HOW TO FIND THEM
The first step is to look around. Use social media sites like Facebook for recommendations, YouTube, or Instagram and don’t forget to ask your friends for recommendations! Recommendations are the most popular way that wedding bands are chosen for north west weddings.
Wedding music is subjective, people have different tastes. Do you prefer a particular type of music, say rock pop or indie rock or even a particular band, ABBA or Oasis? If the function band has a website, you will be able to have a look at their song list, so look at it! Is it varied? Do they do rock and pop? Are there some slow tracks in there for later on in the evening when things are winding down?
Another way to find wedding bands in the north west of England is using online entertainment agencies. This can also be a good help in the search for your perfect north west wedding band although you might pay more in the long run because of the fact that the agency has to take their cut too. You can filter down to the geographical area to the north west and the results will be bands within travelling distance to your event (or willing to travel to). If you don’t have much luck with any of the above, try Googling something like ‘wedding bands north west’. This should show you most local wedding bands in the north west in Google’s map pack at the top of the search results. You will be able to read reviews and find links to the band’s websites from here. Bear in mind that Google only shows three results in it’s local search results, just click on ‘more places’ at the bottom of the three listings to find many more in the north west.
A BAND OR A DJ?
Sometimes wedding bands can be a preferred option to a DJ as people generally seem to get more involved with a function band, singers often jump into the crowd and dance with them, even offering guests the mic for a bit of Bandeoke! Certain north west function bands even supply a DJ service in-between and after their sets at an extra cost or sometimes included in their price.
Certain north west wedding bands will even learn your first dance song if you give them enough notice. This will add a nice personal touch to your wedding. Other wedding bands will even learn your first dance PLUS an extra song of your choosing included in the price so just ask these questions at the enquiry stage.
IF LIVE WEDDING BANDS ARE WHAT YOU WANT, HERE’S A FEW QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT WANT TO ASK.
DOES THE FUNCTION BAND HAVE A BIG ENOUGH PA SYSTEM?
Some bands only carry a small PA (public address/speaker system) with them and if you have booked a very large venue for your wedding you need to check with them that the P.A. will be big enough. If it isn’t, they may need to hire one and include this in the price to you.
DOES THE BAND HAVE PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE?
All live acts need public liability insurance in order to perform in public. Check the wedding band you are interested in has it as soon into the enquiry process as possible. If any of your guests are injured by the band’s equipment, it will cover them up to (usually) £1 million. Some north west wedding venues require wedding bands to be insured for up to £10 million.
IS ALL OF THE BAND’S EQUIPMENT PAT (PORTABLE APPLIANCE TESTING) TESTED?
This is another requirement for and in fact any industry that uses portable electrical equipment in a public place. It just involves an electrician checking over the electrical device and making sure it is safe.
MAKE SURE THE BAND IS AVAILABLE TO HIRE ON YOUR DATE AND NOT ALREADY BOOKED
Give yourself lots of time to start looking for wedding band. Function bands and DJ’s can easily be booked up a year in advance so try to be booking your act 18 – 24 months in advance in order to secure the date with them. Once you have booked your party band, you can ask whether or not they will need a deposit to perform at your wedding.
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN YOU AND THE BAND
Chances are there will be a lot of correspondence between you and your band from the initial enquiry on through to the run up towards your big day. You will need to be able to contact them and expect a reasonably quick response time.
FIND OUT IF THE BAND PLAY A GOOD RANGE OF MATERIAL
Your reception will probably be attended by guests from all different age groups from new-borns to pensioners so you will definitely need a mix of music. Perhaps some chart toppers for the young ones, probably some classic rock pop for the dad’s and usually some 60’s sing-alongs for everyone else. Most north west wedding bands have years of experience in the industry and generally know by instinct which songs will work with a certain type of audience. The wedding band set list will have been tried and tested many times over possibly hundreds of weddings so putting some faith into the band’s set list will be a good idea. They have the experience. That said, it is expected that you can pick and choose your favourite songs from their set list to a certain extent. For example if you know that they play some slower songs ideal for the drinks reception, a quick email to confirm that it will be in the set list won’t go amiss. Some bands in the north even include a service where the client can create their very own ‘customised setlist’, you can scan through their entire repertoire and pick and choose which songs you would like to be performed.
A lot of wedding bands offer to learn at least one song that they don’t currently know for your event. This could be your first dance and maybe one other.
Some bands have add-ons like additional horn sections and extra musicians to maximise the sound and impressiveness of their performance. They might offer a jazz trio service for your wedding breakfast or a solo singer/guitarist for the arrival of the daytime guests.
HOW MUCH ARE WEDDING BANDS?
Bands usually charge between £600 – £2,500+ depending on certain factors. These might be…
- How far do they have to travel?
- How many musicians are in the band?
- The quality of the band itself?
- Is accommodation included or will they need to factor that into the price?
If this is out of your budget, there are other options. Duo’s or solo singers are both cheaper and can be equally as entertaining if you get high quality performers. Other forms of entertainment can be anything from a DJ, close up magicians, caricature painters duo’s or solo singers. All great options to entertain your guests.
GOT A BAND IN MIND? GO AND WATCH THEM IN ACTION AND ASK QUESTIONS
As well as performing all over the country at weddings and corporate events, most wedding bands will also play public gigs in north west pubs and clubs. So go for a night out with your other half and see them in action before you make any decisions! Some questions you need to ask yourself in between slurps of gin are…
HOW WAS THE AUDIENCE’S REACTION TO THEM?
Hopefully the audience were clapping after each song and most importantly dancing as this is what you want at your event. If the response from the audience was positive then you can be confident that they will go down well for you.
DOES THE BAND HAVE A REVIEWS PAGE?
There are a few places where you might find honest band reviews. The first place to look would be the band’s own website but be careful as these reviews will not be vetted by a third party like Facebook and Google and might not be real. The next two places to look for reviews would be on Google and Facebook. Let’s look at Google first. If you type the band or entertainer’s name in to Google you should see their profile to the right of the screen. Within their profile should be a link to their reviews. Have a read through them and see what other people are saying about them. Facebook is similar to Google, just go to the Facebook profile or page of the person and click on reviews down the left hand side of the page. This will show you a list of reviews people on Facebook have written about them so you will be able to base your decision based on this.
HOW MUCH POWER DO THEY NEED?
Bands with large speakers and lights that use a lot of power will require at least two seperate 13amp main plug sockets. It is dangerous to take all the power from one socket. If the band are performing outside you will need to provide a generator that will supply ample power to run all of the equipment otherwise it could be dangerous not only for their equipment but for them also.
HOW WAS THEIR LANGUAGE/PERSONA ON STAGE?
Performing at a wedding is different to performing in a pub. For a start, a wedding is a formal event and certain etiquette needs to be adhered to.
WERE THE BAND PLAYING TOO LOUD FOR THE SIZE OF THE VENUE?
Your guests will see the wedding reception as a time to talk to family members and friends that they haven’t seen for months if not years so the last thing they are going to want is a ‘wall of sound’ making it difficult for them to even think, let alone talk!
HOW LONG DO THEY PLAY FOR?
Most bands will perform for 2 x 1 hour spots but this can be split down into 3 x 40 minutes if this suits you better.
HOW LONG DOES THE SET UP TAKE AND WHEN WILL YOU ARRIVE?
Generally your entertainment will arrive at your venue with at least an hour to spare before your event starts to set up their equipment and sound check their equipment. If you are employing your entertainment just for the evening reception, they will generally not arrive before 5pm unless you offer an extra early arrival fee. This just involves making sure leads are working, everything turns on and then usually playing one or two songs to get the mix of their music correct. Every wedding is different but 7pm is a normal time for evening guests to arrive so everything must be ready to go by that point. Make sure there are some songs playing as your guests walk into the room. 8pm is a good time to have the venue bring out your wedding cake to cut and take pictures. Generally after the cake is the first dance.
It can be nice to ask your DJ/MC to arrange for your wedding guests to form a circle around you and your partner on the dance floor ready for the first dance. half way through the dance ask your MC to invite your guests to join you on the dance floor, that way your dance floor should be full for the next part of the evening. The band’s first set! This will normally happen around 8:15pm and will generally be a 45 minute set. After their first set usually comes the buffet or whatever refreshment has been organised for the evening guests around 9pm. Give your guests about an hour to eat and make sure the DJ plays some ‘middle of the road’ tracks during this time. Your guests will not be dancing while they are eating and will need a bit of time to digest. About 10:15 is a good time to get your entertainment to perform their final set which can usually go on for about an hour taking you through till 11:15 approx. After this the DJ will usually finish off the evening until 12pm or 1pm depending on how long you have the venue for.
WILL THE BAND ALLOW YOU TO USE THEIR EQUIPMENT FOR SPEECHES?
Most bands will be absolutely fine with you using their microphone and speakers for your speeches. Although, bear in mind some bands don’t have wireless equipment so their leads will not reach very far.
Although there is more expense involved, a band will make your event just as memorable if not more than DJ or solo singer. If you can afford to have more than one act then that’s even better. If money is no object however, then how about a string quartet while you are walking down the aisle, a singer-songwriter style guitarist while you enjoy your wedding breakfast, a close up magician for the early evening and a wedding band and DJ for the rest of the evening!