Planning timeline
I would recommend doing this around 6-8 months before, or at least after the more important items like catering, photography, venue, etc. I embarrassingly did this about 2 months before (maybe less...). I got a little caught up in graduating from college so this took a very big back seat. Definitely do this early if you want live music!
Suggestions
-I used a DJ for all my music. This was a great way for me to cut costs! And when I say cut costs I mean I probably picked one of the cheapest DJs out there. If I had a string quartet, I would be paying at least double and then have 4 people to tip on top of that. While live music would have been nice for the ceremony and cocktail hour, the DJ music worked out fine. That way, I got to walk down the aisle to the exact songs I wanted to hear (trying to give it a silver lining ;). A great way to do live music at a discount is to recruit local college groups if you are near a university.
-You can make all, some, or none of the playlist the DJ plays. Generally, if you choose over 15 songs then you've chosen most of them. I did choose most of my songs but my DJ filled in the gaps wonderfully (although I'm not sure what my thoughts on the CONGO LINE were... haha, learn to roll with what you're given). A good DJ will ask for the age group distribution of your wedding and play selections that everyone will like. You should be able to suggest what songs should be played for what (i.e. I asked for "Single Ladies" during the bouquet toss, "Sweet Caroline" as the last song, Cee-lo's "Forget You" as a pump up the dance floor song). Ultimately you have to decide how important music is to you. It is not that important to me, and I know that my DJ was a little lacking, but it wasn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
-Some DJs do not like to work with wedding coordinators. That is because many DJs will act as the master of ceremonies and will be the main person keeping your schedule on track. Therefore, be prepared to give them your full schedule, with every little detail planned like father's welcoming remarks, blessing, toasts, cake cutting, any shuttle departures, perhaps a groomsmen dance :)
