Some tips when planning your wedding entertainment
Let's plan your wedding reception entertainment together
On your wedding day you will be so busy with being the centre of attraction that the last thing you need to worry about is whether the wedding band knows where to be, what to do and when.
We have a great deal of wedding music entertainment experience so let us discuss and plan the wedding music format for your special day in advance so you can be assured that this part of your wedding will go smoothly and professionally.
Put us in contact with the Master of Ceremonies (MC) for the day
If possible, it's a good idea to give your MC's contact details to us so on the day all our liaison can be with the Emcee.
Give us the Wedding Venue contact
If we can talk directly to the appropriate person at the wedding reception venue we can discuss most logistical problems directly with them, such as load in and load out times etc.
Think very carefully about which guests you place in front of the speakers
This sounds a little silly but probably the major reason for volume complaints at a wedding reception is the lack of fore-thought put into the seating arrangements. You can bet that if there are elderly people at a wedding (and there always are) they will be seated right in front of the bands speakers. If we work together at the planning stage we can solve this problem before it becomes an issue. Easiest solution: All party animals sit next to the speakers, and close to the dance floor, as they are the ones who will get the crowd going after the formalities are over and the frivolity begins. Nana, Grandma and the groovy older set, sit well away.
Adequate room for the band to set up
Because of the advances in music technology our space requirements are minimal but we do need a reasonable amount of performance area. We will discuss this with you at the planning stage.
Listening to a band play wedding music before you book them
This seems like a reasonable thing to do, right?. Not so. Bands, and the musicians within those bands do other types of gigs through the week. If you go to a rock pub to see what your band may sound like at your wedding you will get a very different impression than you would if you were to see the same musicians play at a club or private function.
It can be tough to make an informed selection of a band for your wedding. A good indication is whether the band has a reputation in the wedding music market. Another good indicator is how professional their approach is in their dealings with you. Generally, a band that does corporate function work, which is very demanding and requires a high degree of professionalism will also have the experience and skill to ensure you get excellent quality wedding reception entertainment for your wedding reception.
Contract and advance deposits
When you book The Wedding Band for your wedding reception we will send you a contract for the engagement. At this time we will require a deposit to be paid. This protects us both, as we will make the definite commitment to be available on the agreed date and you will make the commitment to pay us for the engagement. The deposit is normally 50% of the contract price.
Payment procedures on the day
Payment on the day is in cash. If you need to pay by cheque we need to receive payment with enough time for the cheque to clear before your special day..
Give us plenty of advance warning about special wedding songs or requirements
If you have a special wedding song you particularly want us to play at your reception please give us plenty of advance warning so we can learn it for you. We do have a huge repertoire but there are obviously songs that we don't know. In most cases we can learn the song for you or at least suggest a suitable substitute.
If you have a relative or friend whom you want to sing, please let us know before hand
Quite often people have a relative or friend who is a talented singer and they would like them to sing a special wedding song at the reception. We are happy to accommodate this and to make this performance as successful as possible The Wedding Band suggest that you give us ample advance warning. Ideally we would like to speak directly to the singer as we can determine in which key and arrangement they need us to play. This is vital to a successful performance.
We won't play too much while guests are eating
Experience has taught us that for the music to have the best positive impact in a wedding reception situation it needs to be paced very carefully.
If we are playing when the guests are arriving they will know that indeed there is live wedding music and it is of good quality.
Once the food is served we normally put on a CD of suitable background "dinner music". The reason for this is that weddings are an opportunity for families to talk and catch up with relatives and friends that they don't see often. If the band is playing through this time it tends to be a distraction to conversation.
When its time for the cutting of the cake and the bridal waltz (although it's rarely a waltz these days) we will be ready to step up the entertainment into party mode.
Call times
Normal performance contract times in
the music industry are for 3 to 4 hours but weddings
are a unique occasion. As there is a need to be loaded
in and set up far in advance of the guests arriving
we generally contract for a 4 or 5 hour call to cover
this contingency. Once we agree on contract times
we need to stick to these times. If your guests are
party animals and you want to extend the finishing
time we can discuss this on the night. Payment for
this extended time needs to be in cash on the night.