The Top 5 Mistakes To Avoid When Booking Your Wedding Entertainment
Deciding on wedding entertainment for your big day is often one of the most overlooked parts of a wedding; venues, wedding dresses, venue dressing all take priority and music is bottom of the list.
It can also be one of the most difficult decisions to make for your wedding day, after all you want your guests to have a great day and night that they will talk about for years to come.
Thankfully, expert Dominic from Rock Revolution is here to help you to avoid the top 5 mistakes engaged couples make when planning and booking entertainment for their wedding day.
Mistake #1: Not knowing the best time to book your entertainment for!
We often get asked when should I have music? This is an interesting question and there is no rule of thumb, of course evening entertainment is a definite! Have you thought about times during the day?
During the daytime there are parts of the day which are naturally broken up, or at some points between the ceremony and reception there is a ‘lul’. Music would create a sense of occasion, celebration and sets the atmosphere for your Wedding Day and picks your wedding guests up! Don’t forget to consider:
Before your Wedding Ceremony as guests arrive.
Usually around 30 minutes before it is due to begin. This can be a quiet period as guests congregate, wondering if they know anyone who has arrived or if they are even in the right place!
Your Ceremony.
There is usually only the opportunity to play four to five songs, Brides and Grooms can also select their own music and play it through the venue’s speakers. Or why not ask your musician to play a little bit longer after the wedding ceremony!
After your Wedding Ceremony at your Drinks Reception.
This period of time is usually around an hour to two hours. This is a perfect for keeping your guests entertained whilst you take your photographs too!
During your Wedding Breakfast.
This can last between an hour and a half to two hours depending on the number of guests.
Mistake #2: Not choosing the right ambient suited to each part of your wedding day!
Many couples forget to consider whether band or acoustic would be more suited. Each of the above parts of your day are, in my view, a time where some acoustic music would suit perfectly; either Piano or Acoustic Guitar. Loud music or a vocalist thrashing out songs over a P.A. at this point in the day is not the right time as many guests will be trying to talk to each other and if it is too loud people will struggle to hold a conversation.
Mistake #3: Not weighing up your evening entertainment options:- Band or DJ?
A question you may ask yourself when it comes to the evening’s entertainment is “Should I have a Band or just a DJ?”. Well this very much depends on your budget, while DJs will do a great job of entertaining you all night, there is something to be said for having a Live Performance on your Wedding night, with the DJ playing music either side of the performances.
Bands have creative flexibility and can re-arrange songs according to the guests energy, alter lyrics of songs to fit requests and respond to “spur of the moment” dance situations, such as the father of the brides throwing out the dad dance moves thinking he is Elvis Presley! Sometimes this can literally save the day!
Mistake #4: Starting your entertainment search before setting a budget!
Find out who will pay for the entertainment and set a realistic budget. Then you can decide the type of entertainment you can book.
The cost of a band can depend on a number of factors; the popularity of the band, the number of members of the band, (a duo will be cheaper than a five piece band) and the length of time you would like them to play for. Prices for bands can vary from £600 to upwards of £5000, some bands will also offer to DJ for you for an additional cost.
Mistake #5: Not considering your guests!
Brides and Grooms often think of choosing a band that play the genre of music they enjoy listening to or a tribute band of a particular style of music. This is a great idea in theory, however you want your guests to have a night to remember right? So you must ask yourself “Will an hour and a half of Indie or Grunge music make this happen?” and “Are they going to run to the dance floor and dance to it for the duration of the performance?” Only you know the answer to this, as only you know your guests! In my experience this would rarely be the case.
The thing is at Weddings, you have such a broad age range and therefore broad musical tastes the best option is to consider a Band who plays the best songs from a variety of genres of music; something for everyone.
About Dom Annable
Dom is from the award-winning duo band Rock Revolution who have been entertaining Brides and Grooms and their guests at Weddings across the North West of England for many years.
Please visit www.wearerockrevolution.co.uk and www.domtheweddingpianist.co.uk to read about their packages which include Piano performances as well as their Live Music.
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