That makes choosing your wedding band an important consideration. Which is why we wrote this post. What makes a good band? How can you tell a good wedding band from a poor one? What are the warning signs? Read on to find out!
1. Choose your style first
Before you go shopping for your wedding entertainment you need to have a good idea of the kind of thing you’re looking for. Are you having an elegant wedding? Society wedding? Family fun wedding? Or something else? Once you know what kind of wedding day you want, you can look for a band to match.
If you’re planning a refined, elegant wedding, a string quartet, swing band or something equally refined would be most suitable. If you’re more into fun, then a band that plays a cross section of pop, 80s hits or crowd pleasers would be suitable.
Match the band to the atmosphere you’re trying to create for best effect.
2. Look for wedding experience
In an ideal world, your perfect wedding band would be a fantastic live act that also has lots of wedding experience. A wedding gig is more than just a gig. A band will have to engage with all ages, with children, make announcements, make a toast, choose a set to match the audience and more.
It’s easier to work with bands who also do weddings as they will already know what’s expected of them. However, that isn’t set in stone. Many up-and-coming bands are adaptable enough to deliver regardless of experience. You’re going to have to go with gut feeling on that one.
3. Research them thoroughly
Choosing the perfect wedding band is about more than listening to samples online. You should go see them live before even contacting them. Look for reviews, talk to other couples for whom the band has performed, check references and perform due diligence on them before booking.
You will also need to assess their likelihood of turning up and delivering on the day. This is less about facts and more about feeling. If you have doubts, move on.
Never book a band you haven’t seen in action. You need to be there to experience their sound and see them live to be able to truly understand whether they offer what you’re looking for.
4. Bands are a service not a product
It’s easy to think of a wedding band as a product to order and forget about, but that’s not the case. A wedding band is a service provided by a bunch of individuals. They will be (hopefully) unique and offer a service to match. That means price isn’t everything.
To select the right wedding band you need to consider ability, personality, experience and then price. Not the other way round. While we understand the need to control the budget, your wedding entertainment is unlike the rest of your wedding planning and needs to be treated as such.
5. Are they suitable for the venue?
Depending on your wedding venue, will your band of choice fit inside it? Can their requirements be met? Work with your wedding planner or venue contact to ensure the facilities are able to comfortably cater for the band.
Some bands use huge PAs, others have backing singers or small orchestras that there may not be room for. Each will also need somewhere to prepare, time and space to set up and somewhere to relax while not on stage.
Choosing wedding entertainment is time consuming. It also takes effort, research and no little gut instinct. However, put in all that effort and you drastically increase the chances of choosing the perfect wedding band.
Like all elements of your wedding planning, the more effort you put in, the better the day you get out. Good luck in your search!
