Beautiful Music: Picking the Perfect Band for Your Wedding

June 23rd, 2010

The music is one of the most important elements to set the tone for your wedding reception. A great band will create exactly the mood you desire, while a lame one will make the party a flop. These are some tips on how to pick the perfect band for your wedding.

First of all, keep in mind that there are plenty of great wedding musicians out there, but not all of them are right for the style of wedding you prefer. The hot samba band that kept the crowd jumping on the dance floor at your cousin’s wedding might not be a hit with your husband’s conservative family or make sense for your venue. Personally, I have always thought that people in formal attire look odd dancing wildly to contemporary music, so for my wedding, I chose a band that specialized in standards like Frank Sinatra and Cole Porter. It fit well with the overall classic style of my wedding, which ran to lace, pearl bridal jewelry, and all white flowers.

Most wedding performers will have cds and other promotional materials they can send you to help you get a sense of their style. That is a great place to start, but try to avoid booking a band based on that alone. You should definitely speak directly with the bandleader to be sure that you mesh, since he will be the one directing the band during your reception. Whenever possible, it is very smart to go see your top band perform live at a wedding or other event.

When writing the contract with your favorite band, be sure to address the question of breaks: how many, when, and the duration of them. Will a few musicians stay to play background music, will they put on an ipod loaded with your favorite songs, or will there be silence during the breaks? Also put into writing your obligations regarding feeding the band, the number of musicians and which instruments are to be included, and overtime rates. Then make your deposit to reserve your wedding band, and rest easy knowing that when the big day rolls around, your guests will be treated to beautiful music.

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