Having live entertainment at your wedding is a wonderful, wonderful thing. The feeling of the music surrounding your guests, the back and forth between your artist and your friends, that special performance that's only for you, these are memories that last a lifetime. But where do you begin to chose from the thousands of acts out there?
Here are our top tips for booking an act that suits your day and saving yourself some stress along the way!
Know what you want before you start- and understand how that fits your budget.
This may seem obvious, but with so much choice out there, you can save yourself a good few hours of searching by simply deciding your specifics before you start to look. Do you want a solo singer, do you want an acoustic act, a full band? Narrowing this part down will also narrow your search results down and make it easier to find the best people offering the service you want.
But what about your budget? To avoid wasted hours and disappointment, factor this into your search too. The standard rate per musician per hour starts at around £170, so a budget of say £900, isn't going to buy you a 7 piece band, it will however, get you a lovely acoustic trio. And remember, most good acts will work with you around your budget to see what they can accommodate- It's always worth asking!
2. Sticking with the same musicians all day can save you hundreds.
Many of our couples who opt to have live music at their wedding love the idea of having someone there from the ceremony right through to the evening, but naturally worry about the cost. A simple way to knock hundreds off your bill? Stick with the same act all day!
A musician or band coming for just one part of the day will have a fixed sum that they need to earn to make an event viable for them. They'll be factoring travel hours, costs and if they can take on any other work that day into your quote. If an act is already going to be with you in the evening, there's a good chance they'll tack an afternoon drinks set on to your package for half of what a separate act would cost you. The same goes for the ceremony. Most acts or bands will also offer an additional DJ service for a small fee too, saving you hundreds on a sperate vendor!
3. Understand your venue and how that may affect your choice.
This year more than ever, with so many couples being affected by social distancing limitations, it's vital to understand your space. Always check with your venue if they can accommodate an act. Simple things like having space for a drum kit can be make or break factors on the day! If you have a smaller venue, thinking about booking a solo singer or three piece act might just be the best way forward for you. It's also always worth checking if your venue has a sound limit. Your band will need to know in advance if they need to bring a noise limiter, or even swap out for an acoustic set to match your venue's sound rules. But don't worry too much, any decent act will work with you to make sure they can be there in a way that works for you.
4. Choose Variety- But trust your act.
With so many different groups of people in one room, keeping your dancefloor full all night can be a difficult task. There's no one size fits all taste in music and the best way around this is to choose a singer or band that have a big set list spanning multiple styles. If your act can put out all the classics (proud Mary for the mums, a bit of northern soul for dad, oasis for the best men at the end of the night!) you should have an incredible day without a single lull or dull moment.
But do trust your act to know how to do this themselves, whilst it can be tempting to want to curate every song in your wedding set list, things always run more smoothly when you let your act do what they do best. Give them your must listens, tell them what you don't like, and trust your musicians to take it from there.
If you have any questions about booking a musician for your wedding that we've not covered above, drop in and have a chat! We're always on hand to provide a helpful bit of advice and we'll always put you first!