Tips for Booking Your Wedding Band 2023
2023, a new year! and congratulations, you have just got engaged either on Christmas Day or on New Years day!! Absolutely brilliant! So you are now in the whirlwind that is Wedding Planning. Now... should you be lucky enough to be able to use a Wedding Planner, then that is amazing and we work with some brilliant ones, they really are a godsend! However, what if you are going to travel the waters on your own?
In terms of general Wedding planning, once you have your venue booked, I would get straight on to booking the main things: Photographer, Videographer, Band or DJ because believe me, the best and most in demand suppliers are taking enquiries for 2024 now (its Dec 2022 as I sit here!).
In terms of your Wedding band Manchester: you have to look at what music you like? what sort of personality do you want the band to have? what music you think your guests will like? and what will really get the best party atmosphere possible. You also have to consider do you want music during the ceremony, drinks reception or wedding breakfast (if your budget will allow).
Jade | Wedding Acoustic Guitarist/ Singer
The questions above all come with a price, if you have a large budget then great, but if not, then you have to get the best out of that budget for your big day. The main thing that people will remember about the evening entertainment, is the band or DJ, and therefore I would always go for the band you want and the best available band that you can afford. I wouldn't advise compromising on an evening band so that you can have entertainment in the day, but if you can do both, that that is the dream. A lot of bands offer daytime options, so be sure to ask them or the agent working for them is there a deal for daytime and evening as a package.
So how do you go about it? well the internet is an amazing thing, something I wouldn't doubt has changed they way bands get gigs and the way people book bands completely from the 1980s and before (anyone remember the Yellow Pages?). So my advice would be to use the internet as much as you can.
When starting Bandtube, I realised that Video was starting to become a massive media online, and also the quality of band video's is now off the chart and affordable for the band to get filmed for themselves, and that is why the whole Bandtube website is focused around video. So use it, watch as many online video's as you can, make notes, and then narrow the list down to one or two and try and go and see them at a gig. If this isn't possible (and to be honest, the way the licenced retail industry is going at the moment, live music at a bars and pubs will become extinct in the near future!), don't assume that the band are no good, it is very hard for bands to get public gigs these days, and that is what the video's are there for.
Wedding Band Manchester
Furthermore, if a band are performing in a venue, you get there, and perhaps you think the venue doesn't reflect well on them (its a old mans pub for example), ignore where they are! they are probably there earning very little just so you and other people can have an opportunity to go and see them! Bands are like chameleons, they fit in to every environment and make the best of what is there to perform, so please give them a chance.
Finally, as soon as you know you want to book a band - DO IT! don't leave it because you never know if someone else is on their laptop or phone looking to do the exact same thing, you don't want to lose out on your first choice!
Being in a Wedding band can be an amazing thing, you get to perform for a couple who are enjoying a very special day in their lives, as well as for their family and friends, I would say it is a privilege to be honest, so we enjoy doing it, you should enjoy the planning process, it should be fun! this is your Simon Cowell moment! Milk it!
