Hiring a Band for Your Wedding – What You Need to Know!

Bands are really fun for special events, weddings, corporate events, etc. And they provide really great live energy and of course a fun party concert kind of environment that many guests really love and enjoy. That’s why they’re so popular. There are many things you need to think about when you are hiring a band for an event and deciding whether or not to go with a band. These are 10 things that I find people do not think about a lot with bands. Even though all of these things are in a band’s contract, these are constant questions I get from clients, not understanding or really being aware that this is part of what it means to work with a band. Remember, bands are big. They have a lot of staff. They have a lot of equipment. They need time and a lot of other things. So, here are things you need to be thinking about and that you may not be aware of when you’re deciding to work with a band.

#1: Play Time

Typical event band play time is 3 hours of play time in a 4 hour window. However, typical reception time for a wedding reception, for example, is about 5 hours from start of cocktail hour until end of reception. Your band is not going to play for five total hours unless you pay more. Usually 3 hours covers a dinner set and two dance sets. It doesn’t also cover cocktail hour; although, some bands do include a small cocktail hour ensemble. And it doesn’t include continuous playtime. If that’s what you’re expecting, you’re going to be disappointed or you’re going to have to pay more to have them play the entire time. They have to take breaks and they have a maximum allowed time that they’ll play. There also can be fees if the band has to wait around. If you want them to play cocktail hour, for example, and then take a break for 2 hours and then play dancing, there’s usually a fee for the wait time where they’re just sitting around not playing.

#2: Set-Up Time

A band has many components and, because of this, it needs time to set up. A band cannot set up its entire production in ninety minutes, even two hours. About the minimum amount of time required for band setup is three hours. So, if you’re in a venue that’s not giving you time, you’re going to either have to pay for more time, or you should really consider not getting a band because it’s not possible for a band to just set up super quickly. It’s also not possible for a band to just move quickly if you’re going to make a last minute decision on a rain plan. Again, 3 hours to set up! So, once you make that decision where the band’s going to be, they have to stay there. That has to be determined ahead of time with your rain plan. Another thing, while we’re talking about weather is bands have to have cover. If you’re planning on the band to be open air and your temperatures are going to be very hot or very cold, it’s going to be in their contract that you have to provide cover, move inside, provide a tent, etc. Therefore, you have to make sure you have money in your budget for this.

#3: Power

A typical band needs is about four to six dedicated 20 amp circuits of power. That is a very complex term for most people, but what that does not mean is like four outlets right next to each other on a wall. Venues that are built that understand events do not load up their power this way. But you’d be amazed how many don’t do this. Bands have to have their own dedicated circuits because all their equipment takes a lot of power. It’s not uncommon to have to add a power drop that costs the client additional money in order for the band to have enough power. You don’t want your band losing power during the event because that totally kills your party, so make sure you’re planning on budgeting for more power for the band.

#4: Setlist

Your band will not play an unlimited amount of songs that you are requesting. This always surprises people. They have a song list and they know what works for them and they see themselves, rightly so, as seasoned professionals who know what works really well with the crowd. They will typically allow you to give them about five or six requested “Must Plays. Then they are going to ask what genres you like and what artists you love, and anything you don’t want to hear played, you can definitely tell them. But you’re not going to be able to give your band a list of 30 songs and expect them to play all of them. It’s just not realistic. Many bands will learn a couple of new songs for your wedding, like for your First Dance or Parent Dances, but they’re also not going to learn an unlimited amount of new songs. Usually, that’s limited to three at the most. They can play recorded songs during their breaks that are other songs that you like, but don’t come in with the expectation that they can learn unlimited amounts of new music or that they’re going to play every single song that you want them to play when your list is very long.

#5: Stage

It’s not a requirement that bands have to have a stage, but bands really need a stage. Your band can play on the ground, if the ground is not grass, but just know a band has loads of cables, monitors, speakers, microphones, and equipment. There are usually cables all over the ground. Have you never noticed that before? That’s because those cables were probably on top of a black stage and blended in. We use decorative stage facades now, too that look beautiful and really make the stage look finished off. So, just know you don’t have to have a stage for your band, but it definitely looks messy if you don’t. If I can be frank, it looks like you’re cheaping out if you don’t do the stage. If you’re going to pay the money for the band, pay the money for the stage. But don’t forget that because stages are about $1,200.

#6: Meals

Your band needs to eat, and it’s not just a few meals. Usually a band has a requirement of somewhere between 10 to 20 meals that you have to provide for them, and bands require those meals to be hot. So if your other vendors are okay with like a boxed lunch or something like that, the band will not be. It does not have to be the same meal that your guests are having dinner. It should not be actually. It should be a vendor meal, but they have to have a hot meal that’s served before they perform, obviously. That is a requirement in the contract. Therefore, you’re typically needing to budget for about15 extra meals for your band that have to be hot and served at them at a designated time.

#7: Band Members

Don’t forget that all of your band members are independent contractors 99% of the time. That doesn’t affect you really in terms of your planning. What it does mean though is that you should not get so worked up or hopeful that one or two particular singers from your band are going to be the singers on your wedding day. They might be, and a lot of singers stay with bands for very long amounts of time. But, as independent contractors, they have the freedom to leave that band whenever they want to; go to a different band, leave music completely. When you’re choosing a band, you should watch many videos and go see them live if you can, but choose a band who you feel overall has a consistent level of performance, a consistent level of musicality and great ability on their instruments. What you’re paying for is for that level staying the same no matter who is singing for them. Regardless, it is not uncommon for the singer you saw maybe at a showcase or on a video to no longer be available on your wedding day.

#8: Ceremony Audio

Very few bands do ceremony sound, and you shouldn’t be expecting it. If they do provide ceremony sound, it’s going to be an extra cost. Just know it would be an extra cost if you had a DJ as well. But bands, for the most part, really don’t love to do ceremony sound. It’s not their specialty, and it means they have to get all their techs there working on that earlier. Typically that sound is provided by a DJ or AV company rather than by the band.

#9: Lighting

I’ve had many people say, “We don’t need lighting for the room.” The band is providing lighting.” The band does provide lighting for the stage. They sometimes provide kind of like tube lights lor moving lights for design. Super fun dance floor lights, but that is not the same as uplighting around your room. It is not the same as pinspot lighting on your flowers or your cake. That comes from a lighting company and is a totally different lighting and, in my opinion, a more important form of lighting.  All bands provide some lighting, but don’t think that’s going to be the lighting for your whole room.

#10: Band is Not Your Planner

Having a band is also an argument for getting a planner because, when a band is on stage performing. they’re in it, right? They’re into their performance, their setlist, their interactions with each other. You give them a timeline ahead of time and that’s what they’re going to stick to. If there’s not a planner to intercede and say, “Oh, we need to wait 10 minutes before the bouquet toss because the bride is in the bathroom,” or, “Uh, dad’s not ready for the Father-Daughter dance yet.” If no one is telling them those things are changing, they’re not going to come off the dance floor and find the bride and ask her if she’s ready. They’re going to stick to the timeline. Thus, if you don’t have a planner, which is a bad idea,  you need to have like a friend or family member kind of being like the band liaison who can kind of touch base with them throughout the night and let them know if we’re staying on track all the time. Otherwise, they’re going to stick to the timeline because that’s what they were given. But the timeline doesn’t always stick to the timeline and a lot of times adjustments have to be made.

by Meredith Commender, CSEP