Festivities start much before the scheduled wedding day and continue with much gusto even a few days after the couples get married. Right wedding music only makes the atmosphere at the Bangladeshi wedding venue much more lively and enjoyable.
In a number of Bangladeshi weddings that I have attended, I found music played out by local bands on the day of the wedding. A lot of people also get live musicians to belt out weddings songs and perform the popular wedding folks before the marriage and on the D-day. Live musicians performing in the Bangladeshi weddings are in huge demand, especially during the marriage season in the country. Booking for live musicians have to be done earlier. I have also observed that getting local artistes to perform on wedding music is a trend followed in high-profile Bangladeshi weddings. People hire regional or national-level celebrities to perform in their wedding musical celebrations in order to keep the guests attending the wedding fully entertained and for making the wedding a gala event.
At some Bangladeshi wedding reception parties that I have attended I have found live DJs belting out popular Bangladeshi film wedding music on wedding. Getting professionals singers and renowned musicians is something that wealthy Bangladeshi couples prefer to do to ensure that their guests remain entertained while witnessing the marriage ceremony. I have also observed that wedding hosts pay a lot of attention to the choice of the music to be played out on the day of their wedding.
Traditional wedding folk dance is also performed in some Bangladeshi weddings with traditional music. However, the trend for including mainstream Bangladeshi wedding songs in wedding ceremonies is catching up fast. I have also noticed that Shehnai music, which was once the high point of the musical heritage of Bangladesh, is now on the verge of extinction as very less musicians can play shehnai well. Still, the use of pre-recorded or live shehnai wedding music can be seen occasionally in some Bangladeshi weddings. People in Bangladesh understand the rich musical heritage and hence they make music a part of their wedding celebrations.
