Choosing the Right Band for Your Wedding - Part 3 - Booking

After reading through the first two articles, hopefully you’ve now got a good idea of what band you’d like to book for your wedding. Now all that’s left is to sign on the dotted line and get the date confirmed...

Prices

It’s a tough time at the moment, and you’ll obviously need to consider your budget. Prices of bands for weddings do vary, literally from nothing (a bunch of guys who play because they love to – perhaps a friend of a friend of yours) to £10,000+ (usually big session names who have played with prestigious artistes, very experienced, larger bands etc) AND just to confuse you even more, everything in-between.  Only you can decide what your budget is, but I’d say try to allow as much as possible for your band. Quite simply, as with anything, you will get what you pay for!

Bands are very ‘recession conscious’ at the moment, and many will discount prices or perhaps give you special offers for extras like DJ packages, extra sets or jazz trio’s – it’s worth asking!

Contracts

You’ll want a contract for your booking (and so will the band), so most professional bands will have a contract they can send you. This will need to state the date, address of the venue, approximate timings and of course fees.

Handy Tip...A lot of bands will charge extra for arriving before 5p.m and finishing after 1a.m...this is worth discussing early on so you can factor this into your budget.

Deposits

You’ll probably need to pay a deposit on booking in order to confirm the date – this can range from 10% to 50% and really depends on the band.

Extra Costs and Things to Think About

99% of bands will ask for a few things for the evening that you will need to provide. Again, this is worth building into your budget now...This does of course depend on the band's requirements, but nearly always includes a meal for each member (and sound man if they have one), soft drinks for the duration of the evening (a tab on the bar), a parking space, and a room to change and keep out of the way in. These are all factors that are very important when you think the band may have travelled across the country to play for you and will need to be fed, watered and looked after before playing.

My advice is once you’ve found your dream band, get them booked as soon as you can! The great bands in the industry are undoubtedly the busiest, so secure the date as soon as you’re sure of your choice!

Don’t forget to have fun with it – music is the food of love, so what better way to finish your wedding day than with a fantastic band that your guests will absolutely love!

Love & Hugs,

Sera

Article by Wedding Entertainment Specialist Sera Golding

Image Courtesy of Surrey Wedding Photographer Matt Pereira Photography

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