When choosing a band to play at your wedding you need to be sure you are booking the best you can get who can entertain all your guests and do so within your budget. Here are a few questions you should consider asking any band you are thinking of booking.
How many members does the band have? This will be a big factor in the price you have to pay. If you have a large venue a big band or a soul band with full brass section and backing singers would be great but can easily cost upwards of £2000. Remember that for a professional standard band you can expect to pay around £175 to £200 per musician when you include the cost of travelling,equipment hire etc. It's also worth asking what instruments are in the lineup, especially if you have a strong like or dislike of any particular instrument. How many of them sing and play. A four piece band where one member plays and sings lead vocals will sound as big as a five piece with a separate singer.
How long have they been together as a group, with their current personnel? Watch out for bands that change personnel often. Groups that have just been formed pose the potential for problems if the group breaks up. This isn't to say that established bands don't break up, but over half of all bands formed break up before their first anniversary. The longer they have been together, the more likely they will be to remain together until your wedding date.
Does the band have a set lineup, or do they use substitutes (deps) on a regular basis? Beware of bands that are put together afresh for each gig, where the only regular member is the "pad" of music that they work from. They may perform the music well enough but how will it affect the flow of dancing when half the band have never worked together before?
What are their deposit and payment requirements and do they secure your booking with a contract? What does the contract specify? Are they willing to make additions to the contract to meet any special needs you may have? Do they have lots of silly "riders" on the contract? It's perfectly acceptable for a band to expect to be fed during a gig as they are often away from home for at least 8 hours and many venues do not supply food other than that which is specified by the client. Do they need a separate room to change which you may have to book at extra cost to you, or could they just change in the loo?
How many songs in their repertoire? What styles of music do they play? Can they vary the style of music to suit the age of the guests?
If you want a jazz band to play background music - hire a true jazz band, not a rock band that will struggle to play in the background.
How many hours do they charge for and does the fee vary depending on the amount of playing time or the time they spend at the venue? Are there any other charges - V.A.T. petrol, food, above and beyond the quoted price? Could they, would they do extra sets and how much will they charge for them?
How will they dress? You don't want a band turning up in tee shirts and jeans for a black tie wedding.
Do they accept more than one booking per day? What if their first booking overruns and they are late arriving for yours? Will they give you a refund?
These are just some of the important things to consider when hiring a live band for your big day. More to follow in part 2.
Author Resource:
Alison Hartagan is a music consultant living in the north east of England. The Dean Solomon Band are a function band and they are a top 4 piece professional wedding band north east who provide music for weddings, functions, parties and all events in the North East, North Yorkshire and Co Durham.
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