I’ve spent years leading a group hosting wedding receptions and making reservations. Over the years I’ve worked with hundreds of brides and asked thousands of good questions about hiring a musical live band. Let me share the top 5 with you.
How Much Does It Cost?
No matter what your budget is, quality matters. For brides with a tight budget, the options may be limited. Knowing how much you need to spend on a band can help you quickly reduce your potential artist count. With just $2,000, you don’t have to waste time talking to a $10,000 group. Don’t approach bands that are over budget. You can get the small music band with the amount you paid and don’t compare it with the $10,000 group with horns and moving lights.
For brides who can spend as much as she needs to hire any band of their choice, you need to know how much it costs and when to pay so that you can be prepared to pay the required amount. You have much more freedom to find your dream group without having to settle down less.
What Can You Get For The Price?
It’s important to understand what you’re getting for that price. Standard evenings include 3 hours of live music over a 4 hours period. Typically 3 sets of 1 hour, two 30 minute breaks or 4 sets of 45 minutes 15-minute break. It doesn’t matter if you have an opportunity to change this schedule. After all, the group has to adapt to the bride, and not vice versa. It is important to know if the group offers audio equipment, lighting, sound technology, loading and unloading, etc. Are there any additional costs such as meals or trips? The best way to find out what you’re getting is to talk directly with the group and, if possible, watch live performances at other wedding receptions. Bands like Pulse Music Live always provide the best they can in the package. Depending on what the bands offer, choosing the band depends on the quality of music they provide.
Can You Ask For A Song That Can Be Played, Cannot Be Played?
Most groups are ready to accept reasonable requests. I was once at an event and the bride who hired the band went through a list of songs and asked the band to play about 20 songs instead of playing all. Most of the wedding bands in the North East play some good songs about 25. The band needs 36 to 48 songs over 3 hours. They couldn’t accept her request. To be honest, if she didn’t like 80% of the band’s repertoire, she should have hired another band.
It is more difficult to ask the group to learn to sing. Most groups adapt to it, but for other groups, it is much more difficult. All members must listen to the band, schedule a part, and learn the part, practice on their own, and train as a group. It takes a long time, so you should give the band plenty of time to practice the song. If you give the band some 60 days, it doesn’t take that long, but there are other things where the group needs to take care of like other events, and also the schedule should be organized between shows, requests and rehearsals with enough time to convincingly complete.