The Buckinghamshire String Trio & Quartet

FAQs

How far in advance do I need to book you?
We book up quite far in advance and our bookings work on a first come first served basis. We do get bookings up to 2 years in advance, so if your wedding or event is during peak times, get in touch as soon as you can. On the other hand, if your wedding or event is coming up soon and you fancy some string music, it is always worth getting in touch in case we have had a cancellation.

How much does it cost to book a string group?
The cost of a string group varies vastly, depending on quality and what kind of service you are looking for. If you are looking for real professionals with a vast repertoire and experience, naturally this will cost more than a group who play as semi-professionals or just play occasionally. Pricing usually corresponds to the level of professionalism and experience. Always insist on testimonials from past clients and/or professional suppliers. It is also a great idea to ask if you can actually talk to a past client so you can hear first-hand about their experiences.

Your prices seem a lot for a few hours work?
There are a few things to bear in mind. Firstly, you are paying for more than one professional musicians' services when you book a string group. The second thing to remember is that although you only see us for a few hours on your wedding day, there are a lot of hours of preparation that go into your wedding. We rehearse, sort out receipts, playlists. We meet up with you to chat about your music and logistics for your big day in the comfort of your own home. We also liaise with your venue, make sure we have all the correct documentation and insurance certificates, update music folders, buy new music and lots of other time is put into the general running of the groups. It is not just our services on the day of your wedding that you pay for.

We would love to meet you and hear you play and have a chat. Is this possible?
Yes ABSOLUTELY!! This is of utmost importance to us!! As part of the service we offer all our clients the opportunity to meet up for a music consultation meeting before their wedding day! (T's & c's apply) This is one of the services that makes us unique amongst professional string groups. We play at many of our venues' open days and wedding fairs throughout the year and encourage our couples to come along and meet us for a chat and a listen.

Do you take a break during the booking?
Yes, all musicians need to take a comfort  break. For bookings of 3 hours or less we take approximately 10 minutes in every hour of playing. For bookings over 3 hours we work in 45 minute sets. These breaks, of course, are taken at a time convenient to you. As our client, you and your special occasion are our foremost priority.

What happens if one of your members is ill on the day of the booking?
If one of our members is unable to play at your wedding or event due to illness or unforeseen circumstances, we would call on another professional player who has played with us before and knows our repertoire well. The highest quality standard of the group would be maintained and your event would not be affected.

Can you play outside during our drinks reception?
Yes, we can play outside if weather conditions allow and we are very happy to do this. We do need shelter from direct sunlight or rain as our instruments are very valuable and extreme weather can damage them. For weddings and events during the winter months (and sometimes March, September, October  and November dependant on conditions) it is usually too cold for us to play outside. It may be possible, on a good day, for you and your guests to mingle outside but please remember  your friends and families are able to move around – your musicians are static and get cold quickly. A rough temparature guide is no less than 18 degrees celsius.

After the church wedding ceremony we would like you to play at our drinks reception. Is this okay for you?
Yes, this is absolutely fine – we are experts in dashing off after a church ceremony and have always managed to set up to greet guests arriving at your wedding reception venue! Remember that you and your guests spend a little time mingling outside the Church which gives us time to slip away! To help us out, it is a good idea to ask the venue to make sure we have armless chairs placed where you would like us to play – this saves time when we set up. Travel between venues is part of our overall booked time.

I don’t see our special piece of music on your list – can you play it?
If we cannot source the song already arranged for the group you have booked we have a professional music arranger who will arrange any piece of music you require that is not already on our list. He needs at least 2 months notice and there is a small fee payable for his services. Please note that not all music is suitable to be played on strings, we will let you know if your ideas are not possible but usually requests can be catered for.

Will the Musicians require refreshments?
Yes please. Soft drinks are required during the event but we bring a String Trio picnic so no need for food if it is not possible.

What geographical areas do you cover?
If we are given enough notice we can usually get just about anywhere although we mainly cover the Midlands, East Anglia, Southern England and London. We do charge minimal travel expenses. We have been booked to play overseas occasionally. Flights and Hotel charges are the client’s responsibility and are in addition to our booking fees.

We would love to have a reminder of your playing – can we video your musicians?
Yes, you may video our musicians for the Musicians' Union fee of £54 per musician in addition to the normal booking fees - just let us know in advance and we can draw up a separate contract for this service. 

Do your musicians hold Public Liability Insurance Certificates?
Yes, all our musicians are covered by Public liability Insurance (up to £10,000,000) through the Musician’s Union or the Incorporated Society of Musicians. We also hold Employer's Liability Insurance to the value of £10,000,000. Lots of venues are now asking that we produce these certificates and won't let us play unless we have them.