5 Tips for Booking a Wedding Band
Planning a wedding or event and need to hire musicians? How do you know if you
are overpaying? How do you know if you are hiring quality musicians? How can you be sure that you will hear what you thought you would? This guide will help you through the process of hiring musicians including what to look for, where to find talent, and how to not get scammed.
1. Where can I find musicians and bands?
There are many places to look on the web that offer wedding music services. Below are a few sites we recommend. In addition to the web, ask your friends; chances are someone you know has a great wedding band they recommend.
A. Wedding Music Bands - https://www.weddingmusicbands.com
This site has several established bands that you can listen to and choose from. They are based in Utah, so make sure to talk about travel/costs depending on your wedding location.
B. Gig Salad - https://www.gigsalad.com
This is one of our favorites. You can search by instrument type, ensemble type, or region. It makes finding musicians easy and hassle free.
C. TheKnot-https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/live-wedding-bands
Search by location and browse local bands. Another great resource for finding musicians.
2. How much should I expect to pay a musician/band?
As a general rule, you can expect to pay around $150 - $250 an hour per musician. There are lots of factors that can change this such as the wedding location and what kind of music you are requesting. Ensembles/bands usually charge one fee for the whole group. If you decide to use a DJ, their services usually start around $1,000 and go up from there for the event. As with most things in life, what you pay for is usually what you get. If a five piece band is advertising four hours of professional wedding music for $200, steer clear. If it sounds like an awesome deal, it probably won’t sound awesome when they play.
Should I tip? Yes. While you are paying musicians to play for a set amount of time for your event, the product you are hearing is hours and hours of work. If you decide to tip, wait until the end of their performance.
Here Comes the Guide.com recommends the following tips: Ceremony Musicians - $15 - $25
Reception Band - $25 - $50
DJs - 10 - 15% of the final bill
3. What should I look for when I am choosing a musician/band?
Too often musician/band profiles say “I/we am/are a professional ...” - If the group wasn’t professional why are they advertising?! Look instead for groups that tell their story, what they play, and what their mission is. Groups with personality bring more to the party.
Most wedding bands will offer free consultations, and some will offer free trials where they will invite you to a rehearsal. The most important part is to listen to them either live or recorded before booking. Listening to them perform live or listening to a live recording is the best way to accurately gauge what they will actually sound like without the help of post-production audio magic. It is really easy to edit sound after recording and the best way to accurately listen is to hear them before they “photoshop” their sound.
Also take a look at the band’s schedule. Look for groups who are actively performing and engaged with their craft.
4. Do I need to do anything on the big day for the band?
Make sure they have a contact number for someone other than you who can help them into the venue, especially if your venue is off the beaten path or in a secured area. Bands will need to get into the venue early and will need room to store gear. Nothing is worse than your band getting stuck by a locked door and not being able to contact anyone because you are out getting photos done.
You don’t have to give your musicians alcohol, but providing water and other non-alcoholic beverages will help keep the band sounding their best. If the band is playing for an extended period of time you can offer to them light snacks or even a plate of food. You want to keep your band feeling great so the music is great.
5. Request a set list.
You are hiring professionals who are very good at moving a crowd and you can trust what they will bring to the table. However, requesting a set list can ensure that your expectations are met and that if there is a song you’d rather not hear, it’s not played. This is a great way to gauge what a band will bring to your event.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Thanks for reading! If you found this helpful, please subscribe to our monthly newsletter where we give you information about wedding music and how to make your day stand out. New subscribers will receive our free 5 step guide to planning wedding music.