Your wedding or civil partnership is one of the most memorable events of your life and it should be celebrated in style! Many couples can spend up to 12 months planning the big day and so we thought we’d help out a little when it comes to the hiring of the band. Live bands for weddings have become an essential part of the celebrations and add a fantastic focal point to any party. But, not everyone has experience of how to book a band and the things to look out for and check. So, we thought we’d provide a basic set of questions that you MUST ask before booking a wedding band:
- How many weddings have you previously performed at? Performing at a pub and performing for a wedding are 2 very different things and so you should always check how much experience a band actually has of performing for weddings specifically.
- Can we see some references from previous wedding customers? Always ask to see testimonials from other weddings where the band has performed.
- Do I need to hire any equipment? Most couples aren’t sure of what they need to provide in order for a band to perform and the best people to advise of this are the band themselves. In all honesty, if you are hiring a professional wedding band then chances are they will be fully self-contained and bring all their own PA equipment and stage lighting.
- What happens when you aren’t playing? Be sure to check this as the last thing you want is deathly silence as the band finish to take their first break. Most bands will provide some form of recorded music through the PA but it’s always wise to ask just in case.
- My venue says you need insurance and PAT certificates, do you have these? Just about every venue will need Public Liability Insurance and PAT certificates for electrical equipment that the band are using so you will definitely need to make sure the band has these.
- Is there anything I need to check with the venue? A band will advise you specifically what you will need to check for but it will normally consist of asking your venue if they have enough space for a band to perform in, if there is adequate power located near the performance area and if there are any restrictions on noise levels. This last question doesn’t mean that the band are looking to play at ear-splitting volumes, but, some venues have decibel limiters installed that make it impossible for some bands to perform no matter how hard they try.
- How long will you play for? Again, this can vary with different bands and different styles of music. For example, high energy acts such as a Latin band may only perform for 2 x 45 minutes, whereas a rock and pop cover band will perform for 2 x 60 or 3 x 40 minutes. Finding this out will help you to plan the running order of your evening.
- Do you have a rider? A rider is a list of things that the band will need extraneous to the performance itself. For example, a band may require a meal, soft drinks and a lockable changing room for the duration of their stay at the venue.
- Do you have a contract? Great question! A contract will give you peace of mind and reassure you that you have the band secured for the day. Just make sure you check all the details of the contract to ensure that they are correct and read through any associated terms and conditions.
- What happens if someone is ill on the day? Musicians are only human too and it could easily be the case that one of them falls ill and can’t make the wedding. Many bands will have deputy (or ‘dep’) musicians who can cover but it is always worth asking the question.
Hopefully, these questions and gaining the answers will help you pick the perfect band for your wedding or civil partnership celebrations. However, if you want to avoid this work and just jump straight into the exciting part of watching and listening to potential bands then simply choose to book your music via Warble Entertainment.
At Warble we ensure that all of our bands have answered all of the above questions and we go above and beyond to answer even more of them! For example, on question 10 instead of a member of the band being ill, what would happen if the whole band were involved in an accident? Obviously, our sympathies are with the band, but, that won’t help your wedding reception. Warble provide 24/7 coverage to ensure that should any unforeseen circumstances occur we are on hand to help find a replacement act and keep your celebrations jumping! We can also liaise directly with your venue to ensure any technical matters are dealt with, provide PAT and PLi certificates and ensure that all bands have PA and lighting equipment as standard.
If you would like to start your search for booking a wedding band the easy way check out the Warble Entertainment website.
Published by Warble Entertainment
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